 Special Edition on Infants & Toddlers in the Child Welfare System
This special edition of The Baby Monitor is focused on infants and toddlers in the child welfare system in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Unfortunately, infants and toddlers comprise almost one-third of all children who are abused or neglected and are the largest single group of children entering foster care. Because their healthy development is interrupted by the lack of security and attachment from their primary caregivers, infants and toddlers in foster care are extremely vulnerable to the effects of maltreatment and multiple foster care placements. The impact of maltreatment on healthy development can have lifelong implications if not properly addressed. The good news is that intervention in the first three years can make a world of difference in the lives these children will lead.
The reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is expected in 2009, so this is a good opportunity to talk with policymakers about the ways in which the healthy development of very young children can be better supported through the child welfare system.
Below you will find a variety of tools and resources on very young children and child welfare which you can utilize in your advocacy on behalf of infants and toddlers!
- ZERO TO THREE's new Early Experiences Matter Policy Guide features an issue brief entitled Securing a Bright Future: Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care, which outlines policy recommendations, the research supporting those recommendations, and fast facts about infants and toddlers in foster care. The Policy Guide also includes tools to assist states in implementing policies related to child welfare - check out A Place to Get Started and the State Self-Assessment Checklist;
- ZERO TO THREE's Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers project is a systems change initiative, focused on improving how the courts, child welfare agencies, and related child-serving organizations work together, share information, and expedite services for young children. The project has developed numerous resources which can assist you in your efforts to communicate about this issue;
- Baby Matters: A Gateway to State Policies and Initiatives is a searchable database that contains resource information on state policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers and their families. You can search under the category of "child welfare" or search for your specific state;
Download the April Advocacy Developmental Milestone Calendar!
April is a big month for raising awareness about issues related to young children — Child Abuse Prevention Month, Week of the Young Child, Autism Awareness Month, and Month of the Military Child. So your challenge in April is to raise your voice and your pen to focus attention on one or more of these issues in your state and/or community. Download the April calendar now!
Federal Policy Update
Funding continues to dominate the federal policy agenda as the House and Senate Budget Committees are expected to meet this week to mark-up FY2010 budget resolutions. The House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees are expected to continue to hold hearings to receive suggestions on how federal funds should be allocated among programs within their respective jurisdictions. Meanwhile, last week, the House Education and Labor Committee launched a series of early care and education hearings. Several public and private early childhood experts testified regarding the importance of including infants and toddlers in early childhood policies. Other recommendations included supporting parents; including health care in comprehensive early childhood policies; easing states' abilities to combine federal funding streams; increasing access for at-risk families for high-quality, full-day and full-year care; establishing quality standards; creating public-private partnerships; and utilizing data systems to assess expended funds and programmatic success. Several committee members underscored their support by mentioning early childhood bills they have introduced. For more information on the Senate and House Committees, please see Congressional Committees Addressing Infant and Toddler Issues.
State Policy Update
Kentucky Creates Task Force on Early Childhood Development and Education
On February 19, Kentucky Governor Steven Beshear established the Governor's Task Force on Early Childhood Development and Education by executive order. Recognizing the need for increased coordination among services for young children birth through age 5, the task force will be responsible for reviewing the state's early childhood system and recommending improvements. The first meeting of the task force will be on March 25 and is open to the public.
Specifically, the task force will work to create a unified vision for the state's system of early childhood development services, make recommendations for coherent state-level management of the system, and identify barriers to coordination among the state agencies and providers. Additionally, the task force will work to develop a consensus on the definition for "school readiness" and analyze the standards for early learning and assessments. Finally, the task force will examine the STARS program for child care program, Kentucky's voluntary quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), to make recommendations for quality improvements and increased usefulness for parents.
Click here to read the full state policy update now!
Publications & Resources
ZERO TO THREE Launches Stimulus Planning Yahoo! Group
ZERO TO THREE has created the ZERO TO THREE Stimulus Planning Yahoo! Group for states and advocates to share information with their peers about how they are using ARRA funds to support families with very young children. Members of the group can discuss how they are using planning tools and resources to aid them in their efforts to quickly but wisely address the challenges faced with accepting and administering these new funds. Join the ZERO TO THREE Stimulus Planning Yahoo! Group NOW and pass this invitation along to others in your state who are involved in the planning process. We look forward to working with you to share experiences and knowledge across states.
Report Highlights WIC's Impact on Very Young Children
A new report from Children's HealthWatch, Feeding Our Future: Growing up Healthy with WIC, details the impacts that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has on very young children. The report highlights new research from Children's HealthWatch showing that WIC not only improves children's health, but reduces their risk of developmental delays.
Reinvesting in Child Care
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) launched a new series, Reinvesting in Child Care, to provide state policymakers and advocates with information on the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act as it relates to child care. This series includes several publications which present policy recommendations and strategies aimed at assisting more families and improving state economies using Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds.
New and Updated Resources from NAEYC
The National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative has announced new and updated resources. First, the state workforce policies database has been updated and organized by six essential policy areas, and is now populated with state statutory, regulatory, and executive order examples. Additionally, a new short brief has been produced, based on the full report, Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems.
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