Special Edition on the Basic Needs of Very Young Children

All new parents strive to provide a stable environment for their children, but as the costs of basic necessities - such as food and energy - continue to rise, workers are struggling more and more to support their families and remain out of poverty. As their budgets are squeezed, some parents are forced to make difficult and dangerous choices between the very needs that are essential for their baby's health and well-being, such as whether to buy food or pay to heat their home during the cold months. Policymakers can help families build the foundation that meets their young children's basic needs by increasing food, housing, and energy assistance; supporting health insurance and child care; and targeting tax credits for low-income working families.

Below you will find a variety of tools and resources on basic needs which you can utilize in your advocacy on behalf of infants and toddlers.

• ZERO TO THREE's Early Experiences Matter Policy Guide features an issue brief, Getting Back to Basics: Building the Foundation for Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families, which outlines policy recommendations, the research supporting those recommendations, and fast facts about the basic needs of very young children.

• Good Nutrition Feeds Healthy Development and a Healthy Future: Reauthorization of WIC and CACFP, by ZERO TO THREE, reviews the research on the impact of child nutrition programs and provides policy recommendations for the reauthorization of the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

• Search Baby Matters: A Gateway to State Policies and Initiatives for information on state policies and initiatives impacting infants, toddlers, and their families. You can search by the category, "Basic Needs", search for your state, or search by keyword.

• Children's HealthWatch features many research-based policy briefs related to the basic needs of infants, toddlers, and their families, including topics such as food, energy, and housing insecurity.

There are opportunities to take action on issues related to the basic needs of young children this year through health care reform and the reauthorization of child nutrition programs. We encourage you to use these tools and resources to educate your policymakers! Click here to find contact information for your policymakers and be sure to stay tuned to The Baby Monitor for updates on the progress of health care reform and the upcoming reauthorization of child nutrition programs!

Federal Policy Update

Despite the October 1, 2009 start to the 2010 fiscal year, the federal appropriation process for FY2010 is not yet complete. A short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) will keep programs running at current funding levels until October 31 or until final funding decisions are made. The bill containing the majority of programs affecting infants and toddlers, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHSE) Appropriations bill, passed in the House, but has not yet received a vote in the full Senate. Once the Senate approves their version of the legislation, it will need to be reconciled with the House version in conference and approved again by both chambers.

Meanwhile, the authorization for the child nutrition programs, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), expired on September 30. Congress passed a short-term extension of the programs that will give policymakers time to consider strengthening the law before reauthorization later in the session.

State Policy Update
Tennessee Pilots New Infant and Toddler Credential

Recognizing the role that knowledgeable and well-trained caregivers play in providing high-quality care environments for infants and toddlers, partners in Tennessee are working to develop a new Infant and Toddler Credential. The development of the new credential is the result of a strong partnership between the Tennessee Department of Human Services, the Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral Network, the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) and Tennessee's Outstanding Providers Supported Through Available Resources (TOPSTAR), family child care mentoring and support groups. The Department of Human Services will administer the credential and representatives from the partner agencies will form a review team.

The Department of Human Services will conduct a year-long pilot of the credential before taking implementation statewide. The pilot will take place in each grand division of the state. The Infant and Toddler Specialists, under the direction of the Child Care Resource & Referral Infant and Toddler Coordinator, will identify caregivers to participate in each pilot area and play a key role in the implementation of the credential. The pilot will be evaluated by an external evaluator, and all data and information gathered will be utilized in statewide implementation planning. Read the full state policy update now!

Reminder: Download October's Advocacy Developmental Milestone Calendar

It's Step Up for Kids Week, which is a great opportunity for you to raise your voice for the infants and toddlers in your state and community. States across the country are holding Step Up for Kids events in which you can participate, including state house rallies, community meetings, and press events. Infants and toddlers are often left out of policy conversations, so you can utilize this publicity-generating event to ensure that the needs of babies are discussed! Download October's calendar and take action this week!

Publications & Resources

First Focus Releases Children's Budget 2009
Children's Budget 2009, by First Focus, is a comprehensive guide which offers information on over 180 federally funded programs dedicated to improving the well-being of America's children. This guide also includes information on investments in children through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and reveals that all other federal spending on children accounts for less than ten percent of the entire non-defense budget.

Report on State Child Care Policies
The National Women's Law Center recently released State Child Care Assistance Policies 2009, a new study on child care policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Findings show that between February of 2008 and February of 2009 more states made cuts than made improvements in child care assistance.

CLASP Launches New Data Tool
DataFinder is a new tool from CLASP that allows you to create custom data tables using demographic and administrative data on programs that impact low-income families. The tool currently includes state and national data on child care assistance spending and participation, Head Start and Early Start participation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) expenditures, young child demographics, and poverty.

New Journal Issue on Child Maltreatment Prevention
In the new journal issue, Preventing Child Maltreatment, the Future of Children highlights research on policies and programs designed to prevent child abuse and neglect, as well as information on the role of home-visiting programs and parent-training programs on reducing abuse and improving developmental outcomes.