Deployment and Coming Home:
The Realities for Infants and Toddlers in Military Families

Being a part of a military family presents a multitude of unique stresses that are not typically at hand for other families. Military families live in an ongoing state of anxiety and tension, which at times can be significantly emotional and uncertain for everyone in the family. In particular, deployment and homecoming of military family members can create a highly emotional situation that impacts every family member, including those who may be too young to clearly communicate their concerns. For infants and toddlers, the separation or frequent changes often associated with being part of a military family can have a significant impact on their development. This feature article details the challenges families face before, during, and after deployment, as well as policy recommendations that support infants and toddlers in military families. Download the article now!

Download the August Developmental Milestone Calendar!

One of the most effective ways to Be a Big Voice for Little Kids™ is to invite policymakers to experience your work with infants and toddlers for themselves. A site visit gives policymakers the opportunity to connect the decisions they make to the faces of young children in their community. With many policymakers on recess in August, we challenge you to invite them to your program, center, or agency to see firsthand how your work impacts infants and toddlers in their districts. Download the August calendar now!

Federal Policy Update

Early Learning Challenge Fund: Last week, the House Education and Labor Committee approved legislation (H.R. 3221) authorizing the Early Learning Challenge Fund, a new federal funding stream to promote state early care and education systems for children birth to five. The initiative was included in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 as reported by the Committee. As ZERO TO THREE reported in past issues of The Baby Monitor, President Obama initially called for a new Zero-to-Five Plan on the campaign trail as well as in his FY 2010 Budget Request. This new legislation builds on that proposal by providing $1 billion a year for 8 years in mandatory funding for the Early Learning Challenge Fund.

On July 20, Dr. Ruth Friedman, Senior Education Policy Advisor, House Committee on Education and Labor, participated in a conference call to give an overview of the Early Learning Challenge Fund legislation and answer questions from the field. Click here to listen to a recording of this call, co-sponsored by ZERO TO THREE, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Center for Law and Social Policy, the Early Care and Education Consortium, First Five Years Fund, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, the National Association for Family Child Care, the National Head Start Association, the National Women's Law Center, and the Service Employees International Union.

Congressional Baby Caucus: The Congressional Baby Caucus, co-chaired by Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Denny Rehberg (R-MT), was officially launched on July 14th with an inaugural briefing to salute military families with very young children. More than 70 attendees, including Members of Congress, Hill staff, Administration representatives, military personnel, and advocates, listened as panelists discussed how research, practice, and the personal experiences of military families can inform public policy decisions. This was the first of several events and publications designed to educate Members of Congress and their constituents about the role of federal policymaking in the world of babies. To learn more about the Congressional Baby Caucus, please click here.

State Policy Update

Illinois Children Have Both Gains and Pains from Legislative Session
On July 15th, the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Pat Quinn passed a state budget for FY 2010 that requires cuts to education and human service grant programs. These funding cuts include the Early Childhood Block Grant, which suffered a $123.3 million loss. The block grant has a mandatory funding set-aside of 11% for infant and toddler programs. If this is not reversed, more than 30,000 preschoolers and thousands of infants and toddlers will lose services as a result of the budget cuts. Click here to read more about Illinois' recent legislative session, including new bills that provide a boost to the state's infants and toddlers.

Publications & Resources

Tools for Advancing an Early Childhood Agenda for the Latino Community
New Leaders, New Directions: Tools for Advancing an Early Childhood Agenda for the Latino Community, from the National Council of La Raza, is a toolkit designed to help early care and education champions create stronger strategies to ensure educational success for Latino and English language learner (ELL) children. The toolkit includes information on data collection and the legislative process, in addition to chapters on "Framing the Issue," "Identifying Your Partners and Targets," "Taking Action," and "Media Tools and Resources."

2007 Head Start State Profiles
The Center for Law and Social Policy's recent Head Start 2007 State Profiles show data for all states and six territories from the 2007 Head Start Program Information Report (PIR). Each profile includes information on programs, participants, families, and staff for all Head Start programs in each state, including preschool, Early Head Start, American Indian and Alaskan Native Head Start, and Migrant or Seasonal Head Start.

2009 National Indicators of Child Well-Being
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics recently released their annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009, which offers updated information on the welfare of children and families in the United States. This year's report includes a special feature on children with special health care needs, in addition to information on demographics, family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.