Through a whole-practice approach, children and their families receive regular screening, parenting guidance, care coordination and referrals—above and beyond what a pediatric provider can provide during the average 15-minute visit.
As he struggled with feeding and sleeping, Annie grew increasingly worried. When her pediatrician dismissed her concerns, she shut down and felt discouraged. That all changed when she switched to a new doctor’s office—Hackensack Meridian Health’s Pediatric Academic Practice—one that was part of the HealthySteps program.
-Annie
During the comprehensive screenings, Annie shared her worries about Jacob’s development and the challenges she faced. Christina explained why each screening mattered and how Annie’s insights would shape the care plan so Jacob could grow and thrive.
Feeling validated, Annie put what she was learning into action. Equipped with information from Christina, she connected with community resources for healthy food for Jacob, found a new job and sought out intervention services to address Jacob’s developmental needs. With newfound confidence, Annie also worked with her HealthySteps team to secure the mental health support she needed to stay strong for herself and her son.
Today, Annie and Jacob are thriving. Jacob is eating and sleeping well. Annie says she is less stressed and feels more confident as a mother. By trusting her instincts, she found the care she knew they both needed and has put them on a path to a healthier, happier life.
*To protect the family’s privacy, names and images have been changed.
Tripling our impact in just five years, we reached more than 467,000 children nationwide and welcomed the first sites in New Hampshire, progressing toward our goal of reaching more than 1 million children annually by 2032.
Worked with local partners to open new billing pathways for HealthySteps and HealthySteps-aligned services in Arkansas, New York and New Jersey. Released national and state-level sustainability resources to help pediatric primary care practices secure sustainable funding for HealthySteps and HealthySteps-aligned services.
Translated caregiver handouts—short, easy-to-read articles on subjects important to early childhood development and well-being such as feeding and tantrums—into five additional languages (Arabic, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese).
Provided free training on topics like toddler sleep and autism spectrum disorder. Launched an online professional development library. Collaborated with the Erikson Institute and American Academy of Pediatrics to integrate the nationally recognized FAN (Facilitating Attuned Interactions) approach for relationship-building and reflective practice into training for new sites.
Shared resources to advance the network’s understanding of HealthySteps Priority Outcomes: well-child visits, child growth and development, maternal depression and early relational health. To further promote use of pediatric electronic health records to strengthen preventive family-based care, developed materials and training and published findings to benefit the field.
Children Reached in 2024
Professionals Trained
Sites
States
+ Washington, DC, and Department of Defense sites in Germany
*as of 12/31/24
