Resource
Early Childhood Poverty: A Lasting Impact on Babies’ Health and Development
Early Head Start is the only federal program dedicated to the comprehensive development of pregnant women, infants and toddlers in families with low incomes.
Shaping State and Local Policy for Early Childhood
Policy decisions made at the state and local levels directly impact the lives of infants, toddlers and their families.
State and local policies play a vital role in shaping the quality of life for infants, toddlers and their families.
From access to health care and early education to family support services, policy decisions directly influence a child’s development during their most critical years. At ZERO TO THREE, we partner with leaders and advocates nationwide to push initiatives that empower families with young children to thrive.
Current policy issues
ZERO TO THREE works with state and federal policymakers to support every community's infants, toddlers and their families.
Families should be able to access affordable, quality child care. Related bills we support include the Child Care Stabilization Act and the Child Care for Working Families Act.
This important national program helps children from low-income households who are at risk of falling behind at school. Unfortunately, the program’s current funding only serves 11% of eligible families. We advocate for policymakers to increase funding through the Appropriations process.
To help families provide the financial stability young children need to thrive, we advocate for the continuation of proven programs that reduce early childhood poverty and the expansion of the enhanced and fully refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC).
Families want to provide the best for their children but may lack adequate support. We advocate for child welfare systems that strengthen families and policies such as Strengthening America’s Families Act (SAFA).
We increase awareness of infant and early childhood mental health and work to support programs like the Infant and Early Childhood Grant Program, which enables communities to address infant and early childhood mental health more effectively. We also push for Congress to increase Community Mental Health Services Block Grant funding to include infants.
We advocate for paid sick and family leave and for policies like the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides 12 weeks of paid time off for employees to spend with a new child.
See how each state measures up in giving babies a strong start in life.
ZERO TO THREE's advocacy efforts
We've spent decades advocating for policy changes to uplift the lives of our nation's youngest. Our state policy team consistently updates our library of policy briefs, articles and resources to highlight innovative policies and initiatives impacting babies, toddlers and their families.
Here are ways we work to ensure policymakers consider young children in the decision-making process:
- Manage resources: We create scientific, research-based resources highlighting the state of babies and their families in each state.
- Mobilize advocates: We mobilize strong parental advocates and state partners to ensure policymakers consider the fate of babies at every decision-making level.
- Support innovative change: We support state and local child advocacy and policy leaders who are innovating policies that benefit babies.
- Evidential support for policymakers: We created a comprehensive library of fact-based resources for policymakers.
We also launched our Think Babies initiative to prioritize every baby’s potential at a national level. Our Think Babies toolkit has several resources for advocates to use when contacting their network and elected officials. The toolkit includes key messages, blog post content, videos, tips for site visits, sample letters, and more to help spread the word.
Resources for policymakers
Our Policy Center is a research-backed, non-partisan resource for federal and state advocates and lawmakers on babies and toddlers’ specific and critical needs. The resources apply 40 years of expert knowledge on early childhood development to ensure that public policies align with the latest research and best practices.
Resource
Early Head Start Helps Families Thrive — Let’s Keep It That Way
Early Head Start is the only federal program dedicated to the comprehensive development of pregnant women, infants and toddlers in families with low incomes.
Resource
How the Department of Education Supports Babies and Toddlers
Proper nutrition during early childhood lays the foundation for lifelong health, but cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could put many babies at risk.
Join our early childhood policy advocacy
We can build stronger foundations for the next generation by focusing on equitable and community-driven public policy and advocacy. Engage with our policy initiatives or support local advocacy efforts.
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- DC:0-5
- HealthySteps
- Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Financing Policy Project
- LEARN: Professional Development
- Military Family Projects
- National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching & Learning
- Policy Center
- Programmatic Assistance for Tribal Home Visiting
- The National Infant-Toddler Court Program
- Think Babies
- Tribal Home Visiting
- ZERO TO THREE Fellowship
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411 results in State and Local Policy.
