Healthy Brains from the Start: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
For every $1 invested in early childhood mental health programs, as much as $17 is saved by preventing the need for further interventions later in life.
Resources for Policymakers and advocates: Shaping Brighter Futures
ZERO TO THREE is committed to promoting strong families, good health and positive early learning experiences for all babies and toddlers, with a strong focus on those who are the most vulnerable and in need.
Our resources provide the knowledge and tools required to shape effective policy-making that impacts the lives of our nation’s young children and families.
Policymakers and advocates can access the most recent information they need to make informed decisions and lobby to advance the well-being of young children.
ZERO TO THREE Policy Center focuses on:
- Federal policy: We work hard to influence policies and decisions made at the national level.
- State and local policy: Policies made at local levels have a direct impact on babies, toddlers and their families.
- Advocacy through Think Babies™: We urge policymakers to prioritize and advocate for the needs of young children to ensure that they get the best start in life.
- Infant and early childhood mental health: Awareness of early mental health and its impact on a child’s future is an essential aspect of our child advocacy resources.
- Transformation in child welfare: Our Safe Babies™ initiative encourages collective action by states and communities to strengthen and support healthy family bonds.
Inspire action. Find evidence-based message briefs, resources and toolkits on core policy objectives.
Featured Resources
Our resources for policymakers and advocates focus on four impact areas, namely:
- Good health
- Strong families
- Positive early learning experiences
- State-based systems
ZERO TO THREE delivers current articles, information and research from experts in the field of early childhood development, so you have the knowledge and tools required to advocate for change in areas such as child care, economic security and paid leave for parents.
Webinar
Integrating IECMH into Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
As Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) expand nationwide, they are reshaping access to mental health care. Yet too often, the needs of infants, toddlers and their families are overlooked.
Distillation
Child Vaccines: Families Have Questions. We Have Answers.
Find common questions and answers about child vaccines to help families and early childhood professionals share clear, supportive information.
Distillation
How Relationships Drive Results in Early Intervention Services
For early intervention services to be successful, the referral process needs more than a form — it needs people working together.
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.
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Strong Families
Report
RATTLED: Babies, Families and a Year of Growing Strain
A national snapshot of life for families with infants and toddlers in 2025 reveals a troubling reality: economic pressure, emotional distress and uncertainty intensified across the year even as families fought to provide stability and love for their babies.
Resource
Strengthening Families with Infants and Toddlers: A Policy Framework for States
A roadmap for states to shift from crisis response to family well-being.
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.
Good Question
How can reducing parental stress impact a baby’s early development?
Hear from experts about how a Michigan program is reducing parental stress and supporting early development.
Distillation
The Child Care Paradox: Families Pay More, Educators Earn Less
America’s child care system is collapsing . Families are paying more than they can afford, while the very educators who make care possible remain some of the lowest-paid workers in the country. The result? Families are squeezed, programs are closing, and children are caught in the middle.
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Positive Early Learning Experiences
Good Question
How can family child care support infant mental health in their mixed-age programs?
With thoughtful, intentional practice, mixed-age family child care settings can nurture infant mental health by supporting secure relationships, trust, and safe exploration.
Early Head Start: A Critical Support for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
Early Head Start strengthens families, and states can enact strategies to help more children access its critical supports.
Distillation
10 Surprising Facts About Child Care in the United States
We've outlined ten ways our fragile, underfunded child care system is falling short of what babies, families, and child care providers need to thrive.
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Early Childhood Systems Resources
Article
Breaking Silos: Collaborative Efforts to Support Infants and Parents in the Child Welfare System
By working together, early childhood leaders can address systemic barriers, address inequities, prioritize developmental needs, and foster positive, long-term impacts for families.
Distillation
Buzzwords Explained: Dyadic Care
Traditional treatment models for infants and toddlers and their parents often look at a child’s issues from a single perspective, but dyadic care looks at each baby as part of a larger family system — and works to give everyone in that system the skills for success.
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Latest Early Childhood Policy Resources
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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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379 results in Advocates.
We Work With States To Support Babies, Toddlers and Families
ZERO TO THREE works hard to keep our collection of relevant policy briefs and articles current. Our on-staff state policy team updates collections and ensures they are searchable by state or focus issue. Our Policy Center collaborates with leaders on Capitol Hill and nationwide to provide insights that help influence decisions to further services and support for families and young children.
We prioritize the needs of young children in order to shape policies that support babies.
Be a Baby Champion
As an epicenter for child health policy and advocacy in the country, ZERO TO THREE remains a vital resource for policymakers and advocates.
Access tools and resources that can help ensure that all young children get the support, services and care they need to reach their full potential. Support our advocacy efforts and become a dynamic agent of change.
