Blogs
Research has consistently found that investments in early childhood development are crucial for economic prosperity. Both counties and businesses are prioritizing investments in child care as a way to recruit and retain employees and support local economic recovery. This new blog post from Counties for Kids shares strategies counties across the country are using to bring business leaders into existing prenatal-to-three coalitions and improve outcomes for infants and toddlers.
As the country moves forward with coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery, counties are exploring ways to leverage diverse funding streams to support children from prenatal to age three (PN-3) and their families. A ballot measure is one approach for creating a local dedicated fund to expand services for young children that is informed by local need.
This blog post shares strategies for counties interested in investing local ARPA relief dollars in programs and services for prenatal-to-three.
The National League of Cities (NLC), National Association of Counties Research Foundation (NACoRF), and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) recently launched a joint national initiative, “State and Local Government Prenatal-to-Three Collaboration in Action,” aimed at improving outcomes for infants and toddlers.
While some states and counties launched a Help Me Grow or Family Connects model, the Ramsey County – Early Childhood Initiative (RC-ECI) has applied a customized approach for increasing families’ connection to high-quality services.
In early October, staff from the National Association of Counties Research Foundation (the National Association of Counties’ technical assistance and research arm) interviewed Boone County, Mo.’s Commissioner Janet Thompson and Executive Director of Boone County’s Cradle to Career Alliance, Dr. Crystal Kroner.
Imagine being told that your 2-year-old child is no longer welcome at his/her childcare program. It may be an abrupt announcement, or a conversation that has been building over time. Unfortunately, this scenario is a reality for parents and families across the country with children under age 3.
On Thursday, July 11, 2019, national partners and a cohort of counties working on prenatal-to-three (PN-3) initiatives gathered in Clark County, Nevada, to exchange ideas and effective approaches for supporting the implementation of their local initiatives.
This workshop will also highlight how to access free online tools and resources provided by SSIC. Attendees will also hear how Transylvania County, N.C., a Sesame Street Community, is supporting young children through SSIC and the county’s early childhood agenda.
When defining a prenatal-to-age-three system, there are a wide range of partners involved. We all play a role in impacting the lives of the young children and families around us.
Publications
For nearly two years, families with young children have dealt with the negative impacts of the pandemic, including economic hardships, limited access to child care and increased stress and social isolation. Through these tumultuous times, counties have been on the front lines — supporting childcare providers with grants and resources, serving families through health and human service agencies and investing in systems that make it easier for families with young children to access supports.
Counties met in Salt Lake County to exchange best practices and successes in prenatal-to-three development through the Pritzker Children's Initiative
Counties can make the economic case for investing in high-quality early childhood programs and services
Fairfax County directed its Successful Children and Youth Policy Team to set community-wide goals and priorities for public policy as it relates to children, youth and families