Counties play a key role in building thriving communities for infants and toddlers and shaping early childhood systems. Learn more.Visit Counties for Kids
Search our curated resources collection to find the information and tools you need to take action and advance policies and programs that support infants, toddlers, and their families in your community or state. Resources include case studies that showcase what's working, steps for getting started, the latest research, information on using data to track success, and messaging materials to help you make the case for the importance of investing in prenatal-to-three.
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This toolkit offers resources that can be used to enhance existing partnerships, or develop new partnerships, among leaders from museums, libraries and early childhood systems.
Reach is defined as the number of children and families affected by the expansion of or changes to services designed to support their well-being. This document provides guidance for the NCIT community on calculating the reach of policies and programs using the Prenatal-to-Three Outcomes Framework.
First 5 California was created by voters under Proposition 10 to recognize that children’s health and education are a top priority, especially in the early years of development. Its efforts focus on the development and implementation of a variety of quality programs, systems of support, and resources designed to promote the health, education, and care of young children across the state. Learn about First 5's vision, strategic direction, and objectives in their strategic plan.
In 2015, Californiaâs San Mateo County identified a tremendous shortage of high-quality early learning facilities, which impacted children of all ages and income levels. This facility shortage led to the regionâs inability to expand access to early childhood education programs. As a result, San Mateo County started to work towards a solution.
When the state of Oklahoma created what would become the Oklahoma Early Childhood Program (OECP) for low-income families across the state, Tulsa's existing Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP Tulsa) quickly responded with a proposal that would match public funds with private donations.
Developmental screenings are an important tool to ensure infants and toddlers are on track for healthy development. When screenings detect issues early, the right supports can address problems and set young children on a path for lifelong success. Recognizing the need for a coordinated system of early childhood screenings and referrals, Tarrant County, Texas, is bringing together a broad group of stakeholders to build an initiative to increase access to, and timely implementation of, early developmental screenings and align appropriate prenatal, early childhood, and maternal health services to better meet families’ needs. While the effort is still in the early stages, county leadership is expecting promising, data-driven results.
A 2014 study conducted by the Onondaga County Citizen’s League found that only half of the county’s five-year-olds were kindergarten ready. In response, the Onondaga’s Early Childhood Alliance (ECA) was created in 2015, and a partnership with the Syracuse-based Allyn Family Foundation was formed to build a coalition of local businesses, philanthropies, libraries, nonprofits, and other public sector partners dedicated to early childhood.
No matter a person's background or where they live, the birth of a baby is a momentous occasion that brings many challenges. All families need support in the days, weeks, and months following a birth.
In 2006, the Nebraska State Legislature committed $40 million in land trust funds to an endowment to provide high-quality early care and education for at-risk infants and toddlers. The state also asked private donors to raise $20 million for the endowment within five years.
Early childhood educators are faced with the common career challenge of low compensation and costly higher education. That's why providing educators incentives to pursue higher education and stay in the early education system is critical to building a strong early education workforce. Over the last 30 years, North Carolina has emerged as a national leader in early childhood education, due in part to its efforts to develop a highly supported infant-toddler teacher workforce. Using a research-driven, evidence-based approach to inform policy decisions and program investments, the state has continually improved its early childhood workforce system—addressing the challenges of teacher turnover and wage disparities, improving existing programs based on extensive data collection, and bringing successful programs to scale statewide. Today, 50 percent of infant-toddler teachers in North Carolina have a two- or four-year degree, and the turnover rate among early childhood teachers has plummeted from 50 percent in many centers to 18 percent statewide.
