Mission & Programs

Quality Early Learning

All children need to be in safe, and supportive settings that provide nurturing and developmental opportunities throughout the day. Supports to meet these needs include:

• Ensuring the affordability, availability, and quality of formal child care settings for parents
• Working to increase the skills and qualities of child care providers and ensuring the health and safety of childcare environments (particularly through nurse consultants)
• Providing opportunities to informal, family, friend, and neighbor caregivers to support the nurturing of children in their care
• Providing specific, enriched preschool opportunities for three- and four-year olds, based upon research , that can enable children to start kindergarten with the cognitive and social skills needed for success
  • Preschool tuition assistance
  • Infant/toddler scholarships

Mental and Physical Health

All children need access to health services to meet their healthy development needs and respond to both medical and social determinants of health.  Supports to meet these needs include:

• Ensuring timely and available health service to address illnesses, injuries, and identified conditions requiring ongoing medical care
• Providing health coverage that provides for a “medical home” offering primary and preventive health service to ensure healthy child trajectories
• Conducting developmental assessments that ensure early identification and response to developmental issues and concerns (particularly through early ACCESS) but also that address family stress and other social determinants of health (particularly through First Five)
• Providing dental care and vision screening and response, and behavioral and mental health services, including services that address parental depression

Parent Education and Resilient Families

All children need consistent and caring adults who nurture and protect them, provide continuity in their lives, and act as their first, and most important, teacher. Supports to meet these needs include:

• Providing broad-based public messages, tools, and resources to parents (and other primary caregivers) that support their nurturing and offer opportunities to engage their children in developmental programs and activities
• Home visiting programs to reach out to and engage families with young children who may be isolated or stressed and provide guidance and support in nurturing their children
• Parenting education and family support programs that engage parents in activities with others and build resilience and reciprocity in supporting children’s development

Community Support

All children need to live in neighborhoods and communities that are safe and supportive of their growth, in economically stable households that can meet all basic needs.  Supports to meet these needs include:

• Assurances that homes and neighborhoods are free from environmental and safety hazards, including lead paint, and that homes, streets, parks, and community programs are free from violence and safety hazards for young children
• Linking the provision of services so families have economic stability to meet basic food, shelter, clothing, and housing needs for their children and can respond to unexpected financial needs without falling into states of emergency – or crisis