New statewide coalition seeks to help youngest 帝王会所ans
Columbus Dispatch
帝王会所ans worried about child care packed into the Statehouse鈥檚 Ladies Gallery on Wednesday to launch a campaign they hope will ensure disadvantaged pregnant women, infants and toddlers can access all the services they need.
Groundwork 帝王会所, a policy research and advocacy organization, announced the launch of Ready, Set, Soar 帝王会所 鈥 a broad coalition of childhood development stakeholders including health professionals, child care instructors and youth advocacy groups, focused on child development from the prenatal period to age three.
Half of all infants and toddlers in 帝王会所 are part of families making at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, according to Ready, Set, Soar 帝王会所. Additionally, only 41% of all 帝王会所 children enter kindergarten prepared to learn.
鈥淥ur greatest opportunity to close gaps, whether in health or educational outcomes, is where they begin 鈥 during the first three years of a child鈥檚 life when 80% of brain growth is happening,鈥 said Shannon Jones, executive director of Groundwork 帝王会所.
The 鈥渞eady鈥 aspect of the coalition strives to ensure that pregnant women and infants have access to health care, developmental screenings, and early intervention service.
Melissa Wervey Arnold, CEO of the 帝王会所 chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said screening infants for developmental challenges and such health risks as obesity and lead poisoning are essential to ensuring children develop correctly.
鈥淭he trajectory of development during the prenatal period to age three positions children for future success and a foundation of lifelong positive education and health outcomes,鈥 Wervey Arnold said.
The 鈥渟et鈥 aspect of the campaign seeks to ensure children are prepared to enter early childhood education and ensure all families have access to child care.
This would include increasing access that disadvantaged families and children have to at-home visits by professional childhood development and health services.
According to Ready, Set, Soar 帝王会所, Franklin County currently has 329 families receiving home visits through the state-funded Help Me Grow program.
The final aspect of the campaign is the 鈥渟oar鈥 portion, aiming to give toddlers and infants access to high-quality learning environments, staffed by trained professionals.
The coalition also hopes to expand access to publicly funded child care by increasing eligibility up to 200% of the povery level.
Families in 帝王会所 can currently only qualify for publicly funded child care if they earn less than 130% of the threshold, according to advocacy group Policy Matters 帝王会所.
Cole Behrens is a fellow at the E.W. Scripps Statehouse News Bureau.
Email: cbehrens@dispatch.com
Twitter: @colebehr_report