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Timely Opportunities to Leverage Policy and Investments to Promote ERH |
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The early and foundational relationships that babies and toddlers experience with their caregivers shape the health, development, and well-being of two generations. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to bring stress to millions of families with young children, especially those in under-resourced neighborhoods and communities. The burden and negative impact of systemic racism is ever more visible and weighs on nearly half of our nation's young children, and vital community supports are stretched and over-burdened as they face increased need. Yet, through emerging and unprecedented policy change, we have new opportunities to build more effective service systems that are responsive to families’ strengths and risks and can change behaviors and opinions on these foundational relationships.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) offers some of the most substantial changes to child and family policy since the 1960s. With both direct supports to families and increased resources to state and communities, ARPA helps to create conditions that foster ERH, including:
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Increase economic security by restructuring and boosting the Child Tax Credit and other tax credits that reduce poverty among families with children. If this and related tax credits are made permanent and reach all eligible families, they will cut child poverty almost in half, and significantly advance racial equity.
- Provide for basic needs that support greater family well-being through enhanced assistance for child care, food, income, utilities, and housing.
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Invest in community supports to partner with and strengthen families, including increased funds for being distributed for home visiting, pediatric mental health care access, community health workers, community-based doulas, community navigators, and other programs.
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Give states the option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage for one year, so that birthing people and their babies will both have guaranteed coverage for 12 months, including Medicaid coverage for two-gen, relational services. Half of states have taken action to use this new option and provide extended postpartum coverage.
Additionally, the Build Back Better Act pending in Congress additionally include policies that will further support ERH: paid family leave, extended child tax credits, required Medicaid postpartum coverage for one year, maternal health equity investments, and more.
At the national, state, and local levels, action by advocates, parents, providers, and governmental entities can make a difference. Key actions include:
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Informing families about available tax credits, health coverage, family support, and other assistance.
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Educating decision makers—particularly state legislators and state agency staff—to ensure that federal grant dollars and other investments include a specific focus on families with young children, particularly those of color and those living in disinvested communities.
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Focusing and acting beyond your own field. For example, child care providers can help families secure health coverage, home visitors can connect families to tax advocates, and health providers can link families with nutrition programs. It takes a village.
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Using strengths-based and culturally responsive approaches, co-designed with families. Services should be responsive to and respectful of families, particularly those who have been traditionally marginalized by racism or other structural barriers.
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Applying two-gen thinking. Focus on how the policies and programs can support both the parents and the children. For example, how can extended Medicaid postpartum coverage be used to finance relational and mental health services for parent and child?
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Engaging families and community partners to turn these investments into stronger systems of support and strengthened early childhood systems.
Current policy changes offer unprecedented investments that can lift up and strengthen families and communities. We should take advantage of this moment and work alongside families to advance equity and strengthen ERH through effective policy implementation.
To download a PDF of this article, click here.
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Updates from the Early Relational Hub at CSSP |
Willis & Friends: Transcending Barriers of Whiteness for Next Generation Well-Being
The 8th edition of the Willis and Friends live series explored how to move beyond “centering Whiteness” to realize once-in-a-generation opportunities for Black and Brown families from President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
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ICYMI: Willis & Friends: Transforming Health Systems to Ensure Maternal Well-Being
In December, the 7th edition of Willis and Friends live series provided an enlightening conversation with three national policy leaders about the unprecedented opportunities to advance early relational health as a result of the enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act and the proposed Build Back Better Act.
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Check out our latest blog
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What is Early
Relational Health?
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Early relational health is a key building block for learning, development, and mental health. The foundational relationships that babies experience with their caregivers shape the health, development, and well-being of two generations—now and into the future. |
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What We're Reading and Watching |
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Bethell CD, Garner AS, Gombojav N, Blackwell C, Heller L, Mendelson T. Social and Relational Health Risks and Common Mental Health Problems Among US Children: The Mitigating Role of Family Resilience and Connection to Promote Positive Socioemotional and School-Related Outcomes. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics. 2022 Jan 1;31(1): 45-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.08.001 Read here.
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Kaminski JW, Robinson LR, Hutchins HJ, Newsome KB, Barry CM. Evidence base review of couple‐and family‐based psychosocial interventions to promote infant and early childhood mental health, 2010–2019. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. 2022. DOI: 10.1111/jmft.12570 Read here.
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Academic Pediatrics Special Supplement sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Child Poverty and Health 2021: Addressing Equity and Economic Justice. Edited by Benard Dreyer, Adam Schickedanz, Peter G. Szilagyi. 2021 Nov-Dec;21(8, Supplement):S81- S206. DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.08.001 Read here.
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Capita, What do we owe our children: A conversation about our duties to children and future generations. Watch here.
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Early Relational Health Initiative Vision:
Harness the power of early relationships
for the flourishing of all.
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The mission of the National Early Relational Health Initiative 3.0 is to ensure that all infants, young children, and their families benefit from supports and social connections that advance early relational health and its contribution to lifelong well-being and thriving.
Structural racism, poverty, and other societal barriers can impede the formation of strong early relationships when they result in family stress, community disinvestment, and limited opportunity. When we focus on this foundation and support these relationships, children and their caregivers thrive—now and into the future.
The ERH Initiative is a part many activities at CSSP related to young children and their families, from DULCE, to Strengthening Families, to the Early Learning Nation work, to the EC-LINC work, to the development and promotions of anti-racist, family-driven, and effective early childhood policies, programs, and systems.
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Center for the Study of Social Policy
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