October 25, 2024

Going to the 2024 APHA Conference in Minneapolis?

We are too! 

Come visit us at Booth #1407 or stop by our poster session on the EnAct! Framework, taking place on October 28th from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM (Poster #3094.0). 

We look forward to seeing you there!

In this newsletter we highlight resources and news across key CAHMI focus areas:

New 2022-2023 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Measures

The CAHMI is pleased to announce the release of the National Performance Measures (NPMs), National Outcome Measures (NOMs) and Standardized Measures (SMs) data findings from the combined 2022-2023 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH).

Since 2003 the CAHMI has led the National Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DRC) to expedite and support effective use of data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. The DRC provides point-and-click online access to national, state, and regional findings from the NSCH through the interactive data query, which allows you to search survey findings on key indicators of health and well-being of children, their families and communities, as well as information about the prevalence and impact of special health care needs. The DRC also offers downloadable datasets with accompanying codebooks that include measure specifications, codes, and more in SAS, SPSS, and Stata formats.

Subscribe to our DRC newsletter on our website www.childhealthdata.org if you would like to receive updates on new data releases. Contact us through our Ask Us a Question page.

CAHMI maintains the DRC under a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

The CAHMI’s DRC prioritizes supporting state and local maternal and child health programs in their needs assessment and strategic planning efforts to improve on national MCH outcomes and performance measures. Click here for a summary of the Title V MCH Block Grant needs assessment process and related resources and scan the QR code or link here for more resources to support state and local action!

The CAHMI seeks to promote early and lifelong health of children, youth and families through family and community engagement at all levels! Read about our 28 year history of leadership, innovation and action in this Maternal and Child Health Journal “Scaling Family Voices Engagement” article.

Also see a new article done with esteemed colleagues on making primary care a protective factor! 

The EnAct! Framework Featured in New National Launching Lifelong Health Recommendations Report

The Engagement in Action Framework (EnAct!) builds on decades of work to set forth a new integrated vision for positive health and flourishing of all children and families along with a detailed strategic approach and concrete tools, measures and policy recommendations for advancing statewide “through any door” integrated early childhood health systems that optimize the power of family-engaged primary prevention and health promotion services, focusing on the well-being of the whole child and family.

EnAct! was featured in the recently released National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Launching Lifelong Health report, along with other research, resources and contributions of the CAHMI since 1996. See pages 298-300 of Chapter Nine of the LLH report here where the EnAct! approach to leveraging shared accountability measures across early childhood systems can catalyze action today!

Be sure to review the entire report, which builds on decades of visionary work and innovation to meet this moment of possibility and shared commitment to transform systems to promote child and youth well-being. 

Learn more on through this 2-page summary of EnAct! or on our website: EnAct! Framework.

In Case You Missed It! Webinar on Tools for Family Engagement In Action!

The Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems (ECDHS): Evidence to Impact Center hosted a webinar to highlight the CAHMI’s Cycle of Engagement model and Well Visit Planner family engagement tool to advance universal access to quality health promotion and prevention services aligned with national Bright Futures Guidelines – or- One Big Doable Thing!

Participants gained insights into child flourishing, school readiness and family resilience and connection as key goals and the practical application of the Well Visit Planner in Community Health Center settings, with an emphasis on improving comprehensive, family-centered care and well-child services “through any door” in an early childhood integrated systems approach, detailed in the CAHMI’s Engagement in Action Framework (EnAct!).

The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) recently released a report on Preventing Child Welfare System Involvement: Opportunities for Primary Care and Medicaid to Advance Health Equity in which the CAHMI’s Cycle of Engagement and Well Visit Planner tools are featured to enhance the capacity of providers to promote health and address risk factors related to child maltreatment in primary care.

The Cycle of Engagement Well Visit Planner (COE WVP) Model and Tools

CAHMI’s Cycle of Engagement Well Visit Planner Approach to Care builds the capacity of families, communities and early childhood health and care professionals to partner in the joyful work of promoting the well-being of all children.

Since 1997, CAHMI has developed and tested a set of IT-based, family-facing (and provider-integrated) tools to significantly improve the quality, impact and equity of well-child care services that allow for comprehensive whole-child and whole-family based services anchored to national guidelines. The COE model and tools prioritize tailoring services to each family’s unique strengths, needs, and goals, fostering trust and improving efficiency. We have also pioneered methods to engage families of children with medical complexity in shared care planning. Learn more about the Cycle of Engagement and our Well Visit Planner approach to well childcare services at www.cycleofengagement.org or watch this overview video.

Measurement in Action

Get summaries of measures used across many national and state programs

To learn more about performance measures used to monitor and drive improvement performance across key maternal and child health programs and initiatives, visit the CAHMI’s interactive National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Measures Compendium. Here you can pick a measurement set of interest or begin searching by measurement topic and more.

Included are summaries across 14 measurement sets used for state and local maternal and child health programs including: Medicaid and CHIP, Title V MCH Block Grants, Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs (MIECHV), Community Health Centers, Child Welfare and Head Start programs and the Department of Education’s Early Intervention Part C Program.

CAHMI’s summary of measures used across child health systems in states was featured in Chapter Nine of the new NASEM Launching Lifelong Health Report. Starting on page 285 you can read the summary of measures used across a range of programs serving children and where they overlap. Go to Chapter Nine of the NASEM report here and access Appendix D of the report here for a full list of the 309 measures covering 71 topics identified as being used across seven key federal programs to hold state and local programs accountable. This includes Medicaid/CHIP, Community Health Centers, Title V, MIECHV, Head Start, Child Welfare and Early Intervention.

Learn more about shared accountability measures across Early Childhood Systems to catalyze partnership and improve outcomes

Many state and local early childhood health systems share requirements and performance measures related to ensuring children receive well child care services, are screened for their development and that their families are supported to promote positive mental health of mothers and caregivers, learn about healthy nutrition and more. Yet, performance on these measures nationally and across states require dramatic improvement. Still today only about one in three young children with public insurance receive recommended screening for their development and only about half of children under age 15 months receive even six of the nine well visits recommended.

A key feature of the Engagement In Action Framework advanced by the CAHMI is to catalyze “through any door” partnerships across early childhood systems in ways that help them each improve performance on their shared accountability measures while also improving access and quality of primary prevention and health promotion services for all infants and young children and their families in ways that align with national Bright Futures Guidelines and make time to focus on promoting early relational health and addressing the health of the whole child and family.

To learn more about opportunities to build on existing system strengths and requirements using the EnAct! approach see Attachment C: Partners Landscape Scan – Relevance, Roles and Measures from the EnAct! Framework Summary.

Flourishing in Action

At CAHMI, we are dedicated to advancing the positive well-being and flourishing of children and families through data-driven insights and research. Below, we highlight key studies and resources that offer valuable perspectives and strategies for improving child and adolescent health and promoting flourishing. These featured pieces provide actionable knowledge for practitioners, policymakers, and advocates in the field.

The Time is Now to Commit to A Decade of the Child!



Many of you may remember the national Decade of the Brain launched in the 1990’s to accelerate research and action for translating neuroscience innovations to improve population health. It is long overdue to launch a Decade of the Child to promote child and youth flourishing using a whole child and family approach.

The CAHMI is working closely with the National Prevention Science Coalition and the Nova Institute to advance a national focus in research, policy, practice and culture. Learn more about the initial Decade of the Child platform and sign on! Share your ideas as we continue to evolve this important work and spark fast and coordinated action to close the flourishing gap for our children and youth!

Decade of the Child | NPSC

CAHMI Partners to Advance New Research and Data On Positive Childhood Experiences

 Dr. Bethell is working across a range of efforts to educate about and advance new research and data on Positive Childhood Experiences. One of these efforts is with the Health Outcome of Positive Experiences (HOPE) coordinated effort with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An initial outcome is a new study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review. This study used data across three additional states’ Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data, finding a similar rate of PCEs as we found in our initial study using one of the statewide datasets (about 53% with higher PCEs) and new findings on variations across important subgroups. Several additional papers are underway. 

Read our newest study on Positive Childhood Experiences!

How listening to children impacts their quality of life: a cross-sectional study of school-age children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan | BMJ Paediatrics Open

A research team led by Christina Bethell at John Hopkins University with Arisa Yamaguchi from the Department of Social Medicine at the National Center for Child Health and Development conducted a study among 5^th and 8^th grade students in Japan, investigating whether their thoughts and feelings about changes in their daily lives during the COVID-19 pandemic were heard and considered by family and teachers, and associations with children’s quality of life (QOL). The study found a five-fold difference in the prevalence of children with a higher quality of life based on whether their views and wishes were asked about and considered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proportion of Children with QOL Scores Above Median When Voices Were Heard by Both Family and Teachers

Additionally…Get Quick Links to Key Publications on Flourishing

Explore: Key Research Publications related child flourishing, school readiness, and ACEs/PCEs.

Stay Connected!

For more information on any of CAHMI’s projects and happenings, please reach out to us at info@cahmi.org or visit https://www.cahmi.org/.

We would like to learn about your work as we all partner to prioritize flourishing! CAHMI is seeking partners to scale our work and promote the possibilities for whole child health and wellbeing in our time!

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