Early Childhood
A child’s brain develops most rapidly in the earliest years of life, building the foundation for learning, behavior and health. Medicaid, along with CHIP, serves four out of five young children in low-income families, serving as a logical place to reach these children and their families before kindergarten. Prioritizing young children and their families in Medicaid through cross-sector, innovative practice change has the potential to improve their lifetime trajectories, overall population health and long-run savings. Through blog posts, papers, and resources, CCF seeks to highlight ways Medicaid can do more to set our nation’s youngest children on a path of healthy physical, social, and emotional development.
When Early Childhood Educators are Covered, Kids Win: Stories from North Carolina
If you, like me, have the peace of mind of knowing that your toddler or preschooler is well cared for and supported while you’re at work, you probably know already that you’re incredibly fortunate. I am grateful every day for the many early childhood teachers who make the safety, educational success, and wellbeing of a […]
Early Childhood
A child’s brain develops most rapidly in the earliest years of life, building the foundation for learning, behavior and health. Medicaid, along with CHIP, serves four out of five young children in low-income families, serving as a logical place to reach these children and their families before kindergarten. Prioritizing young children and their families in […]
What States Can Do to Help Babies and Their Families Thrive
Each baby is born with limitless potential, and anyone who has ever held a baby has felt the enormity of opportunity ahead. But as ZERO TO THREE and Child Trends’ 50-state assessment of the state of babies in the United States finds, some babies come into the world facing more obstacles than opportunities. One in […]
Oregon Effort Incentivizes Health Metrics for Kindergarten Readiness
Preparing a child for school success and the start of kindergarten is one of the most important goals of early childhood care and education. While educators and child development experts would agree that physical, oral, and behavioral health play a major role in a child’s readiness for kindergarten, Oregon and other states have struggled to […]
First Steps: A Spotlight on Check-ups and Developmental Screenings for Young Texans
A baby’s brain forms more than 1 million new neural connections every second. This incredible rate of early brain development, supported by nurturing and engaged caregivers, provides a foundation for children to master new skills like crawling, walking, language, and social interactions. Experiences during this period of rapid growth and early brain development pave the […]
Troubling Trend Emerges for Young Children’s Health Coverage, Threatens Healthy Lifelong Development
Last year saw the nation’s first increase in the number of uninsured children in nearly a decade, and young children were not immune to this troubling trend. Just as the rate of uninsured children increased on a statistically significant basis for all children under age 19 between 2016 and 2017, so it increased significantly for […]