Child Care and Development

Human services programs-the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, subsidized child care, etc.-and their clients can benefit from national health reform. Millions of low-income health coverage applicants can be connected with human services programs, as the latter programs: (a) help health programs efficiently reach eligible consumers; (b) access unprecedented, time-limited federal funding for modernizing eligibility computer systems while limiting risks to current funding; (c) keep social services offices available as an avenue for seeking health coverage; and (d) use a forthcoming Medicaid expansion to accomplish core human services goals related to employment and child development.

Urban Institute scholars from diverse disciplines tackle a simple-to-state, hard-to-answer question: How can solutions to our national and state budget crises fit the facts about children in the United States? In their responses, the contributors wrestle with recent and approaching economic and demographic challenges in different ways and bring very different experiences to bear.

Best Start LA is a place-based community investment in Los Angeles County designed to improve the well-being, development, and care experienced in children ages five and under. Focus groups with parents, home visitors, and community members -reveal that the investment is off to a good start. Mothers receiving "Welcome Baby!" home visiting were very satisfied with the education and support the service provides. Home visitors described the close bonds they form with their clients, but also feel that the program's model doesn't always meet families' extensive needs. Stakeholders involved in community mobilization efforts were excited about their early progress and shared vision for parents as the leaders.

The CCDF Policies Database Book of Tables provides tables containing key Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policies for each state as of October 1, 2009. The tables are based on information in the CCDF Policies Database, a database tracking state child care subsidy policies over time and across the States, Territories, and the District of Columbia. The Book of Tables summarizes a subset of the information available in the database, and includes information about eligibility requirements for families; application, redetermination, priority, and waiting list policies; family co-payments; provider policies and reimbursement rates; and select administration and quality development information.

A case study of the initial implementation of Best Start LA-a place-based community investment in Los Angeles County designed to improve the well-being, development, and care experienced by children ages five and under-finds mostly positive results, thus far. At the family level, home visiting for pregnant and parenting mothers is off to a strong start, rendering services to nearly 750 families by the end of 2010. Community-level efforts to mobilize community members and develop family-support strategies have been slower to develop. Systems-level investments to develop family-friendly policies and services across the county are proceeding on schedule.

Many children and youth - abroad and here, with their families or unaccompanied - flee their toxic surroundings, hoping to find new homes elsewhere and create new lives. With a panel of experts whose knowledge spans the globe, this forum will plumb the experiences of vulnerable youth who are displaced or on the move and examine ways to protect them, sparking an overdue exchange on policy lessons from America and abroad.

The growing presence of young children of immigrants is changing the demographic makeup of classrooms, yet debates about early education and school reform often do not mention them. As high-quality education for all becomes a prominent policy and political goal, key questions remain unanswered about whether schools and early childhood programs are addressing their needs. This paper summarizes the Urban Institute's 2010 roundtable "Young Children of Immigrants and the Path to Educational Success" discussion, which focused on the specific needs of young children of immigrants.

Many young children have developmental or behavioral problems that could be addressed or prevented with the right early response but that are not identified or treated, compromising children's ability to perform up to their potential in school and leading to more costly interventions later. Because the quality of parenting is so critical to children's development, parental or family difficulties-including maternal depression-can endanger children’s development. Yet, parents often do not receive needed medical or mental health care. This brief discusses state Medicaid and CHIP choices that can enhance delivery of medical, mental health, and related services to parents.