The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development released its fifth annual Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap at the Research to Policy Summit in October. This guide informs state policy leaders and advocates about the most effective policies and strategies for supporting the development and well-being of children in their earliest years, monitors each state’s progress toward implementing them, and tracks the impact policy changes have on the wellbeing of children and families.
The prenatal-to-3 period is the fastest, most vulnerable period of human development and is foundational to children’s long-term health and welfare. Because children are born into differing socioeconomic and family circumstances, the policies and practices of the states in which they are born and raised can play a pivotal role in supporting their health and well-being.
To support states’ decisions, the Roadmap highlights the most effective policies and strategies to achieve eight prenatal-to-3 policy goals, established by decades of child development research.
The Center’s policy researchers and analysts conducted comprehensive reviews of the most rigorous evidence available, including hundreds of studies, to provide detailed guidance on 12 policies and strategies that foster the nurturing environments infants and toddlers need, and that reduce longstanding disparities in access and outcomes among racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
Effective Polices:
- Expanded income eligibility for health insurance
- Paid family and medical leave of at least 12 weeks for birthing parents, six weeks for other parents
- State minimum wage of at least $10 an hour
- Refundable state earned income tax credit of at least 10 percent of the federal EITC
Effective Strategies:
- Reduced administrative burden for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Comprehensive screening and connection programs
- Childcare subsidies
- Group prenatal care
- Community-based doulas
- Evidence-based home visiting programs
- Early Head Start
- Early intervention services
As of this year, ten states are now implementing all of the Roadmap’s policies while many others continue to make progress toward creating a system of prenatal-to-3 care. Forty-one states have expanded income eligibility for health insurance, 30 states have a state minimum wage of $10 an hour or greater, and 23 states have fully implemented a refundable earned income tax credit of at least 10 percent of the federal EITC. Additionally, 10 states now have a paid family and medical leave program of at least 12 weeks for parents who give birth and at least six weeks for all other parents with a new child.
“The investments states make in their young children and families matter for their wellbeing today and later on,” said Cynthia Osborne, executive director of the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center and professor of early childhood education and policy. “States spent the last year laying the foundation for future progress, creating the necessary momentum to enact and implement policies proven to help all children thrive.”
Explore the Roadmap to learn more about each state’s actions to ensure children thrive from the start. Compare the impact of state policy choices on family resources with the Policy Impact Calculator. Dig deeper into the evidence reviews at the Policy Clearinghouse.
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center aims to accelerate states’ equitable implementation of evidence-based policies that help all children thrive from the start. Based at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development and led by Cynthia Osborne, professor of early childhood education and policy, the Center’s team of researchers and nonpartisan policy experts works with policymakers, practitioners, and advocates to navigate the evidence on solutions for effective child development in the earliest years. Learn more at www.pn3policy.org.
