September 30, 2025
State leaders, community advocates, and changemakers from across the country came together to explore some of the most influential work done across states to reshape the early childhood development landscape and were introduced to our newly interactive Policy Impact Calculator!
Recording
Skip ahead and go directly to your topic of interest:
0:00 – Intro
2:45 – 2025 State Policy Roadmap Introduction
11:13 – State Policy Progress and Challenges
22:35 – State Progress on PMFL, Minimum Wage, and Tax Credits
27:47 – State Progress on Child Care Funding, Subsidies, and Broader Workforce Trends
33:35 – State Progress on Doulas, SNAP, and Medicaid
39:34 – Impact of Federal Policy Action on States
43:53 – Medicaid’s Impact on Children’s Coverage
1:12:45 – Policy Impact Calculator Introduction
1:21:09 – Closing
*You can also hover your mouse over the video timeline to jump to these topics.
Speakers
Cynthia Osborne, PhD
Executive Director and Founder, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, Vanderbilt University
Dr. Osborne is a Professor of Early Childhood Education and Policy in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. She is also the founder and executive director of the national Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, an academic research center that translates the science of the developing child into state-level policies with the strongest evidence base of effectiveness. Dr. Osborne has extensive experience leading long-term evaluations of state and national programs, with the aim of helping organizations understand what works and how to ensure sustainable implementation of effective policies.
Elisabeth Wright Burak
Senior Fellow, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Elisabeth has more than two decades of experience in federal and state policies to support low-income families. She leads CCF projects on Medicaid’s role in supporting early childhood development and maternal health, providing expertise and support to state and national leaders. Prior to joining CCF in 2011, Elisabeth served as Director of Health Policy and Legislative Affairs with Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families, where she led successful efforts to expand access to Medicaid and CHIP for children and improve access to a range of education and social services. Elisabeth also worked inside state government as the Director of Policy and Planning for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. She began her career in Washington, D.C. at The Finance Project and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices in early childhood policies.
Alyssa Rafa, MA
Assistant Policy Director, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, Vanderbilt University
Alyssa has spent nearly a decade in policy research and analysis. Most recently, she led and conducted policy research at Education Commission of the States, working on issues ranging from early childhood education to school climate and student health. Her work included researching and developing 50-state policy analyses and reports, consulting with and presenting to state policymakers, and designing convenings of education leaders.
Sarah Ritter, MSW
Policy Manager, Income Security, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, Vanderbilt University Sarah monitors the development, adoption, and implementation of state policies related to economic security for families with young children. She analyzes policy variation and trends across the states and serves as a resource for state-level policymakers and advocates. Previously, Sarah worked as a Senior Manager of Public Policy at a hunger-relief organization, where she oversaw policy research and advocacy initiatives to increase food security and economic mobility for families in Missouri.
Maria Spinetti, MS
Senior State Policy Analyst, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, Vanderbilt University
Maria monitors the development, adoption, and implementation of state policies related to early care and learning, cultivates relationships with key stakeholders, and serves as a resource to state-level policymakers. She also contributes to the development of the annual Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap. Prior to this role, Maria worked at The Hunt Institute where she was part of the Early Learning and National Programs teams.
Presentation Materials
Resources
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