State policy leaders and advocates who want to make a real difference in the lives of children and families in their state are always looking for proven, evidence-based policy solutions.
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center has done the work to identify what state actions are truly effective in supporting kids – by turning to the research, reviewing thousands of articles, and carefully reading hundreds of the most rigorous studies to date.
The Center has identified which state policies best support and strengthen the earliest years of the developing brain and body and have the largest impact on improving the health and wellbeing of infants and toddlers, and their parents. These policies and strategies, and states’ progress in implementing them, are featured in the Center’s third annual Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap released last week at the Research to Policy Summit. The 2022 Roadmap outlines five policies and six strategies proven to create optimal health and development for children by:
When combined, the policies and strategies create a system of care that provides broad-based economic and family supports, as well as targeted interventions to address identified needs.
The five Roadmap policies include:
The six Roadmap strategies include:
The 2022 Roadmap shows that few states are doing all they can, but laudable progress was made by many:
“Over the past two years, the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center has become a foundational resource for those of us engaged in early childhood policy at the state level,” Minnesota Representative David Pinto says. “Drawing on the most up-to-date research, the State Policy Roadmap provides a path for our state and every state to follow to ensure that we are doing what works best for kids and families.”
Find your state’s 2022 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap with new data at https://pn3policy.org/pn-3-state-policy-roadmap-2022/.