Starting Early / Starting Now

ENSURING THE BEST START IN LIFE FOR CONNECTICUT'S CHILDREN

For infants to have a secure start in life they need a consistent, nurturing caregiver. Successful parent-infant attachment leads to positive social-emotional development and the prevention of trauma and subsequent health and mental health concerns.

CHDI is supporting the best start in life for Connecticut's children through: 

• Our role in convening the Starting Early / Starting Now: Designing Policy for the Best Start in Life for Connecticut's Children working summit for leaders in early childhood and publishing the resulting Policy Brief: Ensuring the Best Start for Connecticut's Children: Aligning Policy with Science

The Starting Early / Starting Now summit of 100 early childhood professionals and policymakers sparked ideas and strategies for translating research on early childhood experiences and infant attachment into effective policy solutions. 

• Printing of CT Mirror's online series on childhood trauma: Starting / Early: The Long Reach of Childhood Trauma, by Arielle Levin Becker

• Our work related to infant mental health Workforce Development

Additionally, CHDI's Developmental Screening and Mid-Level Developmental Assessment initiatives help ensure social-emotional and other developmental concerns in young children are identified and addressed as early as possible. 

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 What can Connecticut learn from other states?

View a clip from the Starting Early / Starting Now summit panel discussion on November 5th. CHDI's Judith Meyers responds to the question: "Are there policies or programs in other states that Connecticut can learn from?" Meyers highlights policies from other states including: universal paid family leave (California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Washington, DC), Family Impact Statements (Indiana), universal home visiting (Maine), support of breast feeding (15 states offer Medicaid reimbursement for lactation consultants), infant mental health workforce development (Connecticut and 21 other states), and TANF policy changes related to: lengthening the exemption period (removing the family cap, and allowing home visiting services to count as work time).