Features of Professional Development and On-site Assistance in Child Care Quality Rating Improvement Systems: A Survey of State-wide Systems

This is an excerpt from the full report. Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS) are now operating state-wide in 18 states. An additional 13 states are implementing QRIS in selected regions or as pilot initiatives. While highly varied in their specific features, these systems all use a set of interrelated strategies that aim to raise the […]

Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Children in the Child Welfare System: What Every Policymaker Should Know

Learn about our Project Thrive project. This is an excerpt from the full report. Introduction: Why Focus on Mental Health in the Child Welfare System? The early years of life present a unique opportunity to lay the foundation for healthy development. It is a time of great growth and of vulnerability. Research on early childhood […]

Improving Supports for Parents of Young Children: State-level Initiatives

Learn about our Project Thrive project. This is an excerpt from the full report. Introduction Most states are working to strengthen supports for young children’s health and development across the different systems that affect family and child wellbeing. Increasingly, efforts to support parenting are an important focus of this work. While states’ strategies are varied, […]

Who Are America’s Poor Children?: Examining Food Insecurity Among Children in the United States

This is an excerpt from the full report. Introduction Fourteen million children live in poor families (that is, families with income below the federal poverty level, which is $22,050 a year for a family of four in 2009). There is a wide body of research documenting the importance of family income for children’s health and […]

English Language Proficiency, Family Economic Security, and Child Development

Learn about our Making Work Supports Work project. Key Findings Over 55 million individuals spoke a language other than English at home in 2007, an increase of 140 percent from 1980. The number of Spanish speakers rose by more than 23.4 million between 1980 and 2007, a 211 percent increase. Twenty-one percent of children age […]

Promoting the Social-emotional Wellbeing of Infants and Toddlers in Early Intervention Programs: Promising Strategies in Four Communities

This is an excerpt from the full report. Project Overview This brief presents promising approaches to support the social-emotional wellbeing of infants and toddlers through the Part C Program. The strategies discussed in this brief were identified through case studies carried out in four communities: Boston, Massachusetts; Los Angeles County, California; Doña Ana County, New […]

Promoting Young Children’s Health and Development: Taking Stock of State Policies

Learn about our Improving the Odds for Young Children project. Young children’s health is essential to their overall development, well-being, and school readiness. Untreated health problems and a lack of preventive care contribute to higher rates of serious illness, absenteeism in preschool, physical and emotional distress, and even long-term disability. At a historic moment when […]

Unclaimed Children Revisited: Focusing on Outcomes – A Case Study of the Michigan Level of Functioning Project

Learn about our Unclaimed Children Revisited project. This is an excerpt from the full report. Introduction Unclaimed Children Revisited Background Unclaimed Children Revisited (UCR) updates Unclaimed Children: The Failure of Public Responsibility to Children in Need of Mental Health Services (1982), a seminal report authored by NCCP’s former director, Dr. Jane Knitzer. The initial report […]

Trauma Faced by Children of Military Families: What Every Policymaker Should Know

Learn about our Improving the Odds for Young Children project. Active duty military personnel and National Guard and reservists experience multiple deployments as a result of the conflicts that comprise the War on Terror. A large body of research has accumulated on the behavioral health problems faced by military personnel as a result of these […]

NCCP Perspectives: Youth Employment

Learn about our Improving the Odds for Adolescents project. The Issue As Stimulus Funding Fades, Obama Administration Seeks Sustained Investment in Youth Employment When President Obama took office in 2009, he faced the worst recession since the Great Depression. As a direct response to the economic crisis, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) introduced […]