By Joan Lombardi, Ph.D.
Economics, neuroscience, and common sense all point to the need for the United States to take bold steps forward to secure a strong foundation for our youngest children and their families. Families with young children are the most challenged by low wages, the time crunch, and rising costs — including housing, healthcare, and childcare — all of which contribute to stress. Young children, who are the most valuable to the future of the country, are also the most vulnerable to risks in the environment — and more successful when given nurturing care and early opportunities to thrive.
Putting a focus on the youngest among us is long overdue. While important steps have been taken over the past several decades to put in place critical human services, the United States still lags far behind in supporting families and securing a strong and equitable start for all our young children. Now is the moment to build on the legacy of past accomplishments, including lessons learned through the American Rescue Plan.
Look at the major achievements of the past. In 1935, Social Security was established and Title V, the maternal and child health program, was launched. In 1964, the passage of the Civil Rights Act as well as the Economic Opportunity Act was a critical step forward, followed in 1965 by the passage of Medicaid and Medicare and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed in 1990, establishing civil rights protections for millions of people with disabilities. And more recently, in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) finally made healthcare more accessible.
Along the way, the United States made incremental progress to support families with young children by passing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), expanding Head Start, and establishing Early Head Start, as well as passing the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Yet decades later, the FMLA still does not cover all families and remains out of reach for those who need paid care in order to take essential leave. Programs like Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Child Care Development Fund still serve only a fraction of the eligible children and fall far short of providing adequate compensation to those who provide the care. Yet looking forward to new opportunities on the horizon, we can make history again in 2025 by finally creating a system of care so essential to the current realities of families across the United States.
This means building a continuous pathway of nurturing relationships and early opportunities that includes health, education, and family and community support from prenatal through age 8. There is no magic answer to early success. Creating a continuum of care with strong, positive relationships is the goal for healthy child development and strong families.
Below are recommendations to address six important opportunities by investing in policies to build the economy, support families, and assure a strong foundation for the diverse needs of young children.
1. The opportunity of time with a newborn
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- Paid family leave for at least six months
2. The opportunity of good maternal and child health
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- Increased investments in Maternal and Child Health, Mental Health, Medicaid and CHIP, and the community health workforce to assure improved health for pregnant women and ongoing health support for young children and their families
3. The opportunity to meet basic family needs
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- Expanded and refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) and increased food and nutrition support
4. The opportunity for parents to work and children to thrive
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- An early care and development fund to assure access for all, to improve compensation, and to increase the supply of quality, inclusive early childhood programs (including centers, family childcare, and networks of family, friend, and neighbor providers)
- Head Start and Early Head Start for every eligible child
- Childcare assistance based on the true cost of care and expanded and refundable Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
5. The opportunity for healthy and safe neighborhoods
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- Increased resources for eco-friendly and safe neighborhoods and improved housing
6. The opportunity to put it all together and create community-led solutions
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- Infrastructure support for early childhood planning and community engagement led by the voice and experiences of families, which should inform state planning, federal interagency coordination, and policy at all levels.
The United States is at a turning point. We have a growing consensus that the time is right to put a system of care in place for everyone to benefit. Let’s all work together to create a pathway of opportunity so all young children, families, and communities can thrive.
Joan Lombardi, Ph.D., is director of the Early Opportunities Initiative and an Adjunct Professor and Senior Advisor at the Stanford Center for Early Childhood. She is also Senior Fellow at the Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, Georgetown University. A longstanding champion for young children, families, and communities, Dr. Lombardi served as the first deputy assistant secretary for Early Childhood Development in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2009–11).
At its heart, Nurture Connection is an engaged, insightful community of engaged parents, caregivers, researchers, medical professionals, philanthropists, early childhood systems leaders, and policymakers dedicated to ensuring every child has strong, nurturing relationships during their earliest, formative years.
This article is the first in our “Reflecting Forward” series, which features guest articles and reflections by dedicated members of our national network, from across the country—who are advancing the early relational health field through practice, research, and parent leadership. These reflections pave paths forward for transforming early childhood systems and imagining new possibilities for children, families, and communities.