Relational experiences during infancy and early childhood are key drivers for building health, social emotional development, and learning capacities, each vital for wellbeing. The U.S. child health sectors share a commitment to universal health promotion, prevention and early intervention, and a growing enthusiasm for the research-affirmed primacy of caregiver-child interactions during the critical first 1000 days of life.
The early and foundational relationships that babies and toddlers experience with their parents shape the health and well-being of two generations. This brief highlights opportunities to promote early relational health with policy change and investments, including with existing programs, pandemic funding, and pending legislation in Congress.
This strategic brief, produced in collaboration with the FrameWorks Institute, offers a comprehensive framing strategy to help shift public attention to and understanding about Early Relational Health.
In the first session, David Willis, MD, is in conversation with MaryEtta Callier-Wells, about why Early Relational Health is essential to child and family well-being and what parents are telling us about the importance of creating and nurturing healthy early relationships.
In this introductory video, David Willis, MD, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), shares why CSSP has developed this video series to share the critical and timely discussions about the fundamental importance of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships for the healthy development of all infants, young children, and their caregivers.
The 9th edition of the Willis & Friends series explored the attachment infants and young children have to toys. Speakers examined preliminary findings from infant-parent research, lived experiences, and the shared emotional experiences from within the Latinx, Asian, and Black communities.
The Center for the Study of Social Policy’s National ERH Coordinating Hub works toward health system and community transformation by harnessing networks of stakeholders, families, and professional leaders.
Early Relational Health e-Newsletter.
The 8th edition of the Willis and Friends live series will explore how to move beyond “centering Whiteness” to realize once-in-a-generation opportunities for Black and Brown families from President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
By identifying concerns early and connecting families to appropriate resources, pediatricians can build families’ capacity for cultivating healthy foundational relationships with their young children.
The 7th edition of Willis and Friends live series will provide an enlightening conversation with three national policy leaders about the unprecedented opportunities to advance early relational health as a result of the enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act and the proposed Build Back Better Act.
Community by community, we are building a networked and engaged movement in partnership with parents and families.
Through our collective commitment and effort, we can make sure that every child is cared for and valued, every family is supported and heard, and every community is made stronger through positive and enduring emotional connection.
