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Better results for kids and families through research-informed policy

Enhance Services for Vulnerable Families

What Can Policymakers Do?

  • Provide supports to reduce families economic hardship, such as:
    • Family leave for parents in California, Washington, and New Jersey provide paid leave for issues such as caring for newborns, newly adopted children, or a seriously ill parent, spouse or partner.
    • Short-term emergency needs are met by Minnesota’s legislatively established Diversionary Work Program designed to help unemployed parents with immediate problems like housing or utilities instead of enrolling in welfare.
  • Establish comprehensive emotional, behavioral and substance abuse treatment services:
    • Provide mental health services for parent and child, such as Starting Early, Starting Smart, a federally funded initiative that demonstrated the effectiveness of a comprehensive approach to mental health services in early care and education settings. [i] States such as Arizona have built on the research [ii] to provide mental health services through Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

[i] Springer, J. F., et al. (2003). Starting Early Starting Smart Final Report: Summary of Findings. Washington, DC: Casey Family Programs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

[ii] McAllister, C. and Thomas, T. (2007). Infant mental health and family support: Contributions of Early Head Start to an integrated model for community-based early childhood programs, Infant Mental Health Journal , 28 : 2, 192-215, University of Pittsburgh.

Info

Establishing a Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Services.   By executive order, the Governor of Oregon established a wraparound initiative, modeled after Starting Early Starting Smart.

Info

Database of State Policies. A  state-by-state listing of family medical leave laws.

Money

Learn More. For information on financing treatment services.

States

State Parenting Support Policies. The National Center for Children in Poverty has created a database that highlights states’ policy choices and data related to parenting support.