Imperative #1 Promote the health, development, and well being of all Detroit children

Summary: The period from the time a woman gets pregnant to age eight is a critical time in a child's life Their experiences and development during this window lay the foundation for future success so it's particularly important for young children and their families to have access to the information, services, and resources they need for a healthy start. Our health care and social service systems are crucial entry points for families to tap into the web of services and resources that exist to help kids thrive, but families' disconnect from them and the lack of coordination between them means Detroit children experience health and developmental problems at higher rates than they should.

Prioritizing the first 1,000 days is particularly important for those children who are most at risk for falling behind before entering kindergarten. These include, children from low-income families, children with developmental delays or disabilities, children of parents with low educational attainment, children in non-English speaking homes, and children experiencing severely adverse or traumatic situations (1). Detroit has a relatively high share of children facing these challenges that could benefit from connecting to the Early Childhood Health resources that exist in the city. For example in 2010 a state-led home visiting needs assessment found that Wayne County as a whole, and Detroit specifically exceeded state averages on twelve indicators of risk ranging from infant mortality to unemployment. (4). For children to thrive it is essential that their families have access to the myriad of resources that are available to them. To increase participation we must go to families and provide meaningful and needed service that can help connect them to the public health and social services systems in the city.

Locally, Starfish Family Services partnership with the NFP is already engaged in work that directly supports improved health and wellness in the first 1,000 days. Expanding and scaling this work could help to maximize the impact of statewide programs that are already in place. Additionally, for home visiting programming to be fully effective this will need to be accompanied with advances on HSH policy priorities 1.1-1.3. which emphasizes the importance of screening for mental health issues and providing access to fresh foods. Home visitation programs will directly align and should partner with mental health and developmental delay screening efforts. Additionally, professional health care consultants could also drive increased awareness of the nutritional needs of children in this state. However, to achieve maximum impacts on these policy areas, policymakers must also invest in expanded nutrition, through levers such as school lunch programs and snap benefits, and mental health resources so that these services can work in concert to fully promote early childhood health. .