Children and families thrive and achieve optimal health when they have food and housing security, easy access to health services, high-quality early care and learning environments, and stable finances — all of which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic recession. State agencies and community-based organizations working across health and early childhood sectors can align their programs and systems to better serve overwhelmed and underserved families, especially ones with young children.
This three-part webinar series, Early Childhood and Medicaid Innovations Amid COVID-19, spotlighted state efforts to align or innovate early childhood and Medicaid programs to help families with young children find resiliency in the face of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic disruptions and beyond — including implementing strategies to educate early care and education practitioners on childhood hunger screenings, broadening early intervention and child development supports through telehealth services, and addressing family well-being through Medicaid. This series is a product of Aligning Early Childhood and Medicaid, a national initiative made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and led by the Center for Health Care Strategies in partnership with ZERO TO THREE, the National Association of Medicaid Directors, Social Determinants of Health Consulting, and the Public Leadership Group.