| WASHINGTON — Thrive From the Start, a national network focused on solving homelessness and housing instability for infants, toddlers and expectant parents, announced that ten state teams have each been awarded $100,000 to educate key constituencies in their state and localities about the impact of homelessness and housing instability on babies, infants and their families. The grants bring together organizations across housing, homeless services, early childhood, health, among other sectors. They include efforts to elevate evidence-informed programs and policies that create a comprehensive system that supports families with infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Thrive from the Start received interest from 43 states in response to the funding opportunity. Each proposal brought together diverse stakeholders and included direct service providers, state and community government agency staff, advocates, and grassroots organizers. The grant recipients are: Arkansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics Foundation American Academy of Pediatrics-California Chapter 3 Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative on behalf of the Colorado Family Stability Housing Alliance EdAdvance (Connecticut) GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students The Residency at Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless Mississippi Early Learning Alliance Children’s Advocacy Alliance (Nevada) Susquehanna Education Foundation (Pennsylvania) TEAM for WV Children/Prevent Child Abuse WV “Children are at greatest risk for experiencing homelessness during their first year of life and the number of families in homeless shelters is rising. There is a prevalence of housing instability and homelessness among pregnant people and families with young children, but it is often less visible and in people’s minds compared to other populations,” said Abra Lyons-Warren, Director of Housing Is. “We know that when families have safe, stable housing—safe shelter when they need it—access to high-quality early development programs, family-friendly policies and other supports that meet their needs, young children have a strong foundation to grow and thrive.” “Homelessness during pregnancy or within the first three years of a child’s life has lifelong consequences on physical health and mental well-being,” said Jamie Colvard, Sr. Policy and Systems Director at ZERO TO THREE. “We can’t overstate how important it is for partners to come together to address prenatal-three homelessness and housing instability in the states. This work will build upon and amplify the work already happening in many states across the country.” “Families with babies and toddlers can be navigating homelessness yet never show up in a shelter,” said Barbara Duffield, Executive Director, SchoolHouse Connection. “Too often, homelessness for infants and toddlers is ‘invisible’ — a newborn sleeping in a different place every week, a toddler cycling between couches — while families still can’t easily access child care, early intervention, shelter, housing or other services that support healthy development. These state awards are a catalyst to connect the systems that touch families first—early childhood, health, housing, and homelessness response — so families can get stable housing and the services that babies and parents need, at the same time.” “Stable housing is essential for healthy child development,” said Lori Fresina, of the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers. “Homelessness and housing insecurity put infants and toddlers at risk. Together we can advance policies that give every family a safe, secure start.” “We know that when we alleviate chronic stress—a contributor of child abuse and neglect—we can foster healthy and stable environments for families,” said Catherine Murphy, Sr. Research Manager, Prevent Child Abuse America. “By partnering across sector at the local, state, and national levels, we can build a more supportive system for families and prevent homelessness for our youngest children.” ZERO TO THREE, through its coordination of the Thrive From the Start Initiative and with its national partners, will administer the grants. This grant program was made possible with funding from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative. About Thrive from the Start: Thrive from the Start brings together leaders from across the early childhood, housing, homelessness, health and child welfare systems dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. Thrive from the Start partners include ZERO TO THREE, SchoolHouse Connection, Prevent Child Abuse America, Housing Is, and the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers. Learn more about Thrive From the Start’s national policy agenda focused on solving PN-3 homelessness and housing instability and our work to build a growing network of organizations committed to cross-sector solutions for a coordinated, holistic support system at https://thrivefromthestart.org/. About ZERO TO THREE ZERO TO THREE works to ensure all babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development. Since 1977, the organization has advanced the proven power of nurturing relationships by transforming the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools, and responsive policies for millions of parents, professionals and policymakers. For timely expert insights on the latest developments in early childhood, from policy changes to research breakthroughs and what they mean for babies and families, check out our Behind the Headlines series. For more information, please visit zerotothree.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X. About Housing Is Housing Is helps build a future where sectors work together to improve life outcomes. Based on the premise that housing stability is the critical foundation for low-income individuals and families and sectors can better meet needs through collaboration, Housing Is establishes, broadens, and deepens efforts to align affordable housing, education, and health systems to produce positive, long-term results. Learn more at housingis.org and on LinkedIn. About the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers The National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers (NCIT) brings together more than 500 organizations across the country to ensure every child – from prenatal to age three – has the foundation to thrive. We work alongside advocates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., advancing policies that support infants, toddlers and their families while maximizing public investments at the community, state, federal and tribal levels. By uniting diverse voices and proven strategies, NCIT helps drive solutions that improve outcomes for children and families, strengthen the economy, and build more prosperous communities for all. Connect with us at ncit.org, Facebook, Instagram, or X. About Prevent Child Abuse America: Prevent Child Abuse America is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. Our mission is to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children by fostering an ecosystem of support that empowers and strengthens families. This ecosystem is designed to prevent child abuse before it starts, ensuring that all children and families can lead purposeful, happy lives filled with hope for the future. About SchoolHouse Connection SchoolHouse Connection is a national non-profit organization working to overcome homelessness through early care and education. We provide strategic policy advocacy and practical assistance in partnership with early childhood programs, schools, institutions of higher education, service providers, families, and youth. We publish an annual 50-state report on infant and toddlers experiencing homelessness and host a national family shelter community of practice. For more information, please visit schoolhouseconnection.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. |
