Transforming Pediatrics: Tools for Building Sustainable Early Childhood Development Policy, Financing, and Payment Strategies
This toolkit offers a range of practical resources to help organizations finance programs and strategies that support the health of young children. The toolkit can be used by early childhood professionals and teams that support pediatric practices to advance early childhood developmental services, such as health department administrators and program managers.
The sections of this toolkit are organized to mirror the journey an individual or organization might take when exploring health care policy. It begins with an introduction to the health care financing system, moves into examples of strategies used in other states, and concludes with guidance on how to identify and engage key decision-makers. Toolkit sections include:
Section 1: Identify Policy
Resources in this section provide an understanding of health care financing and the knowledge necessary to navigate a state’s policy landscape.
This Excel document includes measures that indicate a successful state policy landscape for supporting early childhood development systems. It can be used as a template for conducting a state policy landscape analysis, with key areas to research, especially at the start of a project.
This presentation serves as a primer on health care financing. It includes an overview of the health care system, public health care programs, varying payment models, and levers for change opportunities.
Section 2: Consider Available Pathways Using State Examples
Resources in this section explore strategies used by other states to sustain early childhood services in pediatric settings, to help users discover opportunities that could benefit their own state.
This document provides case examples of innovative and compelling strategies and policies implemented by other states. Examples are categorized by the four components of the Early Childhood Development Continuum of Care: promotion and prevention, surveillance and screening, care coordination and linkage, and intervention.
This list of policy improvements was identified by state- and community-level teams funded by the Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood Program to expand access to care and implement guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
This document includes a summary of best practices for community health workers to consider, including creating flexibility in role definitions and certification, expanding Medicaid payment, and training recognition pathways.
Section 3: Determine Windows of Opportunity Within States and Priorities for Action Planning
This section helps users learn methods for exploring early childhood development financing opportunities in their state and identify locations where they can seek information.
States can customize this grid to think through and identify windows of opportunity for sustaining practice-level early childhood strategies.
Section 4: Create Partner Buy-In and Build Awareness
Resources in this section help users identify stakeholders and develop the capacity to effectively communicate with decision-makers about early childhood development and make the case for investment.
This literature review includes data points on the return on investment and other economic impacts of investing in an early childhood developmental health system. The document that can be used by program members to persuade decision-makers to invest in their projects.
Early childhood organizations and practices can customize this template to promote the impact of their work with stakeholders, such as senior leaders, partners, funders, state and county health agencies, early childhood coalitions, and others interested in supporting child health.
