- Sep 3, 2021

Ready, Set, Soar Ohio September Newsletter

Updated: Sep 27, 2021

New Resource: Supporting Prenatal-to-Three with Federal Relief Funds

Federal relief funds are providing early childhood leaders with enormous opportunity to advance equitable access to quality programs and services for pregnant women, infants, and toddlers. The National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers has published a new resource, Supporting Prenatal-to-Three with Federal Relief Funds, that showcases how states and localities can use the nearly 30 federal relief funds to support infant, toddler, and family-well-being.

This timely resource includes strategies to expand, improve, target, and make early care and education, family support, and maternal and infant/toddler health services more accessible and responsive. The specific prenatal-to-three strategies identified are culled from the actions of 30 state and local prenatal-to-three coalitions funded by Pritzker Children’s Initiative.

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Webinar: Elevating Family Voice to Improve Infant and Toddler Well-Being

Elevating the voices of families with lived experiences into policy and program decisions is critical to improve infant and toddler well-being and advance equity. That's why earlier this year Groundwork Ohio launched the Center for Family Voice, a "center for excellence" dedicated to authentically engaging Ohio parents and families in the policies and practices that impact the healthy development of their children.

On Tuesday, September 14 from 1:00-2:30 PM, you're invited to attend a webinar hosted by the Center for Health Care Strategies to hear more about promoting parent and family voices in policymaking. During the webinar, Groundwork Ohio will share how they came to develop the Center for Family Voice and provide an overview of what is on the horizon for working with Ohio’s parents and families through the new Center.

Health care, early childhood professionals and advocates, policymakers, state officials, family representatives, and other stakeholders are invited to join this 90-minute event.

Register for the Event >>

Register for the Ohio AAP's Annual Meeting

Registration is now open for the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2021 Annual Meeting on October 29-30, 2021 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus!

After another challenging year, the Ohio AAP is hosting an in-person conference full of important education, CME/MOC II credit opportunities, and resources! This is a great opportunity to learn about important topics affecting child health and to network with your peers.

Learn More >>

The safety of conference attendees, presenters, and staff are a top priority. The Ohio AAP will be monitoring and following all CDC and Ohio COVID-19 health and safety protocols throughout the event.

Toolkit: Help Ohio Families Enroll to Receive the Child Tax Credit

The federal American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law earlier this year, includes a historic one-year expansion of the Child Tax Credit. Under the expansion, families no longer have to wait until they file their taxes next year to receive their payments. Instead, families with children are already getting a cash payment each month, with monthly payments ranging between $250 and $300 for each child. Roughly 4 million or more children in low-income families are at risk of missing out on monthly Child Tax Credit payments this year. That's why it's crucial that government officials and agencies, community-based organizations, early childhood professionals, and advocates like you spread the word to help make eligible families aware of the tax credit.

Low-income families with children are eligible for the tax credit – including those who have not made enough money to be required to file taxes. Importantly, these payments do not count as income for any family, so low-income families won't lose their benefits if they sign up to get the Child Tax Credit. Help spread the word: You can use this social media toolkit to make sure families don’t miss out. Together with your support, we can reduce poverty among infants and toddlers by helping families receive the Child Tax Credit!