Starting Early

👋 Earlier this month, I watched my older son pedal off to middle school, his overstuffed backpack weighing on his shoulders. He was heading toward new classes, new teachers, new friendships — and new pressures. This stage marks a monumental shift for him and his peers. As a parent, my role isn’t just to protect him when possible, but to equip him for the challenges he’ll encounter in the years ahead.

Much of what we do at the Burke Foundation is to try to help families build their children’s health and emotional well-being in those earliest, formative years so they’re better prepared to weather adolescence and beyond.

The quality of care during pregnancy, delivery, and beyond is instrumental in moms’ ability to nurture their babies and get them off to a strong, healthy start in life.

Yet the healthcare system often fails women — especially women of color. Many report having experiences that make them feel their concerns or symptoms aren’t taken seriously and that their providers treat them with less respect than other patients.

One part of the solution is to make expert, culturally congruent nurse care available to new mothers — which is starting to happen in New Jersey through the state-run FamilyConnects NJ program that provides free nurse visits to families of newborns.

👋 Taking care of your family is a delicate balance that many of us navigate each day: Who will stay home with the sick child? Who can get off work to pick up a toddler from daycare? Who’s keeping track of vaccinations and well-child visits?

It’s stressful in the best of times.

And then your parents face health issues.

That delicate balance is thrown off as your responsibilities expand: Different doctors and different types of care. Frequent trips to the hospital. Long-distance care management. Conversations about independent living.

Families sandwiched between caring for children and parents, while maintaining a job and their own well-being, face skyrocketing stress levels — and financial costs.

👋 Families in New Jersey struggle to make sure their children are well cared for — especially families that work hard but can’t make ends meet.

These issues are well documented. So is the research showing that the time from pregnancy to age 2 is crucial to brain development and that the more nurturing children receive in that period, the healthier they will be for the rest of their lives.

As Dr. Dana Suskind, professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center, put it, “It’s time for policy to catch up with science.” Proof that it hasn’t: A New America report says of the nation’s youngest children, “We invest less in education than any other stage of life.

👋 Too many pregnant women in New Jersey and across the United States have difficult – and sometimes tragic – birth experiences. The risks are greatest in communities facing discrimination: Black women in New Jersey are 7 times more likely than white women to die in childbirth and Hispanic women are 3 times more likely.

Elevating the role of community doulas — a major pillar of the Burke Foundation’s First 1,000 Days strategy to improve maternal, infant, and community health and well-being — is a proven solution for families. Doulas provide community-centered, culturally-aligned, family-focused care that can change — and save — lives.

👋 Not having the resources needed to live each day, achieve financial stability, and save for the future is a huge barrier that prevents families from thriving.

It’s easy to say, “Money doesn’t solve anything,” unless you’ve experienced the crushing stress of living paycheck to paycheck — unable to take the time to bond with your children, having to choose between food or rent, finding it impossible to build a nest egg. More income would make a difference for these families.

An alarming wealth gap in New Jersey and the nation falls hardest on Black families. Camden, NJ, where fewer than 5% of residents are white, has a median income less than a quarter of Cherry Hill, a predominantly-white suburb just 5 miles away.

👋 Happy 2024! We have an exciting year ahead, including the launch of a First 1,000 Days Policy Coalition to advance 2-generation, family-friendly policies to help build the foundation for lifelong well-being. Future issues of Starting Early – which moves to a monthly publication schedule this year — will provide updates and information as we progress.

Healthy families hinge on healthy mothers. Unfortunately, though, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world. That’s devastating for families. Complications from mental health issues, including suicide and overdose, are the most common cause of maternal death in the first year after birth.

👋 As is our tradition, this final Starting Early issue of 2023 honors Burke Foundation Community Champions whose work transforms the lives of families during the all-important First 1,000 Days from pregnancy to age 2.

Join us in celebrating these 5 passionate, influential advocates. They are exemplary leaders — from being on the front lines of delivering services in real time to reimagining entire systems in support of families with young children.

Each Community Champion embodies the spirit and practice of Early Relational Health and the science behind it. They understand the devastating financial, emotional, and logistical challenges that prevent many families from thriving.

👋 When I was a new mom with a background in public health and philanthropy, I was drawn to work at the Burke Foundation. I was impressed by its commitment to children and strategic investment in the health of young families. Our president, James Burke, and our trustees understand the role of — and need for solutions to — adversity in shaping young children’s health and, in turn, the health of families and communities.

One of the most intriguing approaches to addressing childhood adversity is Early Relational Health. What is it? It’s as simple to explain as it is crucial to the well-being of every child, family, and community: Nurturing relationships between caregivers and babies build a strong foundation for lifelong health.