Starting Early

👋 I always knew reading to my sons was a way to prepare them to learn to read. But the more we read, the more I looked forward to that time as a chance to snuggle together, exploring sounds and voices and far-off worlds. It turns out that our reading sessions were also a way for us to connect deeply and build Early Relational Health – a strong foundation that can help them navigate the challenges of a lifetime.

Stable and nurturing relationships protect children; they have the power to heal them from the health-threatening impacts of childhood adversity. As a bookworm, I cherish the idea that reading together can be another tool to help connect with and support a child’s healthy development.

👋 Welcome back from what we hope was a rejuvenating summer. In between much-needed time away, we’ve been busy at Burke advancing early childhood initiatives and efforts to improve maternal health. This issue of Starting Early dives into causes of maternal mortality, including an interview with maternal health advocate Kimberly Seals Allers. Please take note of a new regular feature in Starting Early: “Tools You Can Use.”

For the first time in a century, maternal mortality and “near misses” are on the rise across the US, especially among Black women.

An American mother today is more likely than her mother was to die in childbirth.

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

The feeling that you “belong” is fundamental to living a happy and healthy life. Without meaningful and high-quality social connections, our mental, physical, and psychological well-being suffers. But belonging has grown more elusive in today’s world. Increased political polarization, economic inequality, and racial injustice — among other things — contribute to greater division and what experts are calling a “crisis of belonging.”

• The feeling of not belonging can lead to loneliness.

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

Fathers are more involved in their children’s lives than ever before. They spend more time with their kids, take on greater household responsibilities, and are more likely to be stay-at-home dads. These changes benefit mothers and children too: Active dads contribute to improved child well-being and reduced parenting stress for moms. 

But policies and programs geared toward families haven’t caught up. They often downplay or ignore the importance of dads, missing opportunities to help dads get support and resources that foster thriving families.

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

It’s often said that “you are what you eat.” And it’s true — a balanced diet of nutritious foods promotes good mental and physical health. Unfortunately, nearly 34 million people in the US, including 5 million children, frequently aren’t able to obtain such foods.

• They face food insecurity— the “lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.”

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

In March, Burke Foundation Executive Director Atiya Weiss and 17 other thought leaders concluded their Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship with an inspiring week of learning, reflecting, observing, and laughing in Cape Town.

The fellowship supports leaders dedicated to a two-generation approach to build family prosperity in the US. The experience made Atiya an even stronger advocate for promoting the health and wellbeing of parents and investing deeply in the village of support for families.

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

Women in the US face major economic, political, and social barriers — from wage inequity to corporate glass ceilings. One important remedy: Increase the number of women in decision-making governmental positions. From local school boards to Congress, women need greater say in shaping policies that support the health and wellbeing of everyone – especially children, women, and families.

Of course, race, socioeconomics, immigration status, political affiliation, and other factors influence decision making.

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

Having a new baby is a huge life transition. Every family needs support during this time. Home visiting is one of the best ways to do so, by pairing expectant and new parents with a designated support person – a nurse, social worker, or early childhood specialist — who lifts up the innate wisdom of each family and offers individualized, strengths-based support.

🎉 In the news: Last December, Congress reauthorized the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program and doubled its funding – gradually increasing it to $800 million.

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

The benefits of breastfeeding are well documented and recommendations are consistent: Feeding babies breastmilk confers unique health protections and other benefits that last a lifetime.

Breastfeeding promotes Early Relational Health, an important buffer against childhood adversity. During breastfeeding, caregivers and babies make eye contact, engage in skin-to-skin contact, and strengthen their bond.

Unfortunately, though overall US breastfeeding rates are up over the past 10 years, wide, costly disparities in breastfeeding initiation and duration persist.

👋 Welcome to Starting Early. Every other week, we spotlight new reports, useful news, engaging interviews with people doing important work, and interesting takes on maternal health and early childhood development issues.

Caregivers and children have always connected through music. Whether they realize it or not, when parents play music to children still in the womb or sing lullabies to comfort them as babies, they engage in practices central to Early Relational Health — positive child development in the context of nurturing and responsive caregiver-child relationships.

• Music offers nurturing, safe experiences that buffer the young from the impact of adverse childhood experiences and support healthy brain development that has lifetime benefits.