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Good Health

Giving All Babies A Healthy Start

During the first three years, the brain and body grow at an immense rate, forming over 1 million new neural connections every second.

Every moment matters to ensure healthy physical, emotional and cognitive development. Timely access to services for babies and their caregivers is essential for babies to get care when it can have the greatest impact, so that short-term concerns do not turn into lifelong conditions.

The Challenge

Many babies and families still can’t get the physical, mental and developmental care they need.

Without sustained federal investment:

  • Families face barriers to care and coverage.
  • Caregivers may not get the support they need.
  • Workforce shortages limit access to services.
  • Opportunities to identify and address concerns early are missed.

The Solution

  • Medicaid: Helps babies, caregivers, and pregnant women access essential health care, including check-ups, developmental screenings, and mental health services. It also helps keep hospitals and clinics open, especially in rural and underserved communities.
  • IDEA Part C: Funds early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays, connecting families to support early when it can make the biggest difference.
  • Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Grants & Project LAUNCH: The only federal programs dedicated to expanding infant and early childhood mental health services through screening, prevention, early intervention, and integrated care.
  • Early Childhood Development Expert & Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood: Places child development specialists in pediatric and primary care settings to identify concerns early, support parents, and connect families to services.

Take Action

Tell Congress to support federal investments that keep babies on track.

Urge your policymakers to invest in the programs that support babies’ health and development.

Let's do this

Babies need Congress to:

  • Oppose cuts to Medicaid to ensure babies and those who care for them can access the care they need for a strong, healthy start.
  • Increase funding for early intervention through Medicaid and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C to ensure young children stay on track.
  • Increase investment in early childhood health and mental health, including through SAMHSA’s Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Grant Program, SAMHSA’s Project LAUNCH, HRSA’s Early Childhood Development Expert program and HRSA’s Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood program.

Mental health is formed in our earliest days, even before birth.  Learn More. 

41% of births in the U.S. are covered by Medicaid and nearly half of children in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

About 1 in 6 children experience a developmental or health challenge, including early mental health needs—many of which begin in infancy.

Early intervention programs have been found to increase children’s social, emotional, and physical well-being, including in educational settings.

Children who participate in programs that embed early childhood expertise in pediatric practices are 23% less likely to visit the emergency room for injuries in a 1-year period.

Advocacy Tools & Resources

How to Talk about IECMH: Use this infographic to help define infant and early childhood mental health and talk about social and emotional development.

State of Babies Yearbook: 2023: Use national and state-by-state data on the well-being of infants and toddlers to call on federal, state, and local policymakers to improve outcomes for babies and families.