The Alliance for Early Success is a 50-state resource for early-childhood advocates as they pursue the big, sustained impact that will ensure every child in every state, birth through age eight, has an equal chance to grow, learn, and succeed.
CELEBRATING BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK 2024 As we observe Black Maternal Health Week 2024, Alliance for Early Success Human Resources consultant Annette Richards shares her experience becoming grandmother twice in the calming presence of doulas.
Advocates in Michigan continue to fight not only for prevention resources, but for culturally congruent policies and programs aimed squarely at racial disparities in death rates. This includes advocating for an effective perinatal care quality program to be added to the state’s public health code.
From a new nation-leading child tax credit that will cut child poverty by a third, to $1.3 billion for expansion of mixed-delivery child care, to continuous medicaid coverage for children to age 6, to a long list of other wins for young children and their families, there were almost too many advancements to count in the 2023 legislative session. The secret to all these wins? A long-standing “of coalition of coalitions” in the state the centers communication, equity, cooperation, and authentic power sharing.
In this webinar, the Alliance and RH Impact (formerly the National Birth Equity Collaborative) dive into the issue of maternal mental health and explore how states and communities can provide stronger and more equitable support to expecting and new parents.
The perinatal workforce plays an indispensable role in ensuring the well-being and survival of pregnant people and their babies throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. However, systemic issues and social disparities continue to persist, leaving many birthing people, particularly Black and Indigenous communities, without access to the quality maternal health care they deserve. The Alliance and co-host Black Mamas Matter Alliance will explore strategies to better equip, support and advance the Black maternal, reproductive, and perinatal workforce.
While a significant number of pregnancy-related deaths happen 6-12 months after the end of pregnancy, the federal government only mandates that Medicaid coverage extend for 60 days after the end of the pregnancy. In response to this deadly gap in coverage, advocates are working with policymakers—Democrat and Republican, urban and rural—to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage in their states. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have recently passed coverage extensions.
In the journey to achieving maternal health equity, the voices and experiences of birthing people and families impacted by these disparities are our most powerful catalysts for change. Despite navigating the painful realities of inequities in maternal health, they remain underrepresented in shaping solutions. It’s time to rewrite this narrative. In this webinar hosted by Elephant Circle and Alliance for Early Success, panelists explore best practices and approaches to community-driven maternal health solutions to address disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality.
EDITORIAL As we observe Black Maternal Health Week 2023, Alliance for Early Success Senior Director of Equity and Impact Marquita Little Numan shares her own birthing experience as a Black woman giving birth in Arkansas—and reflects on both the changes and the enduring disparities since her mother gave birth a generation ago.
As 2023 legislative sessions are underway, advocates have been preparing to ensure that legislators understand the strong opportunity to equitably support young children, their families, and communities through policy and budgetary investments. Take a look at some of the leading 2023 state policy priorities in early childhood.
It is clear that good infant health starts before birth and that equitable access to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care are critical for long-term health for babies and their parents. Yet the maternal health crisis in this country has persisted, and it’s a crisis that disproportionally impacts communities of color. This is powerful discussion on the disparities in maternal health care and—most important—what policy advocates can do to eliminate them.
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© 2024 Alliance for Early Success
The Alliance for Early Success does not endorse or advocate for specific legislation or candidates.
