Grantees across country to receive support in improving outcomes for young children in foster care.
WASHINGTON — Today, ZERO TO THREE’s National Resource Center for the Infant-Toddler Court Program (NRC) announced that 16 organizations from across the country will receive grants between $75,000 and $425,000 to implement new infant-toddler court teams or increase their alignment with the Safe Babies Court Team™ approach.
With funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the NRC has the ambitious vision of improving outcomes for all child welfare-involved young children and families, with the goal of dramatically reducing the number of babies and toddlers removed from their families and restoring and strengthening family relationships and positive life trajectories for those young children who enter foster care. The new program development grants will provide $3,050,000 in funding support to states and local communities across the country.
“Infant-toddler court teams promote the health and well-being of very young children and their families and build community capacity to provide the supports that children and families need to thrive and that prevent child abuse and neglect. These interdisciplinary, problem-solving court teams drive best practices in the child welfare and dependency court systems and remove barriers to comprehensive equitable services and supports for babies, toddlers, and their families,” stated Janie Huddleston, Director of the Infant-Toddler Court Program at ZERO TO THREE. “We congratulate all our grantees across the country and are excited to work with them – and learn from them – in the months to come.”
State Expansion Grantees: Funding Awards of $425,000
The following states will receive grants to work with the NRC to build the state-level infrastructure needed to provide ongoing support, leadership, and guidance to local infant-toddler court team sites. A major focus of this work will be building support for policy and practice change at the state level needed to implement best practices for infants, toddlers, and their families who are under court jurisdiction.
- Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services: Benton, Sebastian, and Jefferson Counties
- Center for Children & Youth Justice and Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts: Counties: Kitsap, Spokane, and Thurston Counties
- Children’s Defense Fund Ohio and Groundwork OHIO: Cuyahoga, Montgomery, and Scioto Counties
- South Carolina Infant Mental Health Association: Laurens, Richland, and Spartanburg County
- CASA For Children – Passaic County (New Jersey): Essex, Hudson, and Passaic Counties
Increased Reach Grantees: Funding Awards of $125,000
The following communities will receive grants to increase the number of infants, toddlers, and families served by an infant-toddler court team. These grantees will engage in strategic work to build the structure, procedures, and policies that support an increased caseload and that will sustain the expansion
- Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center: Pueblo County, Colorado
- National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice, University of Iowa: Polk County, Iowa
Capacity Building Grantees: Funding Awards of $75,000
The following communities will receive grants that will strengthen their alignment with the SBCT approach to better address the complex needs of infants, toddlers, and their families. Sites will focus on addressing gaps in family engagement, racial inequities, and barriers to accessible community services.
- Palmer Families with Infants and Toddlers Court, Palmer County, Alaska
- Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center, Arapahoe County, Colorado
- Forrest County Youth Court, Forrest County, Mississippi
- Rankin County Youth Court, Rankin County, Mississippi
- Washoe County Human Services Agency, Washoe County, Nevada
- Mothers & Babies Perinatal Network, Broome County, New York
- Lucas County Juvenile Court, Lucas County, Ohio
- Resilient Payne County, Payne County, Oklahoma
- The Children’s Center, Salt Lake County, Utah
To learn more about the Safe Babies Court Team™ approach, click here.
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $9,948,026 with 0 percent financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
About ZERO TO THREE
ZERO TO THREE works to ensure all babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development. Since 1977, the organization has advanced the proven power of nurturing relationships by transforming the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools and responsive policies for millions of parents, professionals and policymakers. For more information, and to learn how to become a ZERO TO THREE member, please visit zerotothree.org, facebook.com/ZEROTOTHREE or follow @ZEROTOTHREE on Twitter.
