SD ECCS March 2024 Update
March 2024 SD Early Childhood Comprehensive System Update
Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems: ECCS
Ensuring a strong start for all children can reduce vulnerabilities and prevent ACEs, but it requires collaboration and co-ownership of strategies and solutions. This newsletter provides updates on SD ECCS activities and also provide external learning opportunities, resources and news to increase our shared understanding and ability to ensure a strong start for all South Dakota children.
Let’s Connect!
If you would like to learn more about the SD ECCS efforts, provide feedback, or share more about your efforts to ensure a strong start for South Dakota’s youngest children, please email [email protected]. We’re especially interested in learning where you see your work falling within the broader goals and strategies developed through the SD ECCS Strategic Planning Process. Are you already working on some of these goals and strategies–or could they be included in your current plans? We’re here to listen, learn, and build a stronger start for SD children together.
Family Resources Page at Helpline Center
In partnership with Helpline Center, a searchable Family Resource page funded through WIC-CIAO is now live (beta) at https://familyresources.helplinecenter.org. This page was developed in response to the ECCS goal to reduce barriers to families finding and navigating care and service systems.
Resources may be sorted by zip code and type. The curated page pulls from 2-1-1 Helpline Center’s database, so please encourage those who serve South Dakota children and families to keep their listings updated. The page will soon be available in 10 languages.
Upcoming Training Opportunities
These training were offered in response to the ECCS goal of providing cross-training opportunities for professionals and pre-professionals working with families who have young children.
Poverty Simulation Experience held at USD-Sioux Falls Campus
This activity is designed to allow participants to experience and gain insights into the complex issues associated with poverty. We all know that you cannot truly “escape” poverty in 90 minutes, but can you survive a day in the life of someone in the crisis of poverty?
News
WIC Transportation Extended to Rapid City
WIC families can now dial 211 for FREE transportation for WIC-eligible grocery shopping and WIC clinic appointments through October 2024.
WIC participating families in the Sioux Falls and Rapid City areas have access to free transportation to WIC clinic appointments or grocery shopping (using WIC benefits). Car seats are not provided. Dial 211 to schedule 24-hours in advance.
Please share this flyer with families who are WIC-participating or could be WIC-eligible.
EXTERNAL LEARNING RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
BIRTH-SD Bridging Information and Resources to Transform Health for South Dakota Parents
SDSU is the recipient of a HRSA grant to improve perinatal health outcomes in South Dakota. Read more about their efforts here and see their perinatal health resource page here. PI Stephanie Hanson will join the ECCS Advisory and provide and update at our May meeting.
Maternal American Indian Rural Community Health (MARCH) Center of Excellence 2024 Summit
Avera Research Institute’s first annual summit will be held March 19-20 in-person at The Box Events Center in Box Elder, SD. The day of collaborative learning is intended to benefit researchers, healthcare professionals, and community partners with a vested interest in maternal health. Learn more and register for the free event here.
Child Maltreatment Report 2022
On January 29, 2024, the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2022. This year’s report shows a continued decrease in child maltreatment; it reveals that of the nationally estimated 3,096,101 children who were the subject of a child welfare agency response in FY 2022, 558,899 children were determined to be victims of maltreatment.
This is the lowest number of children identified as victims of maltreatment in the last five years, a 20% decrease from the FFY 2018 number of 698,189.
Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rules
The Child Care and Development Fund or CCDF, is the federal government’s funding source for child care subsidies to help eligible low-income families access child care and improve the quality of child care for all children. There was recent changes made and a new CCDF Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on March 1st. See a summary provided by Early Learners South Dakota here.
Rural Maternal Health Series: Achieving Birthing-Friendly Status in Rural Hospitals
The Rural Health Information Hub’s four-part series on Rural Maternal Health launches Tuesday, March 12th at 1:00 p.m. Central. Speakers from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) will discuss the new CMS Birthing-Friendly designation and how rural facilities can earn Birthing-Friendly status.
Share your news!
If you are working collaboratively across sectors to ensure a strong start for South Dakota’s children, especially prenatally up to age 3yo, please send your updates to [email protected]. We’d love to learn more and help raise awareness of your efforts and successes.
