SD ECCS February 2025 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.
Touchpoints Series
What is a touchpoint?
A child’s brain undergoes rapid development during the first three years of life, making this period crucial for their overall growth. Each new brain connection formed during this time has been referred to as a “touchpoint,” which is why we named our informational webinar series after this important milestone in a child’s development. Through these hour-long, interactive webinars, our goal is to help you create your own touchpoints across South Dakota, contributing to the healthy development of all the state’s children.
Check out the upcoming Touchpoints webinars below and be sure to register to join the conversation.
February 11th | 12-1p.m. CST
Beam-SD: Children’s Mental Health
Speakers: Nikki Eining CSW-PIP QMHP, Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Coordinator and Aimee Deliramich, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Asst. Prof. Of Pediatrics
March 11th | 12-1p.m. CST
Brain Science in Early Child Development
Speaker: Laura Jana, MD, FAAP, Pediatrician, Author, and Connector of Dots, Chief Innovation Officer – PSU Evidence to Impact Collaborative
April 8th | 12-1 p.m. CST
How the Huron community collaborated to bring in a Toy Lending Library.
Speakers: Anelis Coscioni-South Dakota Toy Lending Library, Rhonda Kludt-formerly of Huron United Way, Toy Lending Library Board Member, and Gayle Kludt-Kiwanis Club of Huron
You can now view the most recent Touchpoints Session at SDCPCM.com/ECCS.
PLEASE SHARE: SD ECCS Family Leaders Bureau Survey
Family engagement and leadership have been key priorities of the ECCS grant, as outlined in Goal 4 of the ECCS Strategic Plan: Increase capacity for meaningful engagement and partnerships with parents. The ECCS Family Leadership Group, composed of 14 individuals with young children, is an important advisory partner in our work, but we acknowledge that this group only captures a small portion of the broader family voice.
This is where we need your help. CPCM is developing a “Family Leaders Bureau,” a database of family leaders who would like to add their expertise and voice to state and community initiatives that serve them. This Family Leaders Bureau of lived experience subject matter experts will be a resource for all who are working to ensure a strong start for South Dakota children but will also include parents of children up to age 18.
To assist us in identifying parenting adults who would like to add their voice and expertise to develop and improve programs and systems that serve them, we ask that you please share this survey within your network through this link: https://southdakota.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Kwy6rYgHhuH54O or by sharing the graphic and QR code below.
After parents complete the survey, CPCM staff will follow up with a few additional questions. All data collected will remain secure and will not be shared outside of CPCM without prior consent, but CPCM will share opportunities for focus groups, surveys, committees and other ways that your programs hope to capture family voices and expertise with the Family Leaders Bureau.
Other Partner Updates and News
Avera Live Webinar: Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in Pregnancy with the Initiation of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)
February 12 | 12:00pm to 1:00pm CT
Join Avera Research Institute and the MARCH Center of Excellence for a live webinar from noon to 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Rural residents and marginalized groups continue to be disproportionately affected by the opioid use disorder crisis. One unique barrier is OUD in pregnant women. This webinar will discuss OUD in pregnant women and the initiation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in pregnancy. Registration will open for the event soon through their events page.
SD DOH: Office of Lifespan Health Advisory Committee- ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
The Office of Lifespan Health (OLH) is currently seeking applications for members to form the OLH Advisory Committee. We are seeking to fill eight open positions. This committee will play a vital role in shaping policies and initiatives that promote health across all stages of life. If you are passionate about improving health outcomes and contributing to meaningful change, this is a unique opportunity to make a difference.
For more details, check out the OLH Advisory Committee Charter or click here for the application form.
External Resources and Learning Opportunities
Paid Family and Medical Leave State Policy Landscape
Fourteen states, including the District of Columbia, have enacted state paid family and medical leave programs. Benefits are available to families in 10 of those states, and benefits will become available in the remaining four states by 2026. However, no two state’s programs are the same. This webinar will provide a deep dive of the paid family and medical leave state policy landscape. The presenters will cover how states vary on critical policy components, including eligibility, duration of leave, wage replacement benefits, and funding mechanisms.
Featuring: Sarah Ritter, Senior State Policy Analyst, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center
Moderator: Raquel Bueno-Morales, National Senior Advocacy Consultant, NCIT/Voices for Healthy Kids
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]. Are you working on some of these goals and strategies–or could they be included in your plans and activities? We’d love to learn more, collaborate, and celebrate your work.
