SD ECCS Bright Lights Series

The SD ECCS Bright Lights Series will begin this fall and we’re looking for innovative collaborations to highlight. This ongoing video series will showcase the successes and outcomes achieved through collaborative, cross-sector or agency efforts designed to ensure a strong start for children. These short interviews and presentations will be pre-recorded and made available on the SD ECCS project page. Click here to learn more and to submit your collaborative effort to be featured in this series.

SD Parent Selected for National Leadership

Congratulations to Gina Curran, SD ECCS Family Leadership Group Member, for being selected to serve on the Parent Leader Team, advising the national ECCS Evaluation Project. Gina is one of 12 parent voices selected across the nation for the project. Additionally, Gina was one of two Parent Leader Team members selected to serve as the parent voices on the national Guiding Team. Gina is a Native American (Oglala), married, working mother of three beautiful children ages 3-5. Gina noted, “I appreciate the opportunity to be a voice for parents.”

In addition to Gina’s selection, CPCM’s Assistant Director and ECCS Lead, Darla Biel, has also been selected to serve on the Guiding Team to inform HRSA MCHB’s Early Childhood Comprehensive Evaluation.

WIC CIAO Outreach Continues

As one of 36 national WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project subrecipients, CPCM is coordinating community outreach events, trainings for professionals working with young children, and research to learn from families what might increase their participation and redemption of WIC benefits. Connecting parents to concrete resources can help ensure a strong start for children and increase overall family functioning.

Learn more at https://sdcpcm.com/wic

Training opportunity:
Dec 7 Poverty Simulation Experience

Family voices needed:
We are inviting WIC-eligible families in the Sioux Falls area to provide input about SD WIC. Please forward the anonymous online survey and invite to participate in focus group discussions to families you work with. WIC-eligible families are asked to complete a short form expressing their preferred feedback tool and contact preference and from there will receive communication from a USD representative directing them to an online survey tool and/or focus group opportunities.

Visit https://sdcpcm.com/wic-voice-matters for more information.

Transportation now available:
Transportation to WIC appointments and WIC redemption/shopping trips are now available for participants in the Sioux Falls-area. WIC participants needing rides should call 2-1-1 at least 24 hours in advance to arrange.

The State of South Dakota Children’s Well-being: 2023 Report

Earlier this month, with support from the South Dakota Department of Education, the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment (CPCM) at the University of South Dakota released The State of South Dakota’s Children’s Wellbeing: 2023 Report.

“To prevent child abuse and neglect and help children reach their full potential, it’s crucial to provide them with safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments,” said Darla Biel, Interim Director, Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment. “This first-of-its-kind comprehensive report is a tool for communities to collaborate across prevention efforts related to suicide, sexual violence, child maltreatment, and bullying to address violence happening now, and to prevent violence from happening in future generations.”

Children who witness violence or live in homes or communities where violence is prevalent are at a higher risk for experiencing violence or perpetrating violence against themselves or others. Families and other supportive adult relationships are crucial for youth. In fact, these influences on the lives of youth protect against violence. This report compares South Dakota to the nation, and where the data is available, differences seen across counties in South Dakota on these shared risk and protective factors. It contains over 100 indicators to measure shared risk and protective factors across all forms of violence, which are interconnected and often share the same root causes.

Tracey McMahon, first author of the report notes “Youth suicide and sexual violence rates are high in South Dakota. To maximize prevention resources, community partners, decision-makers, and caring adults can align efforts to focus on shared risk and protective factors of both sexual violence and suicide such as community connectedness, parent-child relationships, and community economic opportunity, which are measures found in the report.”

To view the report, visit SDCPCM.com/Data

National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) Data Release

The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) released the 2022 dataset on Child Health Day. The NSCH is the largest national- and state‐level survey on the health and well‐being of children, their families, and their communities, providing timely information and comprehensive data on a range of topics such as:

• prevalence and impact of special health care needs
• healthcare quality and access
• physical and mental health
• adverse childhood experiences

*NEW* in the 2022 NSCH are data related to healthy and ready to learn, housing instability, eating and weight related behaviors and concerns, fetal alcohol syndrome disorder diagnosis and evaluation, and receipt of supplemental security income.

Learn more and access data briefs here: https://mchb.hrsa.gov/data-research/national-survey-childrens-health

Child Trends New Brief

Recommendations for Creating Equitable and Inclusive Paid Family Leave Policies details the ways in which paid parental leave supports the health and economic stability of families and communities and represents a promising strategy to address the nationwide shortage of affordable, high-quality child care.

State Policy Lever Checklists

The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center recently released the latest State Policy Lever Checklists that provide a breakdown of the policy components state leaders should consider when setting priorities or drafting legislation to ensure a strong start for children. Checklists for the following policy levers are included:

• Evidence-Based Home Visiting Programs
• Comprehensive Screening and Connection Programs
• Early Intervention Services
• Group Prenatal Care
• Child Care Subsidies
• Early Head Start
• Community-Based Doulas

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs

The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is re-launching its Roadmap for Collaboration among Title V, Home Visiting, and Early Childhood Systems Programs. This interactive, accessible web-based collection of resources is centered around AMCHP’s framework for collaboration among: Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant; Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV); and Early Childhood Systems (ECS) programs.

Early Learner SD Parent Advocacy Training

Lisa Sanderson from SD Parent Connection will speak on supporting families to tell their stories in an impactful way and on effective communication state leaders and decision makers. ECCS Family Leaders, and the staff who support them, will share about their efforts to ensure a strong start for South Dakota children. They will discuss early childhood advocacy activities and the growing movement to give families an authentic voice at all levels of early childhood services and systems.

Nov 2: Parent Advocacy Training

Save the Date: Children’s Day at the Capitol

Make plans to join us for the 2024 Children’s Day at the Capitol! Annually, organizations with an interest in bettering the lives of children and families will gather during the legislative session to inform the public, lawmakers, government staff and other advocates about our work.

January 24-25, 2024 | State Capitol Rotunda

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