Project LAUNCH L inking A ctions for U nmet N eeds in C hildren’s H ealth A n overview

1. Project LAUNCHLinking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s HealthAn overview

2. Project LAUNCH Long-term goal: To foster the healthy development and wellness of all young children birth through age 8 – preparing them to thrive in school and beyond • Funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration • Five-year grants to 6 local communities, 16 states, one tribe, and the District of Columbia

3. Project LAUNCH Objectives • Improve coordination and collaboration across child-serving systems • Improve access to higher quality care and evidence-based programs for young children and their families • Raise awareness and increase knowledge about young child wellness through public education and workforce development

4. Three Guiding Principles …to promote young child wellness: • a holistic perspective • a public health approach • an ecological framework

5. A Holistic Perspective Project LAUNCH: • Defines child wellness as optimal functioning across all developmental domains, including cognitive, social, emotional, behavioral, and physical health • Works across disciplines and with those involved in the lives of young children to create a shared vision of wellness for young children

6. A Public Health Approach Project LAUNCH: • Focuses on ensuring that all children reach their full potential and experience optimal development • Emphasizes prevention and promotion activities in addition to efforts to treat problems after they occur

7. An Ecological Framework Project LAUNCH: • Recognizes that child wellness is predicated upon children living in healthy, stable, safe, and supportive families and communities • Addresses the strengths and challenges faced by the individual child, but also those experienced by his/her family, community, and culture

8. System Integration Activities SAMHSA team: • Promotes partnerships with ACF, HRSA, and CDC • Develops additional government and private partners that mirror collaboration at the state/tribal and local levels Councils on Young Child Wellness: • Engage key players across child-serving systems • Promote coordination and collaboration among partners and between the federal, state, tribal, and local stakeholders

9. Direct Services Each grantee implements or expands evidence-based programs and practices in key areas: • Home visiting • Use of developmental assessments in a range of child-serving settings • Integration of behavioral health into primary care • Mental health consultation • Family strengthening and parent skills training • Substance abuse prevention (applies to 2010 grantees)

10. Project LAUNCH Grantees 2008 Grantees Arizona Maine New Mexico Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Rhode Island Washington 2009 Grantees California District of Columbia Iowa Illinois Kansas Massachusetts Michigan New York North Carolina Ohio Oregon Wisconsin 2010 Grantees Multnomah Education Service District, Portland, OR Aliviane, Inc., El Paso, TX North Colorado Health Alliance, Greeley CO University of Missouri Columbia, MO Wheeler Clinic Plainville, CT Fund for Public Health New York, NY

12. Overarching Strategies • Evidence-based prevention and promotion activities build on the strengths of children, families, and communities and lead to measurable and well-defined outcomes • Cross-training, workforce development, and communications activitiesensure that all community members share a vision, plan, and mission of child wellness • Cross-sector collaboration and systems integration efforts at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels ensure that resources are shared, used efficiently, and are aligned with LAUNCH (and other relevant) strategic plans • Family-centered and culturally competent practices include families as partners and leaders, and value the cultural and linguistic richness and diversity within communities

13. Council on Young Child Wellness • Unites stakeholders, including parents, across the child-serving system to create a shared vision of young child wellness • Brings together providers, parents, and other stakeholders to plan and oversee local implementation • Conducts an environmental scan to map existing resources, unmet needs, gaps, and areas for collaboration • Develops a strategic plan to prioritize goals and objectives, timelines, and benchmarks for success

14. Interim Goals To foster the healthy development of all young children birth through age 8, Project LAUNCH grantees strive to: • Increase access to developmental assessments, screenings, and services for young children and families • Expand use of culturally relevant, evidence-based prevention and wellness practices in a range of settings • Increase integration of primary care and behavioral health services to support young children and their families

15. Interim Goals (cont.) • Increase workforce knowledge of children’s healthy development and preparation to deliver high quality care • Increase workforce knowledge of substance abuse prevention resources, programs, and strategies • Improve coordination and collaboration across local, state, tribal, and federal agencies serving young children and families • Maximize resources through innovations in funding and resource allocation, and increased leveraging of current investments in children and families

16. Ultimate Goal More children entering school ready to learn and succeed in early grades For more information: http://projectlaunch.promoteprevent.org Local contact: (add your info here)