Early Childhood Education

We envision that every family has access to high-quality early learning opportunities to ensure children enter kindergarten ready to learn and an equitably supported early childhood workforce.

 

To do this with advocate to:

• Support the development of a mixed-delivery universal early childhood system across Delaware.

• Expand investments in home visiting to ensure that all families have access to services as needed.

• Increase early childhood investments in programs such as POC and ECAP, to support enhanced access to quality child care for all families who need it.

• Increase compensation for early childhood workforce to professionalize the workforce and address the race and gender wage gap.

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Child Welfare & Family Stability

We envision children and their families strong and thriving in healthy and stable environments.  We seek support efforts to decrease out-of-home placements and support families who are involved with the child welfare system.

 

To do this we advocate to:

• Strengthen and expand both practice-based and evidence-based, trauma-informed prevention services that are equity-informed so children and families are healthy and whole.

• Strengthen and support kinship caregiving to help maintain children’s connections with family, increase stability, and reduce the trauma of family separation.

• Enhance access to concrete assistance supports, such as financial supports cash assistance, housing, and food, to prevent child welfare involvement which is often related to poverty and its effects.

• Ensure transition age youth in foster care receive equitable access to education, career development, affordable housing, and other supports.

 

Integrated Health & Wellness

We envision a comprehensive, family-centered physical and behavioral health system that is culturally responsive for children and families.

 

To do this, we advocate to:

• Increase investments in an integrated, community-based physical and behavioral health system that is inclusive of nonprofit agencies.

• Support use of equity-focused, trauma-informed and evidence-based approaches.

• Expand community awareness of trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the buffering impact of positive relationships.

• Support investments in the behavioral health workforce, such as loan forgiveness, alternate professional pathways, and initiatives to prevent burnout, relieve workplace stressors, and increase access to high-quality mental health care for the frontline health care workforce

 

Community-School Partnerships

We envision that all schools, in partnership with families and community partners, serve as hubs of the community and organize a trauma-informed, whole child and family approach to learning and development.

 

To do this, we advocate for:

• Public investments in community schools that integrate quality instruction, comprehensive support services like behavioral health and family engagement, and expanded learning opportunities for student success and growth.

• Investments in school-based physical and mental health strategies to address the well-being of children.

 

Nonprofit Sustainability & Partnership

Recent events have made clear the critical role of nonprofits during a health and economic crisis. Social and human service organizations like Children & Families First are invaluable partners with government to respond not only to emergencies but also everyday community needs.  As an essential service organization, we envision the financial stability of high-quality nonprofit organizations to be a fundamental ingredient for our communities.

 

To do this, we advocate to:

• Ensure that the contracting process for nonprofit organizations acknowledges the key partnership role that they serve in equitably extending government response.

• Ensure that contracts are evaluated at least annually and adjusted to account for rising costs of service-delivery.  Special consideration should be given to support and reward high performance and service excellence.

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