A new article published on the front page of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) describes powerful research that suggests many disparities in health and well-being have roots that can be traced to stressors in early childhood, such as poverty, neighborhood safety and a lack of access to early childhood education; if unaddressed, such stressors can have detrimental effects. The article highlights the Help Me Grow model as an example of a program that enhances cross-sector coordination to transform child-serving systems around the country by reducing service gaps for children. 

The article summarizes the recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Public Health Grand Rounds titled “Addressing Disparities in Early Childhood“. In his July Blog post, Dr. Paul Dworkin shares his experience as one of four presenters at the session.