News Archives - Children's Trust Fund of Missouri

September 3, 2019 by Paula

Available Funding Opportunities

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) Board of Directors is pleased to offer funding for Capacity Building Grants.

July 23, 2019 by Paula

Prenatal-to-Three Data Guidebook

Measuring Success: Healthy Development by Age 3

The developmental period extending from prenatal to age three provides the foundation for children’s school readiness, health and well-being.

The National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers (NCIT) — powered by the Pritzker Children’s Initiative — has identified a set of evidence-based metrics, drawn from research, to track the health and development of children prenatal to age three with data that is comparable and reliable across states, communities and diverse families. The Prenatal-to-Three Outcomes Framework Data Guidebook details the NCIT measurements system, or Outcomes Framework, and contains detailed recommendations for using the right outcomes and indicators, and their data sources, to measure the success of policies and programs in your state or community.

Supporting this framework is the underlying belief that, with a focus on equity, states and communities can build and sustain locally responsive systems, programs and policies that meet the needs of infants, toddlers and their families.

The following are just a few of the important indicators related to child well-being that are described within the Guidebook:

>Program & Policy Expansion Indicator: Home Visiting (p19-20)
>Child & Family Indicators:

Reduced Incidence of Prenatal Exposure to Drugs/Alcohol/Smoking (p27-28)
Increase in Children who Receive Warm, Attentive & Responsive Caregiving (p33)
Reduced Incidence of Maternal Depression (p35-36)
Reduced Incidence of Parenting Stress (p37)
Reduced Incidence of Abuse & Neglect (p38-39)
Reduced Incidences of Child Injuries, Death & Health Issues (p42)

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July 16, 2019 by Paula

After the Cradle Falls Book

What Child Abuse Is, How We Respond To It, And What You Can Do About It

Suggested Reading: CTF recommends this book entitled After the Cradle Falls by Melissa Jonson-Reid & Brett Drake. Melissa presented on the content of her unique book during the 2019 CTF Prevention Conference, where CTF offered a copy to each attendee to foster shared learning about child abuse and neglect prevention. Geared toward the general public, CTF encourages you to read as well! Get your copy!

–There may be no other social problem so common, yet so little understood by the general public, as child abuse and neglect. This book is intended to help remedy that situation. After the Cradle Falls integrates examples from folklore, songs, and news articles with the latest summary of empirical research to create an accessible and engaging work intended to provoke the reader to think about how to address the issue of child abuse and neglect in America. Written in a conversational style, the book engages the reader in thinking through why maltreatment occurs, what it looks like, and what we do and do not know. Most importantly, it asks the reader to become involved in the solution based on their own conclusions and values.

Given the prevailing state of widespread public misunderstanding about child abuse, its causes and effects, and the involved systems, After the Cradle Falls is particularly current, relevant, and useful. It is a must-read for students, professionals in child advocacy or family services agencies, and policymakers.

June 28, 2019 by Paula

Recall Alert: Stop Using Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper Immediately

Safe Sleep for Babies. #AloneBackCrib
Attention Parents and Caregivers! The Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper has been recalled. Learn about what you can do if you have one by visiting How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained and spread the word to your networks.

It’s important to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Safe Sleep Recommendations to keep babies safe from suffocation. Please use caution when buying products and avoid the use of commercial devices that are inconsistent with safe sleep recommendations.

— Reducing dangers for families means holding infant sleep products to the highest standard, says NICHQ President and CEO, Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP. “Every year, we lose thousands of babies to preventable deaths, and that means we need to do more to help families understand and follow safe sleep practices—that includes protecting them from purchasing products that could cause harm. We should all be working to make things easier for families, not more confusing. As a national children’s health organization, we stand behind the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.”