Early childhood, from birth to age five (5), is a critical time in a child’s development. Experiences in early childhood lay the foundation for growth, learning, attachment, and relationship building. Positive experiences and opportunities, secure attachments and healthy development are the building blocks for success at later stages in childhood and throughout the lifespan. At the same time, children in this age group are the most vulnerable to maltreatment. Close to half of children in Kentucky’s out-of-home care system entered care during this early childhood period, from birth to age five (5). Research shows that young children are also more susceptible to the negative effects of maltreatment including higher rates of fatality and long-term effects of trauma. Therefore, it is critical that staff serving very young children and their caregivers have an in-depth understanding of child development, the potential impacts of trauma, the importance of healthy brain development, as well as the positive impacts of stable, nurturing caregiving relationships and comprehensive early childhood services. Competency in early childhood is relevant to all aspects of child welfare work, including prevention services, intake, safety and risk assessment, ongoing service provision, foster care and adoption, and services to transition-age youth (who are currently or may soon be parenting themselves).
Every community has early childhood partners available to collaborate with staff and families to navigate both the opportunities and challenges in early childhood. These programs include high-quality early care and education (ECE) providers such as head start, public preschool, and licensed and certified childcare settings, home visiting programs such as Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS), and early intervention programs such as Kentucky Early Intervention System (KEIS, formerly First Steps). Collaboration among these partners and the child welfare agency is imperative to effective community-based family strengthening services and to ensure the well-being of children under age five (5) during the most vulnerable period of their lives. Additionally, while poverty is a risk factor for neglect, many of these high-quality ECE programs specifically serve low-income families, making them ideal partners and resources. Even though high-quality ECE programming has shown to be effective in preventing the need for child welfare involvement, national data and studies show that high-quality ECE services are underutilized by families at risk of or involved with the child welfare system. The supports and services provided to young children during early childhood give the best possible opportunity for future success during childhood and beyond, reduce the risk of future maltreatment, and reduce the risk of entry into care. Therefore, it is critical for all staff serving young children and families to be knowledgeable about child development, the impacts of trauma in early childhood, and available early childhood resources in the community to support young children and their families.