By Piia Hanson, MPH
Senior Program Manager, Women's & Infant Health, AMCHP
Kate Taft, MPH
Senior Program Manager, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, AMCHP
As we shared in Pulse last winter, The Raising of America: Early Childhood and the Future of Our Nation is a five-part documentary series scheduled for national broadcast in November 2015, that explores how a strong start for all our kids can lead to a healthier, stronger and more equitable America. The Raising of America documentary series and public engagement campaign consists of three parts: 1) a documentary series, 2) a national public engagement campaign, and 3) a companion website, http://www.raisingofamerica.org/project.
To date, more than 550 organizations across the nation have joined the campaign to screen the series to change the conversation about what we can – and should – do to improve conditions for families with young children. With support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF), AMCHP is partnering with the CDC Division of Violence Prevention, National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), and the Healthy Heartlands Collaborative (HHC) to assist with dissemination of the documentary. Here are some recent examples of how AMCHP and partners are using the Raising of America as a tool to foster dialogue and action toward what we as a society can do to ensure all our children have an opportunity for a stronger start:
- The CDC Division of Violence Prevention, AMCHP, NACCHO and HHC are working in partnership with support from the DDCF and the CDC to use the Raising of America with their supporters to encourage local, state, and national partnerships to create the safe, stable, nurturing environments and relationships all babies need to thrive. Each partner will adapt key engagement resources to best serve their different audiences. A webinar is scheduled for late fall to provide additional updates on how people are using the Raising of America documentary and campaign tools. (A partnership and RoA overview webinar was held last January. Recording and materials are available here.)
- The CDC Division of Violence Prevention is currently working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to develop resources that will assist pediatricians who participate in the Raising of America activities and will be disseminating the various Raising of American campaign tools with many partners, including Essentials for Childhood, DELTA focus, and other grantees.
- The CDC Division of Violence Prevention will hold its own Raising of America launch event in early October. The companion website will be heavily promoted through CDC social media channels including the main Injury Center Twitter account, @CDCInjury and VetoViolence Facebook page, so stay tuned for additional updates!
- AMCHP and NACCHO are developing tip sheets for how state and local public health agencies (respectively) can use the Raising of America documentary and resources in their early childhood work. AMCHP also developed several templates and additional resources that Title V programs can use, including:
- Facilitated agenda example for a screening event
- Screening feedback handout (short)
- Discussion handout (moving to action/moving forward)
- Discussion guide for team breakouts
- Commitment to Action to document next steps from your stakeholders
The AMCHP tip sheet and resources are available at http://www.amchp.org/programsandtopics/CHILD-HEALTH/projects/early-intervention-svcs/Pages/default.aspx.
- In August, AMCHP will mail a copy of the Raising of American DVD and tip sheet to each Title V program in every U.S. state and jurisdiction.
- AMCHP and NACCHO, in partnership with several other DC organizations, are excited to host a Capitol Hill discussion this fall on early childhood policy and using the Raising of America documentary to ensure a healthy start for all children and families.
AMCHP will continue to update our Web page with resources from our partnership activities and examples of how our members are using the documentary and campaign resources in their states.
For more information about Raising of America, visit http://raisingofamerica.org or click on the links below: