Docs For Tots' mission includes changing the nature of professionalism for children’s doctors through increasing their civic engagement beyond clinical practice walls.  In this November issue of Tots Talk we hope to encourage our network doctors to step beyond their practice walls and advocate for some of the significant issues affecting children's social, emotional and physical development as well as help identify opportunities for them to increase their advocacy.  

   
Docs For Tots Organization Update
Docs For Tots State Affiliate Updates
Advocacy Opportunities and State Advocacy Organization Profiles
Uninsured Children: A Growing Number Student Docs For Tots
Docs In Action-Examples of Advocacy Announcements 

DFT Organization Announcements

Announcements

• Upcoming Audio Conferences:
  -Quality Rating Systems: An Audio Conference on Quality Rating Systems (QRS) will be offered December 8th, 2006 from 1:00 to 2:00pm EST. DFT will be hosting an audio conference featuring Anne Mitchell, President of Early Childhood Policy Research and Dr. Kim Townley, Executive Director, Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, Kentucky. The speakers will address the importance and challenges of Quality Rating Systems and how they have been successfully implemented.  If you are interested in listening, please contact Rachel Zukrow at rzukrow@docsfortots.org.
  -Social and Health Disparities: On Thursday, December 14th, 2006 from 2:00 to 3:00pm EST, Docs For Tots will host an Audio Conference titled "Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Disparities Among Young Children." Presenters Dr. Glenn Flores and Dr. Paul Wise will discuss inequalities in the home environment, social environment, and access to medical technology, which can have major impacts on children's health, development, learning and school readiness. If you are interested in listening to this Audio Conference, please contact Bethany Colavincenzo at bcola@docsfortots.org for dial-in information.

• Docs For Tots is pleased to announce the completion of a two page document funded by the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, to support our work around infants and toddlers: "Three Important Issues that Impact the Health and Development of Infants and Toddlers." You can find this new document at http://www.docsfortots.org/program/projects/better-care/documents/threesocialissues.pdf .
  

• Tennessee Association for the Education of Young Children: Dr. George Askew spoke at the 93rd anniversary of the Tennessee Association for the Education of Young Children State Conference which focused on "Emergent Literacy." The conference hosted 400 human service providers from across Tennessee who attended the 2 and 1/2 days of training to network and gain mutual support. Dr. Askew spoke to the participants about the importance of engaging the medical community as a partner in advocacy efforts to raise awareness of the impact of the first years of life. Docs For Tots looks forward to working with doctor advocates and organizations in Tennessee. (Pictured: Dr. George Askew, Founder and Executive Director of DFT, with Blair Pancake, Miss Tennessee at the TAEYC Conference)

DFT State Affiliate Updates

DFT New York

• DFTNY Prescription: Docs For Tots New York is proud to introduce prescriptions for High Quality Early Care and Education and High Quality Pre-K. The prescriptions call for the establishment of an Early Learning Commission and the building of long term structures of support and assurances of highly skilled teachers and caregivers, among other requests. Click here to download the prescription. 
• American Education Week: November 13-17, 2006 offers the opportunity to celebrate education and its importance in children's lives, specifically for their health and development. Doctors in New York will be visiting Head Start and other quality preschool programs during American Education Week offering a short presentation for parents or caregivers. If you would like more information about American Education Week activities in New York, please contact Dr. Dina Lieser. 
• Advocacy Day: On October 12, 2006 doctors from Queens, Manhattan and Long Island, as well as pediatric residents and community organizations, attended a Grand Rounds at New York Hospital Queens in Flushing, New York. Doctors participated in motivating discussions about the importance of advocacy and early childhood mental health.
• Forty-two doctors signed the NYDFT prescriptions for high quality pre-k and early care and education. These prescriptions will be sent to gubernatorial candidates to send the message that investments in quality early education are essential to New York's future success.   (Pictured: Dr.Abularrge, MD Chairman, Department of Pediatrics NYHQ,  Dr. Dina Lieser, Director of Docs For Tots New York, and Dr. Villarin, MD Director of Pediatric Ambulatory Care Center all holding Prescription for High Quality Early Care and Education)
• Bring Early Childhood Issues to the Forefront: Doctors are encouraged to become involved in work aimed at educating the next governor around early childhood issues by participating in events such as candidate forums and outreach activities.  
  
•   Doctors have been invited to submit a letter to the editor prior to Election Day about raising awareness of early childhood issues and  participate in active e-advocacy around early childhood issues, please sign on to www.winningbeginningny.org.

DFT Washington State

• New DFT Resource: A two-page information sheet, "Washington State Early Learning Efforts," which provides an overview of resources, organizations, and updates on the early learning movement in the state, is now available for viewing and downloading on our DFT WA Web site at www.DocsForTots.org/DFTWA.asp.
• Early Learning in Yakima: On October 18th, Dr. Jill Sells facilitated a lunch discussion at the Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. This event brought physicians together to discuss the Early Learning movement across the state, and to introduce them to Yakima partners involved in Born Learning and the Gates Early Learning Initiative. Local planning efforts are underway for a significant 10 year Gates investment, and DFT encourages Yakima physicians to be involved. 
• Governor Gregoire's Summit on Early Learning: On November 13 and 14th, Governor Gregoire will host this invitation-only event. Regional delegations from across the state will attend, discussing ways to communicate about and support local early learning systems, and to connect them effectively with statewide efforts. Following the Summit there will be subsequent local discussions which would benefit from physician engagement. DFT can help physicians connect with Summit attendees and local leaders from their county. http://www.governor.wa.gov/earlylearning/ 
• Children's Advocacy Agenda: The Children's Alliance 2007 Legislative agenda can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.childrensalliance.org/

To learn more about any of the activities above, please contact DFT WA Director, Dr. Jill Sells.

Advocacy Opportunities and State Advocacy Organization Profiles 

California Preschool Support Project

• A recent poll by New America Media, titled "Great Expectations," took a revealing look at the views of California ethnic minority parents toward their children's education from preschool through college. Some of the major findings included: 
• An examination of important socio-economic and demographic differences between Latino, Asian and African American parents in California 
• Ethnic minority parents have high expectations for their children-not just to obtain a high school diploma, but to complete, at a minimum, a college degree 
• Surveyed parents put a lot of weight on the importance of pre-kindergarten as a central starting point for subsequent educational and life success 

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_custom.html?custom_page_id=315

State Advocacy Organization Profiles 

Uninsured Children: A Growing Number

How Doctors Can Advocate for Uninsured Children

One in four uninsured children either uses the hospital emergency room as a regular source of health care or has no regular source of care.    Talking to parents about the importance of health insurance, as well as explaining the process involved in signing a child up for SCHIP or Medicaid, can have a significant impact on their children’s health and well-being. Learn more about uninsured children by visiting this article online at http://65.36.225.239/news/UninsuredChildren.asp

  Opportunity to inform and educate your colleagues:
 In an effort to provide timely and relevant information for the DFT network and advocacy partners, we are interested in having our doctors submit short articles or education pieces focused on advocacy issues that impact young children. These articles will appear in future editions of Tots’ Talk and on our Web site. If you have an article to send, or if you would like additional details, please email trush@docsfortots.org.  

Student Docs For Tots

Student Docs For Tots at the George Washington School of Medicine will be hosting Dr. Robert Zarr, Chief of Pediatrics at Unity Health Care in Washington D.C., for a noon lecture. Dr. Zarr, a network doctor, will speak about the state of children in Washington D.C. The event will take place on November 15th, 2006 at 12 noon on the George Washington Campus, Ross Hall room 227, and is open to all medical students. Lunch will be provided.

If you would like more information about this event please contact project coordinator, Rachel Zukrow at rzukrow@docsfortots.org.

Docs For Tots
A Nationwide Network of Doctors
Advocating For Young Children!