Tots Talk: News and Information from Docs For Tots

September 2005

1. Docs For Tots responds to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
2. Docs For Tots is proud to announce our new website! 
3. DFT New York update
4. Student Docs For Tots – DC hosts its first event
5. Better Baby Care Update
6. New Resource: “Quality Pre-Kindergarten is Critical to Healthy Development and School Readiness.”
7. DFT Docs in Action: Dr. Deborah Frank speaks out for kids who rely on safety net programs in the Philadelphia Daily News, and Dr. Robert Zarr advocates for increased access to quality childcare.

If you are a network doctor, please visit our website (www.docsfortots.org) to read stories from health professionals on the ground, find ways to volunteer your time, advocate with local agencies, and provide Docs For Tots with your innovative ideas on how we can help. Contact Alice Hunt at ahunt@docsfortots.org (202.898.9056) or Tracey Rush at trush@docsfortots.org (202.898.9043). 

If you represent a child advocacy agency and would like to collaborate with us on hurricane relief advocacy efforts, please contact Tracey Rush at trush@docsfortots.org or 202-898-9043.

2. Have you noticed?  Docs For Tots has a new website!  Please visit www.docsfortots.org to check out our new look.  Browse through our resources, learn more about our projects, and refer a friend to our site!  Through our website, we hope to support our network docs and early childhood advocacy organizations increase their capacity to be effective child advocates!

3. DFT New York is working full-time promoting early childhood development in New York State. Here’s an update on their activities from Project Director Dr. Dina Lieser:

• Docs For Tots New York is testifying at several public hearings to comment on the New Board of Regents Policy on Early Education, which ultimately calls for pre-kindergarten for all 3 and 4 year olds as well as many services from birth onwards.  Please contact dlieser@docsfortots.org if you would like to get involved by sending in electronic comments.

• DFT NY is presenting at the Second Annual NY State Conference on Infancy, “The Baby and the Beanstalk: Supporting Healthy Brain Development.”  The conference will be held from September 26-27 at the Westchester Marriot in Tarrytown NY (www.nysccc.org).  Notable speakers include Dr. Jack Shonkoff and Dr. Martha Farah. 

• Dr. Dina Lieser recently published an article in Big Apple Parent magazine, the largest parenting publication on the East Coast, about the social, economic, and health benefits of pre-kindergarten. Please contact us if you would like a copy.

• NEW YORK VIRTUAL STRIKE FOR CHILD CARE
  Together We Can!
  September 26-30 2005, log on to www.nysccc.org to learn more or contact Dlieser@docsfortots.org if you would participate in sending an editorial to your local paper about the importance of quality child care - we’ll provide the piece, you can edit as you wish.

• DOCS FOR TOTS NEW YORK IS PLANNING A LOBBY WEEK for pre- kindergarten, the week of October 24.  We will provide you with talking points and leave behinds as you meet with your legislative officials.  You have a truly powerful voice in discussions around early education and your participation would be greatly valued.  Contact dlieser@docsfortots.org for more info.

4. Student Docs For Tots (SDFT) now has a local network in DC, comprised of George Washington, Georgetown, and Howard University medical students.  SDFT at George Washington University held its first event on September 14th with Dr. George L. Askew as the keynote speaker.  Dr. Askew addressed students on the importance of advocacy in medicine and answered questions from students about how they could incorporate advocacy into their medical training and future practices as doctors. 

5. On November 8th, Docs For Tots will host “An Update on Infant/Toddler Policy” conference call from 2pm to 3pm. The audio conference, organized specifically for the Better Baby Care Campaign, will include big picture issues surrounding infant and toddler policy presented by Joan Lombardi, PhD, Director of The Children’s Project and Founder of the Better Baby Care Campaign, as well as specific policies related to health and safety by Dr. Susan Aronson, who is the Founder and Pediatric Advisor of the Early Childhood Education Linkage System-Healthy Child Care PA.  Please stay tuned for more details and call-in information.

6. Our latest resource has been posted to our website.  Go to http://www.docsfortots.org/program/projects/pre-k/documents/PreK2Pager_Final.pdf to find a two-pager about quality Pre-K and its role in healthy child development and school readiness.  While this material was designed specifically to promote Pre-K for all in New York, its contents are applicable across the US!

7. Docs For Tots was instrumental in brokering and supporting print media opportunities for network docs to advocate on behalf of young children.  Dr. Debbie Frank participated in writing an op-ed piece about the importance of safety net programs for vulnerable children.  The article was written by Carol Towarnicky and published in the Philadelphia Daily News on September 13th, 2005.  You can find the article on our website: http://www.docsfortots.org/resources/action/documents/DrFrankOpEd9_13_2005.pdf.  Dr. Robert Zarr wrote an op-ed piece titled “A Head Start For Children Starting From Behind,” about access and quality of child care which was published in the Washington Post on September 25th, 2005.  Docs For Tots was glad to assist Dr. Zarr with publishing an op-ed in a national newspaper.