Docs For Tots eNewsletter September 2007
Docs For Tots
 
Tots Talk: News and Info from Docs For Tots

Tots Talk is an e-Newsletter of Docs For Tots, a nationwide network of doctors advocating for young children. This update, distributed to more than 1,500 advocates nationwide, provides the latest in news and information including requests for doctor advocacy and examples of efforts to change the social policies affecting children’s health and development.

In This Issue:

Take Action:  Will you tell your elected officials to support strong families and early learning?

 

We've Moved! 

 

On September 12th , Docs for Tots moved into the offices of Voices for America’s Children.  Our website and email addresses remain the same, but our new address is:  1000 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC  20005     More than just a change in location the move also marks the launch of a new strategic alliance with VOICES and the uniting of two powerful advocacy networks to amplify our voice for children.  Building on our recent collaboration to advance SCHIP reauthorization legislation, the alliance will expand the capacity and reach of both organizations while allowing us to better leverage our resources to pursue a vigorous children’s agenda.

DFT Organization Update 

Docs For Tots Attends Race Matters Training.  Kelly Bowes attended this training with other Washington-DC child advocates on August 15th.  The Race Matters Toolkit, created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, brings attention to the issues of racial disparities that continue for children today and contains practical resources and tools  to address disparities in your practice and in the advocacy arena.  We encourage you to explore the following resources and look for new toolkit resources to appear on the Docs For Tots website soon. 

  Docs For Tots Attends Pre-K Now National Networking Conference.   Advocates and experts from across the country gathered for an opportunity to share lessons and challenges, and participate in meaningful discussions of next steps in the national pre-k movement.  Pre-K Now honored Docs For Tots New York with a National Pre-K Champion Award for its efforts to advance high-quality pre-kindergarten for all in New York.

Feature Section: ECCS & Back to School

Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS)

              Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems support collaborations and partnerships to support families and communities in their development of children who are healthy and ready to succeed in school.  We are continuing to feature resources to strengthen your understanding of early childhood comprehensive systems and your role within the movement in our newsletters.  This month we encourage you to read an excellent publication by Project THRIVE of the National Center for Children in Poverty: Reducing Disparities Beginning in Early Childhood.   Take Action: Will you tell your elected officials to support strong families and early learning?  Education Begins At Home Act (H.R. 2343/S. 667) provides the first federal supports dedicated for home visiting programs.  

Back to School

September means Back to School, and it also serves to remind us that learning begins well before a child enters kindergarten.  Docs For Tots is pleased to highlight tools and resources to promote Early Learning and School Readiness in your practice. 

DFT in the News & Media Opportunities

Educating the public via the media is a powerful advocacy tool.  Often, the credibility of your physician voice enables you to have great successes in publishing letters to the editor, articles in parent magazines, in addition to Op-Eds.  

Some recent successes:

By responding to a timely study or event as a platform to promote the healthy development of young children, you can increase your opportunities to inform the public.
 

Media Opportunity:  Docs For Tots encourages you to use, edit, or draw inspiration from the following article that was published in ParentGuide Magazine (NY), Helping Kids Through Mental Challenges.  As always, Docs For Tots staff can support you through all parts of the publication process, including submitting it to a parent magazine in your community.  Contact Kelly Bowes for more information.    Docs For Tots also encourages you to explore media opportunities in your local newspaper - letters to the editors and op-eds are excellent ways to raise public awareness about supporting children's healthy development and learning.  The Docs For Tots Advocacy Tookit is a great starting point for media advocacy.

 

DFT State Affiliate Updates 

Docs For Tots New York

Dr. Dina Lieser, Director DFT NY, was appointed to the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board.  The Cabinet's mission is to improve the lives of New York's children by ensuring the successful implementation of the expansion of the Child Health Plus program and identifying ways to offer increased access to high-quality prekindergarten and early learning programs.  "These appointments to the Children's Cabinet bring us one step closer to implementing a comprehensive children's agenda that creates an environment where every child has an opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed," said Governor Spitzer.   DFT NY was honored with a National Pre-K Champion Award for its work to advance pre-k for all in New York.
      Hillary Clinton with Docs For Tots   Join us for an Advocacy Day:  October 16, 2007 in Albany.  Docs For Tots and Winning Beginning New York have planned this event to promote quality early care and education in NY.  There will be an advocacy training followed by legislative visits to your elected officials.  Contact Kelly Bowes to learn more about this advocacy opportunity.   Join us for  for a event with David Kirp, author of The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics: October 11, 2007 at 2:00pm in New York City. With New York in the midst of statewide implementation of a $446 million Pre-K program, Mr. Kirp’s remarks will be timely and thought-provoking as we build partnerships.  Contact Kelly Bowes to learn more about this opportunity.   Summit on Infancy: October 25th in New York City.    An exciting opportunity to be connected to collaborative systems that support young children and families.  Contact Kelly Bowes to learn more about this opportunity.     

Docs For Tots Washington State 

 

New Resource: Doctors Advocating for Early Learning in Washington State: Tips and Tools for Effective Action. Using real life examples from doctor advocacy experiences, this exciting resource is full of ideas and insights to support your advocacy efforts.  Washington state network doctors, email DFTWA@docsfortots.org to request a printed copy.  Not a member yet?  Click here to join (it's free and easy!).  

The Children's Alliance has released its report for the 2007 Washington State Legislative Session: Invest in Our Future.  Invest in Kids.  Read in-depth summaries of how Washington state did in relevant policy area.  This was an exciting year: celebrate the successes and keep the momentum going!   

Across the state, communities are mobilizing around Early Learning using the Kids Matter framework (see www.earlylearning.org/kids-matter).  Counties and regions are working together to plan for an implement early childhood systems across Washington state, to assure that children and families have the information and resources they need to assure children are healthy and ready for school.  Kids Matter helps state and community level efforts plan for the needs of the "whole child", including insurance and access to a medical home; social-emotional and mental health; early care and education/child care, and parenting information and support.  Doctors' voices are needed in these efforts.  Stay tuned for ways to engage with your community's efforts!  

Docs For Tots Florida

Dr. Wil Blechman, Director DFT FL, invites Florida doctors to contact him to learn more about our Florida initiatives and ways to get involved.  Dr. Blechman can be reached at wblechman@docsfortots.org or at 305.904.7912.   Learn more about the 5 Promises Campaign of Florida's Children's Campaign, Inc.   Visit their website to access the Public Policy Advocacy Center and its latest news and publication. 

 

Advocacy Opportunities and State Advocacy Organization Profiles  

Oregon

Healthy Kids bill: Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the Healthy Kids bill referring Measure 50 to the November 2007 ballot.  This measure, once passed, will provide more than 100,000 Oregon children with the health insurance coverage that they currently lack.  Spread the word - vote in November!    Save the Date: October 15, 2007.  The Status of Children in Oregon.  Children First for Oregon is going to share the state's Report Card grade at a private event before it is released to the public and the media.  Visit www.ccfo.org for more information.  

Pennsylvania

ECELS/Healthy Child Care PA (HCCPA) is a program of the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Through ECELS, children's doctors can provide technical assistance and training to help early learning programs give safe and healthful care in Pennsylvania.  ECELS is looking for doctors who are willing to work with local early learning programs to foster health and safety policies and practices through on-site visits, workshops, and writing articles for the online newsletter, Health Link Online.  *There is a range of involvement, depending on your availability.*  Contact Kelly Bowes for more information.  

Nationwide 

Take Action: Will you tell your elected officials to support strong families and early learning?  Education Begins At Home Act (H.R. 2343/S. 667) provides the first federal supports dedicated for home visiting programs.  

Take Action: Time is running out and the healthy development of millions of children is in jeopardy; will you tell your elected officials to act in the best interest of children and reauthorize SCHIP?

New York State Child Care Coordinating Council (NYSCCCC)

Learn more about our advocacy partner, the New York State Child Care Coordinating Council (NYSCCCC):  Read profile.     

 



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

Advocate Profile 

Dr. Elizabeth Isakson, a network doctor and advocate in New York, has been actively serving the children of her state and developing her advocacy skills.  In honor of her dedication, Docs For Tots asked Dr. Isakson to tell us why she feels advocacy is important.  She provided the following answers:  

Why did you join DFT?   I was doing a web search on resources for toddlers and stumbled upon the DFT website a couple of years ago and I was sold on the mission on making advocacy part of a pediatrician’s professional life and making it as easy as possible.  So I signed up that day and got on the email list.  

Why is advocacy important to you? In daily practice you spend a lot of time troubleshooting, solving problems as they come up and creating a band-aid. To solve the big problems in clinical medicine- asthma, obesity, etc - advocacy on the public health level has to become a part of practice. To solve the even bigger problems in health care- access, disparity based on race or income, and cost - advocacy is the only way to get a physician's voice of experience and reason heard.  

What advocacy activities are you currently working on or have you worked on? Currently, I am working with the New York Zero-to-Three Network* to develop a "New York City's Check Up: How are We Caring for Our Infants and Toddlers?".  It identifies and publishes data for a publication to assess the strengths and weaknesses of how we as a city support our young children and families.   Last fall I worked with the New York Zero-To-Three Network to publish a fact sheet on infants and toddlers in New York City and met with city council members, the mayor's office, state legislators and the governor's office to highlight the needs of New York City's infants and toddlers.  

What has been your most memorable advocacy moment to date? To date, I think the visits with the state legislature have been the most memorable.  I learned how much physician involvement can mean to legislators.  When I told the assemblymen and senators that I was a pediatrician that saw children who needed their help in their districts everyday, they listened in a way that they did not to the others.  Constituents matters and as a doctor seeing young children and their families my voice was more important to the decision makers in government.   

What do you feel are the biggest social issues affecting young children in your state? Disparity - Disparity based on income and race really can be found in so many examples for young children.  But just to give one for New York City: if you are in Early Intervention and live in a poor neighborhood you will get less services of lower quality than a child in a wealthier neighborhood.  This is just heart breaking.   How can a doctor incorporate advocacy into everyday interactions with patients and caregivers? I think the main way doctors can incorporate advocacy into everyday interactions is to remind all parents, just as we have to remind ourselves, that we are constituents and voters who need to hold our government accountable to address in the most effective and creative ways our needs and priorities.  

Do you have anything you’d like to say to other doctors thinking about getting involved in advocacy work?   DFT makes so many aspects of involvement easy. The email reminders to call legislators and the ability to sign on to letters makes the effort minimal but the impact large.   Advocacy is a real opportunity for networking and learning about what is available in your community outside of the medical realm. This networking has come in handy in clinical practice surprisingly often.  

*New York Zero-to-Three is a Volunteer group across many disciplines that care for infants and toddlers in New York City, providing education, networking and advocacy.  Visit www.nyzerotothree.org.  

 
 
 
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