As pediatricians and child-health advocates, we know that the earliest years of life matter more than nearly any other time on the developmental journey and set the foundation for everything that follows. Between birth and age 3, a child’s brain grows more rapidly than at any other point in life. The support families receive during this critical window shapes a child’s long-term health, learning and well-being.
For too long, Arkansas has struggled to provide consistent, comprehensive, preventive supports for young children and their caregivers.
That is beginning to change, thanks to HealthySteps, an evidence-based, interdisciplinary program that brings specially trained child development and behavioral health experts into pediatric primary care teams.
