Our WORK
Policy & Advocacy
We help advance policies that set young children up for success in school and in life.
Every baby and family deserves the opportunity to thrive, and every pediatric provider deserves the resources and support to make that possible.
The HealthySteps National Office at ZERO TO THREE advocates for the policies and systems that young children, families, and the pediatric primary care providers who serve them need to thrive.
The voices of the HealthySteps community drive our federal and state advocacy. Families, caregivers, providers, and partners bring lived experience and frontline expertise to our advocacy and policy efforts. Together, we turn what we see and experience in pediatric practices and communities into meaningful policy change.
Scroll down for more information about our policy and advocacy work and how to get involved.
Policy Priorities
Improving Access to High-Quality, Pediatric Primary Care
Insurers and payers typically view young children as healthy and low-cost, only pay for diagnosis-driven services, focus on short-term savings opportunities, and lack an understanding of early brain science and the importance of dyadic (i.e., two-generation) services. As a result, pediatric primary care providers are limited in their ability to provide the evidence- and team-based services that families want and children need.
In collaboration with national and local partners and visionary policymakers, the National Office is helping payers design new preventive health benefits, with key successes in states like Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. These benefits provide sustainable billing pathways that unlock access to key services for more families.
Supporting Family Well-Being
At HealthySteps, we know that the health and development of babies are inseparable from the well-being of their families, which is why we advocate strengthening federal programs that determine whether families can access health care, developmental support, nutritious food, housing and basic goods like diapers.
Programs we advocate for include Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Success Story: TPEC
Leaders from ZERO TO THREE’s HealthySteps program were instrumental in the conception and development of Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC), a federal funding stream established by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA/MCHB) to strengthen early childhood developmental services in pediatric primary care—particularly for families enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Today, TPEC provides $10 million annually to support the delivery of high-quality, family-centered care. The program is structured through regional Resource Hubs that regrant funds to pediatric practices and provide implementation support. These practices span diverse settings—including federally qualified health centers, hospital systems, residency training programs, and private practices—in both rural and urban communities. As of September 2025, TPEC Hubs served approximately 68,000 families.
Get Involved
Your voice matters
Are you a member of the HealthySteps network or a family participating in HealthySteps? Sharing your story, experience, and expertise and helping elevate others’ voices can shape policy and benefit families and communities in your state and across the country.
Sign up below to join the HealthySteps Advocacy Network and get updates on key policy developments and opportunities to get involved.
Policy & Advocacy Resources
Key Issue Area Handout
This one-pager highlights four priority issue areas for HealthySteps: Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, and TANF.
Medicaid
Learn more about Medicaid and get tools for communicating with policymakers.
Make Your Voice Heard
Get resources to help you share your story to advocate for a policy or cause important to you.
Advocate Spotlight
Karma is not only a fierce advocate for her children, she also speaks up for policies that can help other families.
In partnership with the HealthySteps National Office, Karma joined other early childhood advocates to speak with New Jersey legislators about the importance of focusing on infant and early childhood mental health and implementing policies and programs, like HealthySteps, that can help set babies and their families up for success.
Karma’s advocacy was a key part of efforts to pass legislation that improves access to preventive behavioral health services for children in New Jersey, including HealthySteps. It allows preventive services such as counseling, family guidance, education, and brief interventions to be billed to Medicaid and state-regulated commercial health plans using an at-risk diagnosis, without requiring a formal psychiatric diagnosis.
More Ways to Get Involved
ZERO TO THREE’s Policy Center
ZERO TO THREE’s Policy Center is vocal on Capitol Hill and in states across the nation, providing early childhood policy and advocacy resources about the importance of the first three years of life.
Through research, advocacy, and collaboration with policymakers, we work to improve child care, infant and early childhood mental health, family economic security, child welfare, and early learning systems so every baby has the opportunity to thrive.