In 1999, inspired by new research showing the importance of the first five years of life, 23 private foundations and corporations joined with county government to redesign the face of human services for young children and their families throughout Cuyahoga County. Working together, the founders of Invest in Children, (previously known as the Early Childhood Initiative), launched a plan to make sure that all children in the County received the best possible start in life, one that allows them to grow and develop to their full potential.

Goals

• Effective parents and families
• Safe and healthy children
• Children prepared for school
• Community committed to children

“Our whole premise is based off emerging research on the potential for infants’ brains,” says program manager Marie Barni. “When you invest in children as young as possible, it gives them the best outlook in life. This prepares them to learn.”

Building from 20 years of Early Childhood Initiative’s prenatal and new mother care, Invest in Children rolled out new programs such as childhood lead prevention home visits (a partnership between Environmental Health Watch and Case Medical School) and a universal pre-kindergarten program in 2006.

“We’re looking more at child and family outcomes now,” Barni says. “Our new evaluation plan looks if the child moves into quality preschool and meets kindergarten readiness.”

Down the road, Barni hopes to fund an expensive but valuable 'longitudinal study' that follows children who receive services through to graduation from high school and into the job market (compared to those who might end up in a correctional facility).

“This whole idea of investing in early childhood is novel – Pittsburgh and other places are looking to us. There’s research, but putting it together in a continuum – through our Comprehensive Health Care Committee – is new. Folks would say we’re a leader.”