Skip to main content

A Survey of State Child Welfare Policies and Initiatives

Part of the Resource Collection: Child Welfare and Early Childhood: Cross-Systems Collaboration to Improve Outcomes for Young Children and Their Families Report
By: Zero to Three January 1, 2019
Get Resource

To understand the policies and services already in place for infants and toddlers in care and at risk of entering care, as well as where the child welfare field can leverage opportunities, Child Trends fielded the 2019 Survey of Child Welfare Agency Policies and Practices for Infants and Toddlers in, or who are Candidates for, Foster Care. The survey, supported by ZERO TO THREE and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), aimed to understand the current array of policies and practices intended to serve this population, and how this array may have shifted since the initial fielding of the survey in 2013.

Explore More

Head Start Under Threat: What the Field is Saying

Research October 2, 2026

Over the past few months, HHS has advanced two related sets of proposed changes to Head Start. National, state, and local partners across the early childhood field have raised serious concerns about both. This document is a summary of what our partners are saying, followed by concrete actions and resources for you and your organization. The content reflects our partners' own statements and comments — we agree with what they've said and are sharing it here with full source attribution. Updated October 2, 2026.

A Guide for PDG B-5 Grant Funding

Planning Tool September 28, 2026

States applying for the 2026 PDG B-5 SMART Grant can use this guide to find vetted, mostly federal resources to build their application. HHS-2026-ACF-ECD-TP-0039 | Compiled by BUILD Initiative