Child Welfare and Early Childhood: A Conversation About the Benefits of Cross-Systems Collaboration
This session was presented during the BUILD 2022 National Conference.
Given that approximately 40% of all children entering foster care are age 5 and under, there is a strong need for cross-systems collaboration between child welfare and early childhood to ensure that both systems achieve better outcomes for children and families. A panel of national experts will state the case for cross-systems collaboration, detail the significant racial disparities for Black, Latino, and Native American children in child welfare systems, and talk about the challenges and benefits of working together to improve outcomes. They will also offer some promising examples of collaborative efforts currently being implemented in several states.
Explore More
Moving Away from Family Separation: Cross-Systems Strategies to Support Young Children at Risk of Child Welfare Involvement
Report March 12, 2026
Between October 2024 and April 2025, the BUILD Initiative hosted a six-part webinar series, offered through BUILD’s Prenatal-to-Three Capacity Building Hub. This report provides key learnings and highlights from the webinar series.
Community Births – A Solution to Maternity Care Deserts
Archived Webinar March 3, 2026
According to the March of Dimes 2024 report, "Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the United States," 1,104 counties, or about 35% of the nation’s 3,142 counties, are designated as Maternity Care Deserts.
Evidence for Expanded Access to Head Start and Early Head Start
Blog February 27, 2026
Head Start and Early Head Start have been proven effective for supporting young children’s development, and their parents, for many years. But did you know that Head Start and Early Head Start can reduce child maltreatment and child welfare system involvement?