Moving Away from Family Separation: Cross-Systems Strategies to Support Young Children at Risk of Child Welfare Involvement
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.
Promising programs, policies, and strategies that can inspire states to act.
Children who are involved in the child welfare system, especially those under the age of five, are among the most vulnerable. Research has shown that access to high-quality early childhood programs and services, along with coordination between families and staff in both the child welfare and early childhood systems, is crucial for the future success of these young children.
Since 2020, BUILD has explored how the child welfare system and other early childhood systems (i.e., health, mental health, housing, early intervention, transportation, economic support, early care, and education and all the child-and-family serving systems) can align and work together to achieve better outcomes and families. In the process, BUILD has identified several states that have developed promising programs, policies, and strategies that can inspire other states to act.
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Head Start Under Threat: What the Field is Saying
Research September 1, 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 September 1, 2026.
Where We Stand on Head Start
Blog August 18, 2026
For more than 60 years, Head Start has provided high-quality child care, comprehensive services, and a two-generation approach that helps families furthest from opportunity access early learning, development, health, and family well-being supports.
Connecting the Dots: Holistic Help for Women and Children Experiencing Homelessness
Blog July 27, 2026
At a time when marginalized populations are more vulnerable than ever, it’s inspiring to hear from individuals who have prevailed over dire circumstances. Their stories give us hope. The formerly homeless single mothers spotlighted here are resolute and resourceful. But they’d be the first to say that they likely wouldn’t be where they are today without the supports they received along the way.