Early Childhood Systems Technical Assistance and Coordination Center

Comprehensive, integrated, high-quality maternal and early childhood systems can set children and families on a trajectory for success. It is critical to support those systems so they can improve child development and family health and well-being outcomes.

The Health Resources and Services Administration established the Early Childhood Systems Technical Assistance and Coordination Center (ECS-TACC) to support states in developing and strengthening integrated prenatal-to-three systems that are equitable, sustainable, and family centered. ECS-TACC helps build the capacity of state awardees in systems change, performance measurement, evaluation, and quality improvement.

As part of a team led by Altarum, JBA provides responsive technical assistance and related resources backed by expertise in continuous quality improvement (CQI). Key resources include key driver diagrams and CQI change packages—evidence-informed collections of actionable ideas that are known to produce a desired result in a process or system. We are also helping states design and implement evaluations.

The resources developed through this project may be useful for many organizations working within maternal and early childhood systems, which encompass home visiting, early care and education, family and social supports, income assistance and basic needs, child welfare, employment training and education, Medicaid, federally qualified health centers, health systems, hospitals, clinics, private practices, obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, family practice physicians, advanced practice providers, community health workers, doulas, dental providers, mental and behavioral health professionals, substance use disorder professionals, and postpartum support or recreation groups.