This brief presents lessons about how initiatives that are founded on doing work equitably are handling multiple adversities (e.g., racism, the COVID-19 pandemic, and decreased funding) in cross-sector early childhood health equity initiatives, derived from interviews with eight community or state initiatives. Part of a larger project entitled the Early Childhood Health Equity Landscape Project (ECHE), this brief – and several companion briefs – aim to highlight promising strategies for addressing key issues such as sustainability, data use, state and local relationships, cross-sector partnerships, and operationalizing health equity within the context of early childhood health equity initiatives. The Early Childhood Health Equity Landscape (ECHE) Project Team administered the ECHE Landscape Survey, a nationwide survey of initiatives focusing on health equity for children under eight years of age and their families. Respondents from initiatives answered questions about their initiative’s work, including which health-related topics it addressed, what sectors were involved, which funding sources are available, and the initiative’s approaches to addressing inequities in well-being. This brief highlights how eight initiatives have set equitable goals and outcomes, the supports that they and their communities received, the barriers they faced in maintaining a focus on equity, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and racism on their work.
EMBEDDING EQUITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES
