Opportunity Starts at Home Roundtable Members Introduce “Thrive From the Start Network” to Address Infant and Toddler Homelessness

By Ella Izenour, NLIHC Opportunity Starts at Home Intern  

The Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) campaign Roundtable members Zero to Three, Housing Is, and SchoolHouse Connection held a webinar, “Thrive From the Start: Coming Together to Address Infant & Toddler Homelessness,” introducing the Thrive From the Start network on March 5. Thrive From the Start is a multisector campaign led by Housing Is, the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers, Prevent Child Abuse America,  SchoolHouse Connection, and Zero to Three. The campaign is dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. The webinar covered the importance of safe, stable housing for childhood wellbeing and development, the campaign’s policy agenda, state capacity-building initiatives, and opportunities for organizations and individuals to get involved.    

Allyson Frazier, National Senior Director at the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers, opened the webinar and introduced David Mandell, Senior Policy Advisor for Zero to Three. Mandell introduced Thrive From the Start, a campaign to bring together organizations across early childhood, housing, and homelessness systems to support policies and solutions that give toddlers, infants, and their families the resources and opportunities to thrive.   

Corey Zimmerman, Deputy Director and Chief Engagement and Partnerships Officer at The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and Catherine Murphy, Senior Research Manager at Prevent Child Abuse America, shared background on the role of housing in early childhood development and the current state of infant and toddler homelessness in America. Murphy highlighted the need for immediate support and long-term solutions to address infant and toddler homelessness: “We know that when children and families have safe, stable environments, they have the foundations for healthy births, development, and overall well-being.”    

Thomas J. Lucas, Senior Manager of Federal Policy at SchoolHouse Connection, provided an overview of Thrive From the Start’s policy priorities surrounding housing, prenatal to age three infants and toddlers, healthcare, and data use. Lucas discussed the lack of readily available data on homelessness and housing insecurity among families with infants and toddlers. He emphasized that, “when families are missing from public data, they are also missing from policy decisions, funding formulas, and program planning.”  

Abra Lyons-Warren, Director at Housing Is, shared information on how to get involved with Thrive From the Start. Organizations and advocates interested in participating can join the campaign as Thrive From the Start champions, who act as leaders in driving change for the youngest children and their families. Champions gain access to tools, training, and collaborative opportunities to influence policy, amplify impact, and connect with other champions through working groups. Thrive From the Start facilitates four working groups focused on federal policy, state policy, communications, and data and research, that interested organizations can join to support the campaign. Katrina Coburn, Senior State Policy Manager at Zero to Three, discussed state capacity-building support, including the opportunity for state partner organizations to receive funding through the campaign.  

The webinar concluded with a Q&A moderated by Allyson Frazier.   

Watch the webinar here.  

Learn more about the intersection of housing and child well-being at the OSAH fact sheet here.