Healthy Parents & Babies
Strategies Developed to Best Care for Pregnant People & New Families Promoting a Strong Continuum of Support
Research shows that how people are treated during childbirth can affect the health and well-being of the parents and children. Limitations in the current constellation of services and supports available for pregnant people and families with infants also contribute to poor outcomes, such as maternal and infant mortality and morbidity.
The Research is Clear
How we can improve poor outcomes
Data show that maternal mortality risk increases after 42 days postpartum, yet health care coverage and other postpartum support services generally end sooner than that. This reality lessens continuity of care, decreases access to services and increases risk for maternal mortality and morbidity.
Recommended Strategies
Addressing systemic inequities & structural racism
The recommended strategies below were developed specifically to address structural racism in service systems that care for pregnant people and new families and to ensure a prenatal touch to better connect people to more resources that can holistically address the needs of families.
Strengthened Home Visiting System
Evidence-based home visiting fosters seamless, uninterrupted and equitable access to high quality early childhood experience and services from the prenatal through early childhood periods.
Comprehensive Perinatal Supports
Alleviate racial and ethnic disparities in the health and wellbeing outcomes for both infants and their birthing parents by prioritizing crucial perinatal supports.
News & Resources
IL Prenatal to Three Agenda
Our work is guided by an ambitious, comprehensive, multi-year strategic policy agenda to ensure that Illinois’ youngest children and their families, especially those furthest from opportunity, are on a trajectory for success.
Voices Kids Count 2021
Voices for Illinois Children Releases 2021 Kids Count Report The report outlines prevalent factors associated with childhood poverty and reviews the state’s poverty landscape. The most recent report from Voices for Illinois Children, released in July…
Early Childhood Funding Commission Report
Raising Illinois Applauds Release of the Illinois Commission on Equitable Funding for Early Childhood Education and Care’s Final Report Recommendations outlined in report provide ambitious path to strengthening Illinois’ early care and education system and the…