» Promoting Healthy Development With No Cost Vision Assessments In Infancy 

In this update, we discuss early childhood vision development, as well as an initiative designed to provide no cost comprehensive vision assessments to children in the first year of life.

TUCI's Center for Urban Child Policy conducts and shares non-partisan, data-supported research on the social, emotional and cognitive brain development and well-being of young children in Memphis and Shelby County.

The start children receive in life provides the foundation for their subsequent growth and development. Opportunities for positive childhood development are improved when families and communities are strong and stable. The Center for Urban Child Policy promotes public policies with the capacity to strengthen families and communities and to advance early childhood well-being.

THE CENTER FOR URBAN CHILD POLICY

Research shows that breast milk supports optimal brain development, but breastfeeding rates in Shelby County trail the rest of the country and vary by race.

This policy brief explores environmental influences on cognitive development, and focuses on parenting and language development.

This brief examines early childhood neglect in Shelby County and provides information on local resources that can help families meet their children's developmental needs.

This brief examines social and emotional dimensions of brain development, and their implications for school readiness.

This policy brief discusses the contribution of Early Intervention services to the developmental well-being of young, at risk children in Shelby County.

OTHER RECENT POLICY BRIEFS

This policy brief examines disparities in infant and child health in the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee and their implications for our understanding of child health and health care policy.

This policy brief examines the IMR of four Tennessee counties (including Shelby County) as well as differences in the IMR of racial and ethnic groups within each county. The report also examines the implications of implementing standard reporting guidelines for infant mortality rates in Tennessee.

This report examines how an Early Childhood Comprehensive System can help set vulnerable children in Memphis and Shelby County on a path to success by supporting optimal early brain development

Early Head Start is an effective program for children living in poverty. This report examines how expanding EHS would make a difference in Shelby County.

This report examines undereducated parenting in our community and provides policy suggestions to help guarantee improved beginnings for vulnerable children in Shelby County.

Higher levels of parental education and income correlate with healthier patterns of early childhood brain development. In our community, early parenthood leaves many families struggling to secure access to the basic resources and protections that provide a strong foundation for children's early brain development.

This report examines teen parenting in Shelby County and provides suggestions for parents and policymakers about how to support fragile families.

This report details the increase in extreme poverty and homelessness related to the recession and housing market crisis. When families struggle to make ends meet and are unable to maintain safe and stable homes, the social, emotional and cognitive development of their children is threatened.

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What do we know about the youngest children in Memphis and Shelby County, who will become the Class of '25?

By the Numbers Calculator | Find Out How Much Teen Childbearing Costs Our Community Each Year

Take a virtual tour of a high quality pre-K classroom to see what features promote optimal cognitive, social and emotional development for young children.