Doctors

Medical Home

Docs for Tots works with doctors and other partners to bring attention to the unique potential of the early childhood medical home. The medical home is high quality, comprehensive health care for children that is family centered, accessible and coordinated.

As a doctor, you may be the most trusted professional a family sees. When check-ups and prenatal visits take place in a fully realized medical home, these visits are an opportunity to provide a full range of supports to young children their and families.

A key component of the early childhood medical home is care coordination across a number of systems. In addition to traditional health promotion and prevention activities you can ensure that you are creating an early childhood medical home in your practice by addressing:

1. Social-emotional development of children; including positive parenting and addressing toxic stress
2. Early learning – recognizing parents as first teachers and the critical role of access to quality child care environments
3. Access to family supports, including family leave insurance, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and food stamps

As a doctor you are uniquely poised to:

• Link and partner with local early childhood services and community-based organizations
• Ensure that early relationships are treated as a vital sign in your practice
• Educate your community about the medical home
• Advocate for early childhood issues such as early screening as quality measures for the medical home
• Advocate for the medical home as a key strategy for school readiness and lifelong health
• Incorporate Docs for Tots’ priority issue areas (developmental screening, quality early care and learning, social-emotional health, and poverty) in all aspects of your practice and advocacy

Model Programs to Bring to Your Practice:

Reach Out and Read

Healthy Steps

Medical Legal Partnership

Organizations with Resources for the Families You Serve:

Zero To Three

Born Learning

Child Care Aware

Resources to Support Investments in Early Childhood:

Harvard Center for the Developing Child

The Heckman Equation

Ready Nation

See How Your State is Addressing the Needs of the Young Children