Early Childhood Programming and Resources
Support for the prenatal-to-three (PN-3) period
Sections
The first three years of a child’s life are the “bricks and mortar” of brain development - building the foundation for future learning, behavior, and health. Evidence shows that when we invest the early years, infants and toddlers become healthy children who are confident, empathetic, and ready for school and life. Communities and governments can provide parents with the support they need to succeed and thrive. Programs and policies impacting these early years should ensure healthy beginnings at birth, support families with young children and make high-quality child care and learning environments more accessible and affordable to all parents who want them.
Counties For Kids
Counties for Kids is a public awareness campaign for county leaders who are committed to making investments in young children from prenatal to age three (PN-3). We encourage all county leaders to join the network of champions advancing PN-3 policies, programs and systems.
Counties Matter
Counties play a major role in shaping early childhood systems and investing in core services for infants and toddlers that help to support a thriving community and positively impacting outcomes into adulthood. Every county in the United States administers and funds part of the cost of strengthening communities and families with young children. Counties routinely provide an array of programs and services to an estimated 16 million children ages zero to three in the United States and are responsible for addressing the needs of young children, and their families, by administering and coordinating PN-3 services including child care, health and prenatal care, early intervention, home visiting, maternal health screenings, parent classes and early literacy programs.
Childcare Supply Network
The Childcare Supply Network (CSN) is a national network aimed at enhancing counties' capacity to expand childcare supply strategically and sustainably. Five communities across the United States have been invited to participate and form a team of stakeholders representing various sectors. The CSN will support participants in blending and braiding public and private funding, leveraging those and other resources to build or renovate childcare facilities and strengthening diverse, sustainable finance systems for childcare. The twelve-month program includes virtual meetings, an in-person peer exchange, and a national showcase at NACo's 2026 Legislative Conference. Outcomes will include established local working groups, updated tools, identified funding sources, and contributions to a national toolkit on childcare supply-building best practices.
PN-3 Resources for Counties
The National Association of Counties Research Foundation (NACoRF) is a non-profit organization recognized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service as a 501c3 public charity providing education, technical assistance and research to counties. NACoRF’s mission is to ascertain, develop and distribute knowledge about county governments and training of public officials, prospective public officials, and other interested parties. NACoRF assists America’s 3,069 counties -- including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees-- in pursuing excellence to produce healthy, vibrant, safe and resilient counties. NACoRF has taken the lead in four major areas: best practice research, peer learning, education and training, and convening among government and private-sector leaders. Through its efforts, NACoRF helps counties find innovative solutions to local challenges and provides high-quality, evidence-based information to guide policies, decision-making and programming.
Click here to find more information and resources for counties in launching and supporting a local PN-3 initiative in your community.
Insights from county leaders on the future of early childhood care and education
NACo's Prenatal-to-Three breakfast and listening session gathered county leaders to identify barriers, explore solutions and support local leaders advancing their priorities.
Ohio county boosts community youth programs with ARPA funding
Hamilton County, Ohio invested ARPA dollars in community organizations through the INSPIRE Youth initiative.
Team approach, website help California county tackle homelessness
Riverside County, Calif. created a multidisciplinary team to better and more efficiently serve its unsheltered population and share success stories and data through a website.
HHS announces major restructuring
On March 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a sweeping reorganization that will consolidate agencies, shift key programs under a new framework and eliminate thousands of positions. This change brings HHS in line with President Trump's Executive Order, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.”
HHS moves to reduce public comment in rulemaking
On February 28, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a policy change limiting public comment opportunities to only those required by law. Published in the Federal Register on March 3, the decision rescinds the “Richardson Waiver,” a 1971 directive from then-HHS Secretary Elliot Richardson that encouraged broader public input on regulations related to public benefits, grants and healthcare policies.