Improving the Delivery and Financing of Developmental Services for Low-Income Young Children

Young children who experience the impact of poverty, stressful family circumstances, and inadequate health care services are at particular risk for poor health and developmental problems. Many of these children had low birth weights and suffer from malnutrition and lead poisoning, factors that are often associated with developmental delays, learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Compounding these issues is the fact that low-income children are less likely to have access to health care. One-quarter of children with family incomes less than $20,000 per year are uninsured, compared with 14 percent of all children. This lack of insurance often means that children have no regular source of care, or that their families have delayed getting them care because of costs.