by Liz Bell
When babies enter the world, research shows the level of support that babies, mothers and families receive Creates a lasting effect About the health and well-being of children.
“The bonds that form between caregivers and children, between families and communities, between systems and the people they serve in the early years truly shape lifelong wellness,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Chair Alessandra Bajano. Department of Maternal and Child Health June 18 at a conference in Chapel Hill.
Yet often, services during pregnancy and the first years of life are fragmented — or nonexistent — advocates, researchers and practitioners said at the event.
“Early Connections: Building Bridges to a Brighter Future,” was hosted by Equity Research Action Coalition at UNC’s Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute, with several partners including the state Department of Child Development and Early Education and UNC’s Department of Maternal and Child Health. It convenes leaders across policy, philanthropy, research, advocacy and practice to create new partnerships that better serve young children and families.
“We must ensure that there is a through line to healthy conception and access to high-quality early childhood education settings from birth to infancy, as we know that the first three years of life are essential and critical for healthy brain development,” said Brian Boyd, director of the FPG Institute.
Ihioma Iruka, director of the Equity Research Action Coalition, planned to bring together individuals and organizations who are not often in conversation but serve the same community, including experts in primary care and education and child and maternal health.
Building authentic and new relationships is now more important than ever, says Iruka.
“We are living through a moment of profound change – from climate change and natural disasters, to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, to changes in global relationships and the increasingly complex interdependence between communities, institutions and nations”. “These changes bring real opportunities for innovation, for collaboration and to address chronic inequalities, but they also bring tension, uncertainty and difficult questions and conversations.”
‘Prenatal care makes a difference’
During pregnancy, the services available to mothers and families vary greatly.
Many mothers, especially in rural areas, struggle to access prenatal care and have to drive far from their homes to reach hospitals to give birth. In 2024, about 28% of mothers did not receive prenatal care during the first trimester of their pregnancy. According to the NC Maternal and Child Health Dashboard.
“Prenatal care makes a difference — making sure they’re educated at that visit, you talk about nutrition, you talk about hydration and proper exercise, you get what kind of food you have in your cabinet at home,” said Tina Braimah, director of Aya Birth and Community Wellness in Durham and a panelist at the convention.
Thirteen counties in northeastern North Carolina reported no hospitals an investigation Published March 2025 on “The Desertification of Women’s Health Care in Rural Counties” by Carolina Public Press. The region experienced a net loss of 11 delivery rooms from 2013 to 2023. In the far western part of the state, five counties have no hospitals, and the region experienced a net loss of 13 delivery rooms over the same period.
These gaps in access can be seen in child birth outcomes, said several experts convening. North Carolina was 18th highest child morality rate in the country in 2024, and death rates are uneven across the nation.
The black kid was almost there Three times more likely Dying in the first year of life compared to white children in 2024. A February 2024 Report of the North Carolina Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
“This should be a great concern for all of us,” said of Jim Bergin, R-HarnettOn racial disparities in infant mortality. Bergin, the convening panelist, advocated for maternal and child health efforts in the state legislature.
“One of the goals I set was to cut infant mortality in the black community in half, and I don’t see that happening,” Bergin said. “So you all have to tell us what we need to do.”
Braimah said improving maternal and child health requires ensuring that families’ basic needs are met.
“The other part of it is making sure they have everything they need — that they don’t stress, that you have access to medicine … that you have access to food,” he said. “It’s so much more than just prenatal care and the birth of a baby.”
Transforming rural maternal health
Researchers at NC Central University Center for Health Disparities Research Shared efforts to connect families, especially those in marginalized communities, to research and services that improve their health.
For example, the university Rural Health CentreBased in Halifax County, an on Community-based doula programs 2025 that trains individuals in rural Northeast counties to serve as doulas in their communities. The program has graduated 22 doulas, 18 of whom are focused in Northeast counties, with another cohort planned this year.
“Our goal is to be able to use this program as a means and means to help transform maternal health outcomes across rural North Carolina,” said Undi Hoffler, director of NC Central’s Office of Research Compliance and Technology Transfer. “We’re starting in the Northeast, but we hope to expand greatly.”
The hub offers scholarships to those who already live in the county where they will provide doula services.
“We’re also building trust, because these are people you see at the grocery store, you go to church with, you work with, and so there’s already a relationship there,” Hoefler said.
Researchers say their efforts are informed by the families and communities they serve.
“We don’t just want to work with the community, we want to work with the community, and that’s our role,” said Seronda Robinson, an epidemiologist. Robinson leads a “Community Engagement Core,” a group that “serves as a bridge between NCCU researchers and communities most affected by health disparities,” according to her website. “The CEC ensures that community voices inform every stage of the research.”
Several speakers at the conference said policy and system-building professionals need to do a better job of listening to and learning from the experiences, needs and resources of marginalized populations.
“We get the truth when we focus on families and their experiences,” said Devonia Govan-Hunt, executive director of Black Child Development Carolinas, an advocacy nonprofit.
‘North Carolina … on the Front Again’
Communities need research, advocacy and policies that not only respond to their needs, but capitalize on their strengths, experts say.
“Even when people are living in the midst of extreme disaster and adversity, those communities are quite strong and resilient, and it shows,” Iruka said. “And it’s showing up today when all the social nets are being torn down.”
Greg Meyer, Ex State MLA And New Executive Director of the North Carolina Justice Center, urged attendees to appreciate the nexus of vulnerability and opportunity in their fields. Meyer said progress for young children, mothers and families will come through mobilization that connects their interests and lawmakers.
“We have to create a narrative … that having a strong workforce requires strong families and strong starts,” Meyer said. “… Both raising children and going to work are essential contributions to a long-term, healthy, prosperous economy. We should have policies that support both.”
Several speakers pointed to North Carolina’s history as a leader in both primary care and education and child and maternal health, including models such as Smart Start And Family connection.
“We were kind of the talk of the country — everybody wanted to learn from what we were doing in North Carolina,” said Gary Cobb, director of Pritzker Children’s InitiativeA national philanthropic early childhood initiative. “And now, other states are being talked about, which is great … but I want our state, North Carolina, to lead the way again.”
Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, whose father, former four-term Gov. Jim Hunt, launched Smart Start, called for better early childhood systems with increased access to high-quality, affordable child care. Hunt and Bergin are co-chairs North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education.
Licensed childcare programs are meeting about 55% of potential demand, according to A national analysis From childcare trusts, and rural communities are particularly struggling
Throughout the event, experts said the state should scale up high-quality child care programs and fairly compensate early childhood educators. Bergin, when asked for a single wish for early childhood changes, should be included in this year’s state budget New childcare investments.
Hunt also highlighted Tri-Share, A pilot child care cost split Among eligible parents, state governments and participating employers.
“Our goal should be to make North Carolina the best place in the country to raise a child, the best place to have a child, the best place for a child to grow, learn and thrive and the best place for parents to know they are not navigating life’s challenges alone,” Hunt said.
this Article appeared first EDNC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Previously published with ednc.org Creative Commons License
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