Zero to Three
Zero to Three National Center for Infants Toddlers and Families, formerly the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, commonly known as Zero to Three and stylized as ZERO TO THREE, is a US nonprofit organization focused on the healthy development of babies and toddlers from birth to three years old. The organization participates in policy advocacy, provides professional development for early childhood professionals, and operates programs related to children's health and welfare in a number of states. Zero to Three also publishes a variety of resources for parents, professionals and policy makers, most notably the DC:0–5 Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood. The organization's research is widely cited in the field of early childhood development and infant health.
Programs
Healthy Steps
Zero To Three's Healthy Steps program is an evidence based model that places development experts in pediatric primary care sites in order to provide screening and connect families to social services outside of the typical focus of medical professionals. The program offers practical support designed to address social and psychological needs of infants and their families, like identifying care options for a parent's history of trauma, or connecting families to stable housing and food.Under the Affordable Care Act, Healthy Steps was initially designated as an evidence based home visiting model by the Department of Health and Human Services. As of 2015, Healthy Steps no longer considers home visits to be its primary mode of delivering services.