The Texas Prenatal-to-Three Collaborative is pleased to report on the progress we made in 2023 in our mission to advocate for families with infants and young children.
Helped successfully pass the following during the 2023 regular session of the Texas Legislature:
- Extended postpartum health coverage so that moms can keep their Medicaid health insurance for a full 12 months — rather than just 2 months — after their pregnancy.
- A financial boost to child care providers – at a time when providers are closing down and parents are struggling to find quality care for their children – through a local option property tax cut.
- The CROWN Act to combat and reduce hair discrimination in workplaces, schools, and housing.
- A $65 million increase in prevention programs that will serve an additional 20,000 families with young children through community-based home visiting and other prevention strategies designed to reduce child maltreatment, improve maternal and child health, and promote positive family-child relationships.
- A $63 million increase in Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) funding to support life-changing therapies and services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays.
Built momentum at the Legislature for future success even when our initiatives did not pass:
- The House overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill to reduce the uninsured rate for children through “express lane” enrollment of currently eligible children, although the bill did not pass the Senate.
- There was an unprecedented conversation at the Legislature and in the Texas media about state policymakers’ role in supporting child care, including the introduction of a $2.3 billion budget proposal to support child care.
Elevated community voices:
- Collaborated with parents, local providers, and others to testify at hearings, speak with the media, meet with legislators, and share their perspectives with the Texas Legislature during the 2023 legislative session.
- Elevated community voices in policy and advocacy through various strategies, including CHILDREN AT RISK’S tour of 12 cities, networks such as TexProtects’ Home Visiting Consortium, and local collaboratives such as North Texas Foster Care Consortium.
- Activated the PN-3 network to advocate for MIECHV (Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting) Program reauthorization, which which increased funding for home visiting in Texas starting in 2024 and nearly doubling MIECHV funding by 2027.
- Established a PN-3 Parent Advisory Council with representatives from rural, urban, and suburban communities who regularly met to speak up for the needs of parents and caregivers with young children.