Nearly half of children under age 3 in the United States get their health insurance through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). With such broad reach, these programs can play a powerful role in steering the course of care delivery to ensure it addresses the social and emotional health of young children. Given that early social and emotional health contributes to a child’s lifelong prospects for physical and behavioral health, school success, and productivity, it is critical to make social and emotional health interventions a routine part of pediatric care.

In a new Blueprint, Manatt Health and the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) describe a set of strategies and tools that state Medicaid and CHIP agencies, managed care plans, pediatric care providers, and others can use to optimize the social and emotional development of young children through pediatric practice. The Blueprint will also be discussed in a webinar hosted by Manatt Health, CSSP and the Pediatrics Supporting Parents Initiative.