Right Place, Right Time: Managed Care and Early Childhood Development. Report [and] In Brief.

Because increasing numbers of children receive their health care through managed care organizations, and parents often turn to health care providers for information, these organizations have a unique opportunity to affect children's development. This document comprises two publications, a full report and a brief; it discusses the role of the health care industry in investing in early childhood development services. The report compiles 13 strategies to help health plans achieve 2 critical goals: (1) create an early childhood development infrastructure; and (2) provide a seamless system of early childhood development services. Following an introduction discussing key factors in children's development, part 1 of the report identifies strategies to achieve Goal 1, including incorporating developmental specialists into pediatric primary care settings, including family advocates in the well-child care team, offering group well-child visits, using questionnaires prior to a child's visit to identify parenting concerns, providing temperament assessment and follow-up services, and providing telephone access to child development support. Part 2 presents Goal 2 strategies, including beginning parenting education in the prenatal period, linking community and social supports to pediatric primary care, and coordinating with state and community health services. Brief case studies and program model descriptions are provided as examples for individual strategies. Part 3 proposes a process for assessing and building early childhood systems, emphasizing the inclusion of health plan members in decision-making. The report concludes that managed care organizations can support and enhance families' ability to nurture their young children's development. Contains approximately 75 references. The "In Brief" summarizes the report. (KB)