BUILD Initiative

09/01/2026

We're continuing to update our Head Start resource, What the Field is Saying, as new information comes in. The Sept. 1 updates adds National Head Start Association's new research brief, "More Powerful Than We Thought," which finds traditional evaluations may underestimate Head Start's impact — especially for children who otherwise wouldn't have had access to early learning — with benefits reaching parents and even the next generation. It also includes Start Early's September 9 webinar on what the proposed changes could mean in practice. https://buildinitiative.org/resource-library/head-start-under-threat-what-the-field-is-saying/

09/01/2026

We hope you'll join our Virtual Summit, beginning at 12:00 PM ET TODAY! Join midwives, doulas, clinicians, policymakers, and community leaders for a day exploring how community birth can become a more accessible, sustainable, and integrated part of our health care system.
https://buildinitiative.org/events/outside-the-hospital-walls-exploring-community-birth-midwifery-and-sustainable-financing-solutions/

Session 1 at 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET | A Different Place to Birth: Exploring Community Spaces, Choice, and Care
Indra Lusero, founder of Elephant Circle, explores what becomes possible when birth is supported beyond hospital-centered models, centering autonomy, culture, dignity, and connection.

Session 2 at 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET | Built to Last: Creating Financially Sustainable Community Birth Spaces
Ola Allen-Taylor (Orchid Capital Collective) will look at the funding models, partnerships, and policy strategies that keep community birth spaces open, accessible, and responsive to the communities they serve.

Session 3 at 4:00 – 5:00 PM ET | Who Gets to Birth Where? Building the Future of Community Birth
Dr. Kaytura Felix (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) and Dr. Cassaundra Jah (NACPM) tackle how funding, policy, and partnerships can move community birth access from conversation to action, facilitated by Omotunde Sowole-West of the PN-3 Capacity-Building Hub at the BUILD Initiative.

08/28/2026

What if an answer to the Black maternal healthcare crisis is already here? That's the premise behind Deep Care, a podcast hosted by researcher and mother Kaytura Felix, MD. The podcast spotlights "the Black community midwives transforming Black families and futures."

In the May 2026 episode, "Birth, Rebirth," one mother describes her home birth: her sister feeding her persimmons and grapes, her mother praying over her. No rush, no flashing lights. Just an experience built around her. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/birth-rebirth-how-midwives-support-families-through/id1882116274?i=1000766013079

Dr. Felix will bring her perspective to our September 1 summit, Outside the Hospital Walls — a FREE virtual event exploring community birth, midwifery, and sustainable financing. She'll be joined by Indra Lusero of Elephant Circle, Ola Allen-Taylor of Orchid Capital Collective, and Dr. Cassaundra Jah of NACPM.

Three sessions, one day. Join us for one or all three. Register now: https://buildinitiative.org/events/outside-the-hospital-walls-exploring-community-birth-midwifery-and-sustainable-financing-solutions/

Podcast Episode · Deep Care · May 4 · 32m

08/27/2026

Joan Lombardi says the proposed Head Start rule is a "wake-up call" for the country, and Prevent Blindness warns it would weaken the vision screenings that catch problems early. More partners are speaking up every day. Comments close October 6. This document is a summary of what our partners are saying, updated August 27. Read what they're saying and add your voice: https://buildinitiative.org/resource-library/head-start-under-threat-what-the-field-is-saying/

Over the past few months, HHS has advanced two related sets of proposed changes to Head Start. National, state, and local partners across the early childhood field have raised serious concerns about both. This document is a summary of what our partners are saying, followed by concrete actions and re...

08/17/2026

Families across the country are choosing birth experiences that reflect their values and cultures, through community birth centers, home birth, and midwifery-led care. These models improve outcomes. They still face real barriers.

Join us September 1 for Outside the Hospital Walls: Exploring Community Birth, Midwifery, and Sustainable Financing Solutions, a free virtual summit. Register: https://buildinitiative-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2CQOkoLkRTyn5_o4YvH46Q #/registration

08/12/2026

BUILD's August News: BUILD27 Save the Date, your invitation to free Virtual Summit (Outside the Hospital Walls: Exploring Community Birth, Midwifery, and Sustainable Financing Solutions), updates on Head Start, and more. https://buildinitiative.createsend1.com/t/t-e-ydlrtyht-l-z/

07/07/2026

FY2027 New Jersey State Budget: Budget Highlights for Children and FamiliesThe FY2027 New Jersey State Budget includes significant investments in programs that support the health, education, and well-being of children and families across New Jersey. These investments strengthen the State's commitmen...

07/07/2026

What if the foundation the early childhood education field has been searching for is already in place?
Our COO, Andrew Davis, has been sitting with some numbers that raise exactly that question. The ratio of children under five to active CDA® holders has improved every year nationally, from 153 to 1 in 2023 down to 132 to 1 in 2025. Twenty-two states are already doing even better. In DC, the ratio is 19 to 1.

That is not a credential waiting to take hold. It is one that already has, in a lot of places. The work now is figuring out why some systems are building on it, and others are not.

Andrew's full piece is at the link. Worth the read.

https://bit.ly/3QRBcxy

07/07/2026

☀️ Summer is the perfect time to ask the hard questions.

Family engagement looks different across the year, and the Head Start programs that do it best plan for it intentionally. Take some time this summer to reflect on how your team connects with families:

▶️ Are your outreach channels designed around when and how parents are actually available?
▶️ Do your home visiting protocols include specific strategies for engaging both mothers and fathers?
▶️ Which families are hardest to reach, and what’s the plan for them?
▶️ How many family touchpoints will you build in next year?
▶️ When will interviews and surveys happen?
▶️ What did last year’s feedback tell you, and what changes will you make?
▶️ Are staff ready to turn parent conversations into action?

The answers will look different for every program, but having a plan for each one is what turns family engagement from a checklist to a conversation.

If your program is looking for a more structured, repeatable way to collect family feedback and act on it, NHSA’s Parent Gauge was built for exactly that.

Learn more: https://hubs.la/Q04mVSzB0

07/07/2026

The providers worry that lowering the standard for childcare could reduce wages, benefits and the overall quality of care.

Here's what to know: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/childcare-providers-speak-out-on-proposed-rule-changes-in-indiana-governor-mike-braun/531-9856752a-4a13-4f3b-8d59-54fcbfbd6ac3?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WTHR-TV