Research and experience proves how vital prevention and early intervention services are for young children and their families; but what happens when communities and partners don’t come together to support children? What’s at stake, what do we risk?

Regarding young children and potential development challenges, inaction brings a high cost. The future of our community is at stake. It takes fewer resources to support children early on than to intervene later in life. Early child development not only benefits children today but has direct impact on the stability and prosperity of the greater community in the future.

At CDI, we encourage infants and young children to practice skills like self regulation, social engagement, problem solving and play. We work to support their caregivers with information, connection and community. We strive to help children learn how to be proactive not reactive; resilient people who are problem solvers. This will give us a more productive, healthy society.

At CDI, we believe and observe that families need opportunities to recover from adversity, heal from trauma and get stronger again. They need safe places and, at times, guidance to grow. As a community, we need to provide more tools and resources to help families build resilience. This doesn’t come because a child or family has had a stress free life; but rather resilience occurs when an individual or family gets help and is given tools to rise above.

Working to strengthen families gives us hope in a stronger community and brighter future. CDI, along with dedicated partners, works to promote the importance of prevention and early intervention within the community. Because we believe there’s too much at stake.

If you are interested in learning how to support CDI’s mission, see Get Involved or Give.

Many people don’t understand the importance of emotional development for young children or what is at risk when it is overlooked. The systemic neglect of the emotional well being of young children creates adults who have a harder time bouncing back from adversity.

-Tessa Graham, MS, MFT, BCBA
President/Co-CEO

The truism in the health and social services field is that you either fund and deliver services early in life or you pay for them later on. Kids who don’t get services early on wind up in therapy longer or have other issues and may even end up in the juvenile system. The services CDI provides are vital to the kids who get them and the community because they prevent more expensive and extensive services later on to those children and families.

-Dr. Tom Backer, PhD
Senior Research Fellow & Executive Director, Valley Nonprofit Resources