Children Ages 0-3

meet

Marcie Jefferys

CDF-MN Policy Development Director, jefferys@cdf-mn.org

Marcie is the lead staff person on the project. Her prior positions include Chief Fiscal Analyst for the Minnesota House and Fiscal Policy Coordinator the Senate Majority Leaders’ Office. She was the Director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota, and the Fiscal Policy Director for CDF-MN from 1996 to 2001. She has a PhD in Social Work from the University of Minnesota, an MA from the University of Chicago and a BA from Carleton College.

The explosion in knowledge about the importance of early childhood to outcomes in adulthood requires the reexamination of public policies for their impact on children. The Zero to Three Research to Policy Project translates current research, program evaluation and practice knowledge into public policy recommendations to support families raising healthy children. The project also works to increase awareness of the impact of public policies on early childhood among policy makers, the public and media. Based on the project's research, the Children's Defense Fund-MN's 2012 legislative agenda includes several recommendations to improve the well-being of Minnesotans infants and toddlers. The Zero to Three Research to Policy Project is part of the Minnesota Project for Babies.

Reports from the Zero to Research to Policy Project

Maternal Depression and Early Childhood Report, February 2011

Maternal Depression and Early Childhood Summary, February 2011

Minnesota's Invisible Children: Children in Families Receiving MFIP, October 2011

Child Neglect and Abuse in Minnesota, January, 2011

Fact Sheets and Power Point Presentations

Power Point: 2012 CDF-MN Legislative Agenda, January 2012
Power Point: MFIP (Minnesota Family Investment Program) Report Findings, February 2012

Fact Sheet: Maternal Depression, September 2010
Power Point: Zero to Three Research to Policy Project and findings from its report on maternal depression and early childhood. The summary was part of a presentation by Marcie Jefferys to the Great Start Committee at the Minnesota Department of Human Services on December 8, 2010

Articles and Blogs by Marcie Jefferys

Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare-CW360° Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers in Child Protection: Updating Public Policy, Winter 2012

What Others Are Saying

Public News Service Article A Mental Health Safety Net for Moms and Kids, February 3, 2012
Public News Service article Maternal Depression is much more than the 'Baby Blues' May 5, 2011

Star Tribune's Jeremy Olson's blog Study: postpartum depression afflicts one in 10 new moms, May 2, 2011

Wall Street Journal Article by Melinda Beck, Helping Kids Beat Depression... by Treating Mom May 17, 2011.
Huffington Post's Article by J.B. Pritzker, Only Kids Can Fix This Economy, May 26, 2010
Star Tribune's Lori Sturdenvant Commentary: Art Rolnick's six bullet points for state success - Rolnick: Minnesota should target spending on high-return services – like early education. July 3, 2010

Links to Other Resources

Read Havard University Center on the Developing Child resource Toxic Stress: The Facts

Read Wilder Foundation's Research, The cost of untreated maternal depression
Still Face Experiment by Dr. Edward Tronick, UMass Boston – Watch this UMass demonstration. Infants are sensitive to the responses they receive from their caregivers. This video shows how quickly they can become anxious when their primary caregiver (in this case the baby's mother) does not respond as expected to the baby's actions. Babies whose caregivers often do not respond to their coos or cries (due to depression or anxiety) sometimes give up and appear depressed themselves.
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development