Aware that many Cleveland youngsters lacked basic necessities and proper parenting, the Cleveland Foundation helped to move the community closer to the day when every child born in Cuyahoga County receives the care necessary to thrive. Acting on new research showing the years from birth to five to be the most critical developmentally, the foundation successfully advocated for a major redesign of the county’s child welfare services. Rather than merely treating the problems presented by neglected or abused children, county officials collaborated with the foundation’s senior program officers for social services and civic affairs on a new delivery system aimed at fostering good parenting practices and preventative care.

The resulting early childhood development initiative, which came to be called “Invest in Children,” was launched in 1999. Parenting information placed in the hands of the families of all babies born within the county’s boundaries underpinned the program. Diagnostic and follow-up visits to newborns’ homes by qualified nurses directed families, as needed, to existing support services, such as healthcare insurance and quality day care. County, state and federal governments teamed to contribute $30 million to the $40 million rollout. The foundation authorized a start-up grant of $3.5 million and took the lead in raising the remainder of the $10 million needed to sustain the program during its first three years, lining up 23 corporate and philanthropic partners. Invest in Children, which received national recognition as a model for other urban areas, is now an integral component of Cuyahoga County’s social services system.