Effective January 1, Tennessee added five new courts to the Zero to Three initiative approved by the state Senate in 2017. The goal of Zero to Three, a nationwide endeavor, is to reduce the time children 36 months and younger spend in at-risk environments by providing their families with support services. The ultimate aim is to get these children into a permanent, stable, and thriving situation.

Zero to Three gathers advocates and leaders from government, academia, social services, non-profit, and the business world into steering groups to provide leadership and guide implementation of the program at state and local levels. This program aims to protect children from adverse and traumatic childhood experiences. Because of the highly impressionable age range of zero to three years, the program aims to work more directly and more often with families to support healthy development of their children and avoid future visits to court or the foster care system.

As you may remember, our own Rachel Upshaw traveled to Washington, D.C. last spring with the Zero to Three organization, to show her support for working mothers. Here’s why the “zero to three” age range is important, and why it’s so crucial you keep your child in a safe and healthy environment.

Adverse childhood experiences

Chronic childhood trauma, or adverse childhood experience (ACE), can disrupt a child’s brain development process. ACEs include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, domestic violence, household substance abuse, household mental illness, and family separation, divorce, or incarceration.

Children with ACEs can have a cumulative relationship with problems later in life such as health issues, social and behavioral problems, and substance abuse. Trauma at a very young age can affect cognitive functioning and the ability to cope with negative or disruptive situations. Left unnoticed or unacknowledged, ACEs can make it difficult for a child to succeed in school and the community.

So, with the Zero to Three Initiative, every attempt is made to minimize ACEs in children aged zero to three. In Zero to Three courts, children and their families receive personalized and focused attention that works with their strengths and challenges. Their Safe Babies Court Teams Project, rooted in developmental science, works toward:

• Increasing awareness among those who work with maltreated infants and toddlers about the negative impact of abuse and neglect on very young children
• Changing local systems to improve outcomes and prevent future court involvement in the lives of very young children

Interventions occur if necessary, and family/team meetings are held once a month instead of the usual once every three to six months. Results from the Safe Babies Court Teams Project show children reach permanent homes three times faster than infants and toddlers in the general foster care population.

Years zero to three are some of the most crucial years of your baby’s development. Studies show their environment shapes the person they will become. If you believe you or your child are in an unhealthy or unsafe environment, we can help.

The Nashville family law attorneys at Miller Upshaw Family Law, PLLC are compassionate and experienced advocates for you and your children. We are here to answer any questions you have and work to find the best resolution for your family’s unique needs. Please call 615-391-4200 or use our contact form to schedule an appointment with our dedicated legal team.