Minnesota Early Childhood Comprehensive Screening Systems (MECCSS)
The Minnesota Early Childhood Comprehensive Screening Systems (MECCSS) initiative is one of 59 sets of activities made possible nationwide through multi-year grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The purpose of the State Maternal and Child Health Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Grant Initiative is to assist states and territories in their efforts to build and implement Statewide Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems that support families and communities in their development of children who are healthy and ready to learn at school entry. These systems must address the five critical components of early childhood systems development identified in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Health. They are:
Access to Health Insurance and Medical Homes: Access to and insurance support for medical homes providing comprehensive physical and child development services for all children, including children with special health care needs and assessment, intervention, and referral of children with developmental, behavioral, and psycho-social problems;
Mental Health and Social-Emotional Development: Availability of services to address the needs of children at risk for the development of mental health problems and integration of the development of necessary pathways to facilitate entrance of at-risk children into appropriate child development and mental health delivery systems;
Early Care and Education/Child Care: The integration into the early childhood system of the development of early care and education services for children from birth through five years of age that support children’s early learning, health, and development of social competence;
Parenting Education: Availability of comprehensive parenting education services in the community; and
Family Support: Availability of comprehensive family support services that address the stressors impairing the ability of families to nurture and support the healthy development of their children.
For questions about this page, please contact our Maternal
and Child Health Section: mchweb@health.state.mn.us
