Welcome to Life Course Toolbox

questions to consider

How do we use the Life Course Perspective as a basis for policy?
How do we promote and institutionalize policies that advance the Life Course Perspective?
How do we move forward with a Life Course Perspective in the current economic and social climate?

Resources and Tools

National-Level Policy Change
- Policy Brief: A New Agenda for MCH Policy and Programs: Integrating a Life Course Perspective
  --Amy Fine, MPH; Milton Kotelchuck, PhD, MPH; Nancy Adess, MA; Cheri Pies, MSW, DrPH
- We Can Do Better: Reinventing Maternal & Child Health in America
  --Michael Lu, MD, MPH
Organizational Policy Change
- Boston Public Health Commission, The Center for Health Equity and Social Justice
  The Center joins the work of two offices – The Office of Health Equity (formerly the Disparities Project) and the REACH US Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities (REACH US CEED) – and aims to serve as a mentor for public health organizations working toward health equity by promoting community mobilization, community-based participatory research, program development, and program evaluation.
- Partners for a Racism-Free Community
  
  PRFC was established in 2007 to provide a community-driven, action-oriented model for dealing with and eliminating racism, and to help each other aspire to the standards that have been established for a racism-free community. Everyone is mutually responsible to empower each other to take action and eliminate racism. PRFC had a standards and credentialing process for people and organizations to be designated racism-free.
Community-Level Policy Change
- Alameda County Place Matters
  The Alameda County Place Matters team promotes health equity through a community-centered local policy agenda focused on criminal justice, economics, education, housing, and land use and transportation. Alameda County Place Matters’ team is part of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Health Policy Institute (HPI) National Place Matters Initiate, designed to improve the health of participating community by addressing the social conditions that lead to poor health

Policy is a critical element to supporting all the activities necessary to incorporate the LCP approach. Changes in policy are needed both to reinforce new practices as well as to address larger determinants of maternal and child health.
--Pies C, Parthasarathy P, Kotelchuck M, Lu M. Making a paradigm shift in maternal and child health: A report on the National MCH Life Course Meeting. Contra Costa County. Family, Maternal and Child Health Programs, Contra Costa Health Services, Martinez, CA, October 2009