Families often need a range of services early in a child’s life to support healthy development and prevent long-term health challenges. This includes regular doctor visits that support strong relationships between caregivers and their children, identify a family’s needs that impact child development, and connect them to support. However, families can have a hard time getting the right help at the right time. One provider cannot meet all of a family’s needs alone.
HRSA launched the Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC) Program in 2022 to fill this gap. The TPEC program places early childhood development (ECD) experts in pediatric practices focused on supporting healthy development in early childhood. The program prioritizes services for young children and families who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program or are uninsured.
TPEC awardees:
- Place ECD experts in pediatric practices to deliver early childhood services as a part of a team
- Build the skills of health professionals statewide to deliver team-based early childhood services
- Expand and sustain team-based early childhood services to improve the standard of care for young children
Program Impact (Key Outcomes of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025)
Since 2022, TPEC awardees have placed 139 ECD experts within 51 pediatric practices reaching 67,780 families in FY 2025.
Awardees transform how early childhood services are delivered. In FY 2025, care teams that included ECD experts provided 38,700 well-child visits and conducted 27,000 developmental screenings.
When early childhood services are delivered by a team of health professionals, results include:
- Families come in for preventive health care more regularly.
- Caregivers feel more confident in their parenting.
- Health professionals stay in their jobs for longer.
- Health care is higher quality and more cost-effective.
Current TPEC awardees
In FY 2025, HRSA awarded approximately $8 million to eight awardees (up to $1 million each).
| Awardee | City | State | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas System | Little Rock | AR | Cohort 1 (2022 – 2026) |
| Massachusetts Department of Public Health | Boston | MA | Cohort 1 (2022 – 2026) |
| New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics | East Windsor | NJ | Cohort 1 (2022 – 2026) |
| Oregon Health & Science University | Portland | OR | Cohort 1 (2022 – 2026) |
| County of Los Angeles | Los Angeles | CA | Cohort 2 (2023 – 2027) |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | MD | Cohort 2 (2023 – 2027) |
| Chickasaw Nation | Ada | OK | Cohort 2 (2023 – 2027) |
| Vermont Agency of Human Services | Waterbury | VT | Cohort 2 (2023 – 2027) |
In FY 2025, HRSA also invested approximately $1.2 million in technical assistance to TPEC awardees and other health and early childhood systems leaders nationwide. This support is provided by the Early Childhood Evidence to Impact Center.
Fiscal Year 2026 TPEC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
The Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC) Program will advance the Department of Health and Human Services’ Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) priorities by preventing chronic disease early in life and promoting healthy development in early childhood. TPEC awardees—organizations with statewide or tribal reach—will place early childhood development experts in local pediatric practices to deliver team-based care to young children and their families. Awardees will improve the quality and cost effectiveness of pediatric primary care by delivering a comprehensive team-based approach that focuses on factors critical to child development.
Forecast Link: TPEC Forecast