Building MCH Leaders and the MCH Workforce

We aim to improve the health of mothers, children, and families by developing leaders in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and building the MCH workforce. An MCH leader is one who understands and supports the MCH mission, values, and goals with a sense of purpose and commitment. MCH leaders possess core knowledge of MCH populations and their needs. The MCH Leadership Competencies describe the qualities of MCH leaders in more detail.

We invest in MCH workforce development to:

• Support formal training in MCH and public health concepts

• Expand and strengthen a diverse workforce that understands the unique challenges of mothers, children, and families from various cultural backgrounds

Our work provides training and support for the Title V MCH workforce, students, providers, paraprofessionals, family leaders, and advocates. 

Our approach

Our programs work at multiple stages across the life course. With our committed partners, our investments strengthen public health capacity and MCH workforce through:

• Offering national leadership and direction to educate and train current and future leaders in MCH
• Building capacity through state- and community-based programs
• Emphasizing the development and use of interprofessional, family-centered, community-based, and culturally-responsive systems of services

We create pathways to graduate education in MCH and support practicing MCH professionals by:

• Delivering continuing education that equips MCH professionals to make informed decisions and improve policies
• Providing free, competency-based learning
• Providing data, research, expertise, instruction, toolkits, and skills training for State Title V agencies and other awardees to help them improve their work and support policy development

Our investments

Pathways and Graduate Education

• Centers of Excellence in MCH Education, Science, and Practice
  • MCH Epidemiology Doctoral Training
  • Strengthening the MCH Public Health Academic Pipeline
• Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP)
• Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP)
• Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH)
• Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND)
• MCH Epidemiology Training Course for practicing professionals
• MCH Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (MCH LEAP)
• MCH Nutrition
• MCH Public Health Catalyst Program
• Pediatric Pulmonary Centers (PPC)

Workforce Development for Practicing MCH Professionals

• Children's Healthy Weight State Capacity Building Program
• Collaborative Office Rounds (COR)
• Healthy Tomorrows
• MCH Navigator
• MCH Workforce Development Center
• Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program

Gathering data and tracking progress

Workforce development contributes to improved performance in:

• National Outcome Measures
• National Performance Measures