Pediatricians play a vital role in identifying developmental milestones, detecting delays, and ensuring children receive the support they need to thrive.
Success By 6, Healthy Beginnings 2025 Progress Report
The Healthy Beginnings workgroup, a pillar of the Austin/Travis County Success By 6 (SX6) Coalition, works to ensure families feel empowered to navigate medical systems and access resources they need to thrive before, during, and through a child’s first year of life.Their 2025 Progress Report offers a clear snapshot of the first year of progress under the Austin/Travis County (SX6) 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. The report is intended to strengthen transparency, accountability, and community understanding of the critical work underway to improve systems for families with young children experiencing developmental delays.
It outlines four foundational steps taken to drive long‑term impact:
- Established an administrative group to shape the project’s scope
- Strengthened partnerships with Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) providers
- Cultivated a diverse and engaged cohort of stakeholders
- Expanded collective understanding of current screening practices and unmet needs across the community.
A key insight from this early work is the significant gap in support for children who screen positive for mild developmental delays but do not qualify for ECI. In response, the workgroup is shifting from data collection to targeted system improvements focused on expanding available services, demystifying the pathways to access support, and increasing access to ECI‑related data.
Overall, this report reflects a year of foundational work, learning, and collaboration – laying the groundwork for meaningful system change that will help more young children access the developmental support they need to thrive.
Why it matters
Early childhood is where a child’s future takes shape. When developmental needs are identified and supported early, children are far more likely to build the confidence, curiosity, and social‑emotional skills that help them thrive in school and beyond. When delays go unnoticed, those challenges compound – affecting learning, relationships, and a child’s sense of belonging.
United Way and our partners are acting at the moment when support matters most. Early identification and connection to services prevent small delays from becoming long‑term obstacles, directly advancing SX6 and United Way for Greater Austin’s North Star goal of 70% of children entering Kindergarten ready to learn.
Our priorities are shaped by community voice and lived experience, and the progress reflected in this report is possible because of the commitment of our workgroup members – leaders who recognize the importance of collaborating across systems and helping build a stronger, more equitable future for Austin’s youngest children.
