Using Your Leadership to be a Bigger Voice for Little Ones

Presented by Matthew Melmed, JD

This webinar was presented live on Wednesday January 3rd, 2024 at 4pm US Eastern time. Through the kindness of the presenter, a recording of the webinar is available here.

Matthew Melmed, JD

During this webinar, I'm going to talk about how we all have the power to transform our KNOWLEDGE into ACTION and CHANGE.​ I want to encourage you, by way of ZERO TO THREE's example, to take the steps that will help you be an even bigger voice for babies and toddlers. 

I'll walk you through a few of ZERO TO THREE’S efforts – including our messaging research and advocacy for better attention to infant and early childhood mental health – to help illustrate how we turn our mission into a living, breathing movement each and every day. Then we'll shift the spotlight to the extraordinary power YOU hold to influence, shape and advance policy, practice and systems changes in your communities. ​When I say, "using your experience to be a powerful voice for change," I mean, let's think about how you leverage your expertise, your experience and your voice to inspire others – especially policymakers and other critical decision makers – to make meaningful changes in the way communities support babies, toddlers and their families.​

An important part of our work – and yours – is taking the science and expertise we possess, from brain development to infant and early childhood mental health to developmental benefits of economic security and bringing it to life for others so that they, too, can understand the incredible importance of these earliest years. ​ 

In this webinar, we’ll discuss:

• Prioritizing policy change to strengthen support for babies, toddlers and their families;

• Understanding why what you say, and how you say it, matters as much as what you do;

• Building your partnerships and networks to expand your influence to be a bigger voice for babies and toddlers;

• Increasing your advocacy capacity; and

• Leading with cultural awareness.

Matthew Melmed is Executive Director of ZERO TO THREE, an internationally recognized leader and tireless advocate devoted to promoting the health and development of infants and toddlers.

Bringing together the perspectives of many fields and specialties with cutting-edge research about the importance of early connections, Mr. Melmed is committed to translating the science of early childhood development into practical resources and policies that support very young children and their families. Since 1995 he has guided the growth of the organization’s activities to enhance early social-emotional development through promotion, prevention and treatment strategies. Under his leadership, the organization’s budget has grown more than 20-fold and ZERO TO THREE’s reach now extends to millions of parents, professionals and policymakers. In recognition, Worth Magazine selected ZERO TO THREE as one of “America’s 100 Best Charities.”

Prior, Mr. Melmed served for 13 years as Executive Director of the Connecticut Association for Human Services. He began his career as a staff attorney for Connecticut Legal Services in 1978. Mr. Melmed is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of S.U.N.Y. Binghamton, where he graduated with the highest academic honors. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the Faculty of Law and Jurisprudence at S.U.N.Y. Buffalo.

Mr. Melmed is Chair of the Board of Generations United which promotes intergenerational collaboration for the enduring benefit of all, and he is a past Board Chair of the Food Research and Action Center, the nation’s leading domestic anti-hunger policy organization. He served as the first elected Chair of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of 55 leading national organizations working together to improve the health, education and well-being of children and youth. He is a Trustee of the Turrell Fund and has been a Director on such boards as the I Am Your Child Foundation.

Mr. Melmed is the recipient of multiple community, state, and national honors, including the prestigious Sonya Bemporad Award by the World Association of Infant Mental Health. This award was given in recognition of significant contributions to the advancement of social and public policies that contribute to the mental health and overall benefit of infants, toddlers, and their families. In 2018, the Simms/Mann Institute recognized Mr. Melmed with the 2018 Whole Child “Visionary” Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made a “significant, tangible, and lasting impact” on children for a sustained period, who “exhibit strong passion and commitment” to the whole child movement, and who exhibit “a high degree of personal integrity.”

A recording of the webinar is available here.