The Impact of Co-Located Care on Racial Disparities in Maternal and Child Health

This study and proposed fieldwork examine the potential for clinical care integrated in preschools to improve maternal and child health among Black and Latino/a children and birthing people. School-based care is shown to reduce racial health disparities but has not been robustly evaluated in maternal-infant and early childhood populations. I address this research gap by partnering with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), which oversees Head Start programs in Missouri, to evaluate co-located health clinics within preschools. This research targets upstream determinants of health and aligns medical and early childhood education providers using a novel approach to accessible and community-responsive care.