School Readiness Among Children Insured by Medicaid, South Carolina

Abstract

IntroductionThe American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a schedule of age-specific well-child visits through age 21 years. For children insured by Medicaid, these visits are called Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT). These visits are designed to promote physical, emotional, and cognitive health. Six visits are recommended for the first year of life, 3 for the second year. We hypothesized that children with the recommended visits in the first 2 years of life would be more likely than others to be ready for school when they finish kindergarten.MethodsWe studied children insured by Medicaid in South Carolina, born during 2000 through 2002 (n = 21,998). Measures included the number of EPSDT visits in the first 2 years of life and an assessment of school readiness conducted at the end of kindergarten. We used logistic regression to examine the adjusted association between having the recommended visits and school readiness, controlling for characteristics of mothers, infants, prenatal care and delivery, and residence area.ResultsChildren with the recommended visits had 23% higher adjusted odds of being ready for school than those with fewer visits.ConclusionEPSDT may contribute to school readiness for children insured by Medicaid. Children having fewer than the recommended EPSDT visits may benefit from school readiness programs.

Well-Child Care Adherence After Intrauterine Opioid Exposure

“…[7][8][9][10][11][12] Among children ,2 years of age, WCC adherence is associated with improved health outcomes, including reduced hospitalizations and emergency department use, as well as improved kindergarten readiness. [13][14][15] Unfortunately, numerous challenges for mothers with OUD threaten their engagement in pediatric primary care. In addition to traditional barriers, such as lack of transportation, time constraints, and family crises, additional challenges include perceived stigmatization and discrimination.…”

An explanatory model of factors related to well baby visits by age three years for Medicaid-enrolled infants: a retrospective cohort study

“…We used an ecological model of health [ 12 ] and existing literature [ 7 , 10 , 13 - 16 ] to construct a preliminary explanatory model of factors related to the receipt of WBVs for Medicaid-enrolled infants. While not tested in the current study, WBVs represent an important infant-level variable associated with positive outcomes later in life such as increased use of office-based preventive medical care services, decreased use of the emergency department management of acute health problems, and improved school readiness [ 3 - 5 ]. We hypothesize that the following 12 infant, maternal, and health system variables are related to the receipt of WBVs for Medicaid-enrolled infants.…”

“…Infants receiving the recommended number of WBVs in the first two years of life are subsequently more likely to have physician visits (to help address acute health problems) and less likely to have a visit to the emergency department [ 3 , 4 ]. Another study found a significant association between WBVs and kindergarten readiness [ 5 ], highlighting the social and educational benefits associated with WBVs.…”