As mentioned in previous updates, The Coalition– a group of professionals on the front lines of the child protection system– recently submitted a letter to the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Council on Child Protection, urging them to make child safety the top priority in child welfare decisions.
Among the Coalition’s recommendations is a call for a special emphasis on children three years old and under by developing clear guidance on how to keep them safe. The first 1,000 days of life are not only crucial for the child’s development, they are also when children are at the highest risk to be killed due to maltreatment.
The statistics are both devastating and consistent. In our upcoming 2023-2024 Child Fatalities from Maltreatment Report, set to be released soon, 33 out of 44 children who died from maltreatment were three years old or younger– that’s 75% of all child fatalities.
Tragically, this is not a new trend.
Our 2014-2022 report showed that 78.4% of child fatalities were in this same age group. In 2022-2023, the figure was 66.6%.
Year after year, the data tells the same heartbreaking story: our youngest children are the most vulnerable. These persistent patterns highlight a clear and urgent need for earlier intervention, better prevention strategies, and stronger systemic protections for babies and toddlers.
We invite advocates, parents, professionals, and concerned citizens to join us in this mission. Together, we can build a system that truly puts children first.