Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellows & Southern Lawmakers in Arkansas

By Catherine Nichols

As September came to a close, lawmakers from 13 states traveled to Bentonville, Arkansas for an unforgettable three-day event, knitting together the annual experiential learning trip of the Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellowship with the second-ever Future Summit South.

The Innovation Fellows come to maternal and child health and wellness policymaking from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, and the cross-partisan fellowship equips them with the tools and expertise they need to pursue a broad range of solutions that fit their states and communities. During the two-year program, lawmakers meet monthly with subject matter experts, discuss their own states’ challenges and update each other on emerging solutions, and take part in an in-depth ‘field trip’ to see how prenatal and early childhood care policies are being enacted on the ground. 

Arkansas is no stranger to healthcare innovation—in February, co-chairs of the Arkansas Future Caucus recently passed the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act—making it the perfect environment for Innovation Fellows to witness firsthand how cross-partisan collaboration can result in unexpected solutions to entrenched challenges.

Meanwhile, another group of Future Caucus lawmakers was converging on Bentonville for Future Summit South, a three-day exercise in collaborative leadership and community-building bringing together young legislators from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, and South Carolina to focus on policy needs specific to the needs of southern states — including around maternal health and childcare. 

Innovation Fellowship and Future Summit South lawmakers convened for a roundtable discussion with six local experts in prenatal-to-three care: Lori Fresina, vice president and executive director of Voices for Healthy Kids at the American Heart Association, which powers the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers, moderated the discussion with Anna Strong, executive director of the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and member of Excel by Eight; Angela Duran, executive director of Excel by Eight; Peter Gess, economic policy director with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; Laura Kellams, Northwest Arkansas director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; and Mireya Reith, founding executive director of Arkansas United.

Together, the lawmakers and experts discussed policymaking initiatives and strategies that legislatures can use to turn evidence-based ideas into action, from building relationships with local civil society to efficiently and accurately collecting data about constituent needs and legislative impact. The legislators left the roundtable with valuable new insights and connections, both amongst themselves and with the leaders and innovators in attendance. 

Attendees then parted ways for their respective field trips: Future Summit South attendees visited the Walmart headquarters to learn about public-private partnerships, while Innovation Fellows toured the Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center. Anna Cannon, director of the center, explained the holistic approach that the center takes to children’s education and development, focusing on play, autonomy, and developing life skills—such as cooking and gardening—in ways that are accessible and natural to children’s brains. 

Next, the fellows walked to the Heartland Whole Health Institute, sharing insights with each other and admiring Bentonville’s small-town charm. At Heartland, Associate Vice President of Policy and Workforce Sarah Bemis gave a presentation on the institute, which seeks to expand healthcare options and access through research, education, and advocacy. The visit gave the lawmakers an opportunity to further explore the ways in which they can connect and partner with outside organizations as contributors to—and force-multipliers of—policy solutions.

The full group reunited after the site visits for a trip to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which rests on 134 acres of stunning natural landscape. The museum tour brought together community, creativity, and heritage, connecting past, present, and future and inviting the group to reflect on where their personal inspirations and connections are formed. In a fun twist, Innovation Fellow Sen. Tiara Mack, D-R.I., made an unexpected appearance in one of the exhibits—a photo series from her previous life as a rugby player at Brown University!

Whether they came to Bentonville as members of the Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellowship or members of southern legislatures — or, for some, both — the lawmakers left Arkansas with renewed confidence, commitment, and courage to act. Across three days of programming, they were able to explore, discuss, and even dance with one another, building trust, sharing ideas, and fueling a future rooted in innovation and collaboration.