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THIS WEEK'S
HEADLINES
NEWS IMPACTING CHILDREN 0-5 AND THEIR FAMILIES
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Here is a quick look at some headlines from this week impacting the lives of kids 0-5 and their families. The purpose of these stories is simply to inform, and they do not necessarily reflect First 5 Kern's areas of support or efforts towards these issues.
Follow First 5 Kern on social media (@First5Kern) for more kids news, as well as information about our funded programs and initiatives.
Now for the headlines........
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REPORT: IN THE CHILD CARES THAT STAYED OPEN, FEWER THAN .2% OF CHILDREN GOT CORONAVIRUS
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There are a lot of rules now, but luckily day care operators also have some examples to follow as a small number of day care centers for essential workers never closed down during the pandemic. Staff at these centers have been working hard for the last few months making sure that day care is as safe as possible, while still feeling like a secure and comforting place for children.
And it's paid off.
According to Brown University economist Emily Oster
's informal analysis, in 545 childcare centers that stayed open confirmed cases of COVID-19 in students were rare. About .16% of kids (so about 22 children in a cohort of 13,493) contracted COVID-19. (Motherly)
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FIRST 5 ALAMEDA RECEIVES GRANT FOR ACES INITIATIVE
The California surgeon general’s office and the Department of Health Care Services recently awarded First 5 Alameda County a $325,470 grant to participate in the state’s ACEs, or adverse childhood experiences, Aware initiative.
The grant will go toward training about ACEs for MediCal providers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Help Me Grow Alameda County will continue partnering with local health care providers to help them expand trauma-informed care in the area. (Daily Californian)
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INFANT SLEEP LINKED TO MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AS TEENS
Sleep problems in early childhood may be linked to the development of certain mental health disorders in adolescence, according to new research.
The research, which published Wednesday in the journal
JAMA Psychiatry
, was the first time possible links between early childhood sleep problems and adolescent psychotic experiences and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms have been examined.
(CNN)
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First 5 Kern is hiring for a Strategic Initiatives Specialist
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This person will work collaboratively with our staff and community partners to research, promote, build and sustain innovative early childhood initiatives supporting life-long health and education opportunities for Kern County children.
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EARLY CHILDCARE & EDUCATION
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CALIFORNIA BUDGET SPARES CUTS TO EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS
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California's budget for the next fiscal year preserves many existing child care programs, but falls short of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s aspirations to extend those services to thousands of new children.
Child care providers who serve low-income families were spared a 10% cut in their rates, proposed to help offset the state’s projected $54 billion budget deficit.
“That's a big win because providers have been out. They stayed open,” said Cristina Alvarado, executive director of Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles. “They have been providing the services.” (LAist)
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CHILD CARE IS TOO EXPENSIVE AND
SUBSIDIES DON'T HELP
The federal government provides child care subsidies to just 1 in 6 children eligible to receive them.
The vouchers that are provided are rarely sufficient for parents to cover the cost of high-quality care. And the eligibility guidelines are so tight that millions of families who could benefit from assistance get nothing.
Ultimately, the federal government is effectively lowering the quality of child care available to a huge segment of the American public. (USA Today)
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TULARE COUNTY READY TO ASSIST PARENTS WITH CHILD CARE
With most school districts leaning toward a limited return to the classroom this fall, parents may have little time to reserve a spot at a local child care facility. For parents unfamiliar with the process of obtaining child care, there is help.
For over 50 years, TCOE’s Early Childhood Education Program (ECEP) has assisted families in locating child care in communities throughout the county. This assistance is available for families who meet income requirements for placement of their children, ages 0-12, in many types of home base and center-based programs. (Sun-Gazette)
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BILL PROPOSAL OFFERS FAMILY LEAVE JOB PROTECTIONS
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California led the nation when, in 2004, it became the first state to give private-sector workers six weeks off with partial pay to care for a new baby or sick family member. But unlike other states that followed, California never required that many employers guarantee workers their jobs back after taking paid family leave — leading millions of Californians to pay into a system they could get fired for using.
That would change under legislation moving through the Capitol, which would ensure more workers’ jobs are protected if they take paid family leave. (CalMatters)
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RELATED: California's paid family leave program expands to eight weeks
New parents will have more time to care for their child thanks to
Senate Bill 83
, which took effect in California on Wednesday. Beginning July 1, 2020, benefits under Paid Family Leave will increase from six weeks to eight weeks. (FOX11)
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HOME VISITING PROGRAMS AIMS TO HELP THE NEXT GENERATION RISE
More than 50 community in Los Angeles send trained professionals to the homes of pregnant women and parents of children up to age 5.
These programs provide one-on-one outreach to parents, and also screen kids for health problems and developmental delays, and link parents to resources.
Research shows home visiting programs can help prevent child abuse and neglect, improve school readiness, and result in greater economic self-sufficiency for families. (California Health Report)
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THE #1 MONEY
BEHAVIOR KIDS LEARN FR
OM THEIR PARENTS
Kids start to mimic what they see their parents do from a very early age — and you may not be realizing what they’re picking up.
Whether it’s what parents buy, how often they buy things or whether they look for deals, children are watching just how their mom and dad spend money. Some experts even believe that this is one of the biggest financial patterns kids adapt early on.
Mac Gardner, certified financial planner and author
, says,
“It’s one of the first financial behaviors children pick up at an early age.” (CNBC)
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GENETIC TEST DIAGNOSES NEWBORNS WITH UNKNOWN DISEASES QUICKLY
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State data
shows thousands of newborn babies are born with rare, critical conditions that cause them to go to the neonatal intensive care unit.
New results from a
state study
show one technology — rapid whole genome sequencing, or decoding a person's DNA — can provide a quick and cost-effective solution, even for families on state health insurance.
The study finds nearly half of those babies with unknown conditions were able to receive a diagnosis through the technology. And about one-third of those babies received updated treatment plans that helped their health outcomes. (KPBS)
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CALIFORNIA PASSES MATERNITY CARE ACCESS MEASURE
With a renewed focus on curbing racial inequities in health care, the Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved legislation to improve access to high-quality maternity treatment in California.
SB 1237 would expand access to care by authorizing nurse-midwives to conduct routine services without direct physician supervision, following the lead of 46 other states. (Lake County News)
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EXERCISE MAY
IMPROVE BREAST MILK HEALTH BENEFITS
Exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle, but a new study suggests it also increases the amount of a beneficial compound called 3SL in the breast milk of both humans and mice.
Based on that, researchers think that its benefits to babies could last for decades, potentially making them less likely to experience such chronic illnesses as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease as they age. (US News & World Report)
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First 5 Kern was established in 1998 when California voters passed Proposition 10, which levied a 50-cent tax on tobacco products. Revenues generated from the tobacco tax are used to fund local programs in the areas of health and wellness, early childcare and education, and parent education and support services that promote early childhood development for children ages zero to five.
For more information on First 5 Kern and the agencies we support, please visit
www.First5Kern.org
and follow us on social media.
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Special thanks to
Vecteezy
for assistance on graphics
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