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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 share information, and do not necessarily reflect First 5 Kern's areas of support, opinions 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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CHILD CARE & EARLY EDUCATION
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Biden's plan for families could bolster California's push for early education, care |
President Joe Biden’s relief plan for families, which he rolled out this week, may well be a transformative move for children, early childhood advocates say, taking a historic step toward establishing a seamless system of early education and care.
There are still many unknowns about which, if any, of the proposals put forward by Biden will be enacted. But the programs are in keeping with the push from California lawmakers to focus on early learners. (EdSource)
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California is keeping an eye on this education program in Merced County
Merced County has offered a home visiting program for over a decade, using its own curriculum. Then in 2019, the county was one of 10 chosen for a grant that allowed it to offer services to children with special healthcare needs.
Now the visitation program is run with the Parents as Teachers curriculum, a global evidence-based model that meets families where they are to provide education and resources. (Fresno Bee)
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Biden’s plans to expand free education is the norm in many countries
When President Biden laid out the ambitious education targets in his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan during his speech to Congress on Wednesday, he invoked concerns of foreign competition to justify them.
The move prompted backlash from some, but many experts agree that the United States has become an outlier among wealthy nations, as well as rivals, when it comes to education. (Washington Post)
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A 4-year old child is not a problem. And expulsion is not a solution. |
Every year, about 50,000 preschoolers are suspended and 17,000 are expelled, at a rate more than three times higher than for students in K-12.
Those decisions can mark the start of the preschool-to-prison pipeline. Children who are suspended or expelled during preschool or elementary school are 10 times likelier to face jail time than their classmates.
What can be done to keep these hard-to-teach 3- and 4-year-olds from being booted? (New York Times)
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Children as young as 6 months old now in COVID-19
vaccine trials
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“Children under 18 make up 85 million people in [the] U.S. – about 20% of the population,” Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, professor of pediatrics, epidemiology and population health at Stanford University, told ABC News. “Getting them vaccinated is a major contribution to reducing transmission of virus.”
Today, kids as young as 6 months old are taking part in trials for both companies’ vaccines with their parent’s consent. Dr. Zinaida Good, a research fellow at the Stanford cancer center, enrolled both her sons in Stanford Hospital’s Pfizer trial. (ABC)
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Night terrors in babies: symptoms and prevention
A night terror happens when a person wakes from sleep in a terrified state, but does not remember anything the next day.
Night terrors usually appear in children between the ages of 3 and 7 years, and about 30% of children have had at least one. Babies can have them, too. (Medical News Today)
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7 Ways the outdoors boosts baby's health
As your baby grows, so does his or her health. There are things parents can do to prevent germs from compromising their child's health.
According to Medicalopedia, one of the top secrets in keeping your youngster healthy is a dose of the outdoors in such a fast-paced world. (Babygaga)
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Court orders ban on chlorpyrifos to protect children’s health
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that the U.S. EPA must ban chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide that is commonly sprayed on food crops.
The EPA's analysis found that the amount of chlorpyrifos ingested by young children could exceed safety levels by 140 times. (NRDC)
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Baby's first stool can predict allergy development
It may seem like an unusual place to go looking for answers, but the contents of a baby's first diaper can reveal a lot about a newborn's future health.
In a new study, a team of researchers has shown that meconium is associated with whether or not a child will develop allergies within their first year of life. (ScienceDaily)
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Bonding over breakfast with a book |
A Bakersfield dairy farmer and former teacher is helping launch the Real California Milk Breakfast Book initiative.
Breanna Westenbroek discusses the books and the idea behind it, which is to bring reading time to the breakfast table.
The books are available in hardcover or digital formats. (KGET)
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As pregnancy-related deaths rise in the U.S., experts say expanding Medicaid is key |
The U.S. is the only industrialized nation where the rate of pregnancy-related deaths is rising. Black mothers face the highest risk, and the CDC estimates over half of these deaths are preventable.
The number of American women dying from pregnancy-related complications continues to rise. Many maternal health experts say one key to curbing that is making sure new mothers don't lose their health insurance. (NPR)
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Why anxiety can get worse during pregnancy - and how to help yourself
Pregnancy is an enormous life change that inevitably leads to an onslaught of new emotions. Excitement, awe, joy, fear, completely freaked out—it’s completely normal to feel any or all of this. It’s also natural to feel worried.
But for some people, that worry becomes so strong that it overpowers the entire pregnancy experience. (Well+Good)
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Breastfeeding linked to higher neurocognitive testing scores
Researchers analyzed thousands of cognitive tests taken by 9 and 10-year-olds whose mothers reported they were breastfed, and compared those results to scores of children who were not.
"Our findings suggest that any amount of breastfeeding has a positive cognitive impact, even after just a few months." (MedicalXpress)
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The EITC just got bigger. Should it stay that way? |
The American Rescue Plan Act expands the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), to include younger Americans ages 19 to 24 and increases both the salary cap and the value of the credit for adults without children.
This expansion will help more than 17 million low-income Americans, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (Brookings Institute)
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Unsafe bedding remains a leading cause of unexpected infant deaths
A majority of unexpected deaths among young babies still involve soft bedding, despite decades of safe-sleep messaging targeting new parents, a study from the CDC and Prevention found.
Bedding, stuffed animals and sleep surfaces other than cribs remain leading causes of accidental suffocation among babies 4 months old and younger. (NBC)
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10 Things parents need to do in front of their kids
A lot of parenting advice tells us what our kids should be doing. But what about parents?
Both the best and worst consequence of more than a year home in close quarters with my kids is that they've seen it all.
Here are 10 things you should let your kids see you doing. (WYRK)
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Oprah explores childhood trauma in new book,
"What Happened To You?"
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“My new book #WhatHappenedToYou is for anyone with a mother, father, partner, or child who may have experienced trauma,” Oprah Winfrey says.
Oprah explores her childhood trauma in What Happened To You, a new book that hit the stands on Monday.
Written alongside neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry, What Happened To You is said to “provide powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand.” (Yahoo!)
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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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