THIS WEEK'S
HEADLINES
NEWS IMPACTING CHILDREN 0-5 AND THEIR FAMILIES
August 21, 2020
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........

EARLY CHILDCARE & EDUCATION
Where does California rank in the U.S. for early education?
While good elementary schools, high schools and colleges are important factors for parents to consider when choosing where to settle down, the availability of quality pre-K education is just as crucial. 

study by the National Institute for Early Education Research showed that students enrolled in full-day pre-K programs do better on math and literacy tests than their peers who attend only partial day preschool.

To help parents find the states with the best early education systems, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics, including share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K. (WalletHub)
New documentary showcases the importance of early education

For a long time, researchers have known that education really starts at birth and early education (pre-K) should be available to all.

Willa Kammerer’s new documentary “Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America” showcases the importance and power of investing in high-quality early childhood education so that all children and families have equal opportunities. (WABE)
Reopening elementary schools is risky - but so is keeping them closed

It’s going to be a tough call to figure out how to get elementary schools reopened. Reopening elementary schools when disease transmission is too high can be risky.

Waiting too long to reopen schools — when it can be done in a more safe way — can have its own harmful effects, including worsening educational disparities, increasing anxiety and depression, higher levels of obesity, signs of increased child abuse and domestic violence, and job loss. (LA Times)

HEALTH
Painful Questions: What happens when doctors uncover Adverse Childhood Experiences?
Has your child ever lived with a parent or caregiver who went to jail or prison? Have caregivers struggled with too much alcohol, street drugs or prescription meds? Has any adult in the household ever hit your child so hard that it left marks?

These are among 17 questions that thousands of low-income California parents are now being asked during routine visits to the doctor’s office. The Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS) could have significant effects on patients. Adverse childhood experiences that are identified on the forms can lead to “toxic stress,” altering developing brains and leaving young people susceptible to serious illnesses over a lifetime. Physicians screening their patients for ACEs aim to identify the harm and intervene before it’s too late. (California Health Report)
Abused children 5x more likely to develop chronic illness in adulthood

The long stream of data indicates that the impact of child abuse is immense and multi-generational. It shows that someone who is abused during childhood is more likely to abuse as an adult. Breaking this cycle of violence is not just necessary to eliminate child maltreatment, but also the lifelong health repercussions that a survivor goes on to endure.

A recent UK-based study aimed to examine the link between child maltreatment and the presence of multiple health conditions in adult life. (FirstPost)
The truth about poo - and what it says about your toddler's health

Undigested food in the stool, diarrhoea that lasts for days, a strained look on your toddler’s face when he’s on the potty … any of these scenarios are enough to make Mum and Dad worry. And we haven’t even addressed the unusual colours that Junior’s poop might take on (yellow or green poo, folks?).

Parents may be further perplexed when their little one has reached a dietary milestone and is weaning off milk and starting on solid food. His stool will also change according to his new diet. But what is the new normal? (CNA)

PARENTING & FAMILIES
Do you qualify for Paid Family Leave due to school closings?
The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was supposed to provide Paid Family Leave to parents when schools or childcare centers closed due coronavirus. However, research indicates most working Californians don’t qualify for the federal benefits.

Now, Californians will likely pay at least 50% more in state Disability/Paid Family Leave taxes (SDI) next year, but California parents won’t be able to use their state Paid Family Leave for school closures either. (CBS13)
Real-life advice on parenting during a pandemic

Being a parent is not easy at the best of times — and these are definitely not the best of times.

Now school is starting, and kids (and parents) have to deal with going to school during a pandemic or trying to learn remotely.

We asked some of the parents who work at Vox Media to report on how they are coping with the needs of their kids and with their own stress from trying to be the best parent possible under these circumstances. Here are their answers. (The Verge)
Cities sue Census Bureau over ending count early

More than a half-dozen cities - including three from California - counties and civil right groups sued the Trump administration Tuesday, saying there was no justification for its decision to cut the 2020 census short by a month.

The lawsuit asks a judge to reinstate a plan that had the once-a-decade head count ending in October instead of September.

“Undercounted cities, counties, and municipalities will lose representation in Congress and tens of millions of dollars in funding," the lawsuit said. (US News & World Report)

PREGNANCY & CHILDBIRTH
Study: Black newborns more likely to survive when cared for by black doctors
Black newborns are more likely to survive during childbirth when cared for by Black doctors, according to a study of over 1.8 million birth records in Florida between 1992-2015.

The study found that Black babies were three times more likely to die in the hospital than white newborns when cared for by white doctors. When Black doctors cared for Black babies, the mortality rate was cut in half.

The largest decrease in Black newborn mortality rate occurred “strikingly” in complex births and in hospitals that deliver more Black babies, according to the researchers. The race of the doctor caring for white babies did not make much difference to the likelihood of survival. (The Hill)
Study says COVID transmission through breast milk unlikely

Although there have been no documented cases to date of an infant contracting COVID-19 as a result of consuming infected breast milk, the critical question of whether there is potential for this form of transmission remains.

In a recent study, researchers examined 64 samples of breast milk women infected with SARS-COVID-2. Although one sample tested positive for viral RNA, subsequent tests found that the virus was unable to replicate, and thus unable to cause infection in the breastfed infant. (Science Daily)
Study to analyze breast milk for COVID protection through antibodies

A hospital in the Netherlands is hoping to recruit a thousand women to donate their breast milk in order to explore if it could be used to prevent coronavirus infections and COVID-19 disease.

A spokesperson for Emma Children's Hospital of Amsterdam University Medical Center told Newsweek an inbox dedicated to the cause has received 5,000 messages since researchers appeared on TV on Wednesday urging women to participate. (Newsweek)
...about First 5 Kern
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.
Special thanks to Vecteezy for assistance on graphics