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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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EARLY CHILDCARE & EDUCATION
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How home day care providers are coping during the pandemic |
With COVID-19, in-home child care provider Gloria Robledo has far more rules for her kids and families, including asking kids older than 2 years old to wear masks.
To help convince the kids to wear masks, Robledo sewed some for the kids herself.
“They loved it because I made it specially for them,” she said. “They look so cute with the mask.”
Sewing masks is just one of the ways Robledo and other home child care providers have had to pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers are also expanding their services to older kids and finding support from community organizations, among other creative strategies to stay afloat and support their neighbors who need them most. (PBS Social)
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High schoolers might be the new generation of early childhood educators
Welcome to “Introduction to Early Childhood Education” — it’s not your typical college-level high school class.
The class has a larger purpose beyond teaching high school kids the developmental phases of 3-year-olds. It's helping students into a possible career in early education and could be a significant way to help combat Colorado’s growing and critical teacher shortage both in grade school and early childhood. (CPR News)
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What happens to children that missed kindergarten during COVID?
Many California parents dreaded returning to remote learning last fall, but they did it anyway, holding onto hopes of going back to campus at some point during the school year.
But for those whose children were just entering kindergarten, the decision to commit to distance learning was a far tougher choice: Wrangling a 5-year-old in front of a computer screen for several hours a day requires constant supervision, technical assistance and cajoling, an impossibility for many working parents. (EdSource)
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Biden's proposed stimulus package includes paid leave and childcare support. These policies need to be permanent. |
On her first day back at work after her maternity leave, Meghan McCain, a Republican, called on the government to institute a national paid maternity leave policy for all new mothers. After experiencing an emergency C-section and postpartum health issues, she noted that she now understood just how critical maternity leave is to the wellbeing of our children and the wellbeing of women in this country.
A conservative herself, she pointed out the hypocrisy of a Republican party that touts itself as the party of family values, while denying mothers even a few weeks of critical time needed to heal, bond, and care for their children at the beginning of their lives. (Business Insider)
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California’s $600 stimulus for low-income families could be sent out soon
The payment would go to Californians with an annual income of less than $30,000. About 4 million people would be eligible for the payment, costing the state $2.4 billion. (KCRA)
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What is the Child Tax Credit and how much of it is refundable
Eligible families can claim a tax credit of up to $2,000 per child under age 17 who is a citizen of the U.S. The size of the credit is reduced by $50 for every $1,000 of adjusted gross income above $200,000 for single parents and $400,000 for married couples.
Families who owe little or no income tax can get cash of up to $1,400 per child, a feature which makes the tax credit partially “refundable,” in the jargon of Washington. (Brookings)
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I enjoyed researching the bloody history of childbirth – then I had a baby
Childbirth in the 19th century was a dangerous affair. I learned these facts when I started researching my latest novel, Outlawed, an alternate history following a midwife’s daughter on the run across the American west in 1894.
Much of this information was fascinating to me, and some of it was disturbing, but none of it affected me emotionally. Then I had a baby. (Guardian)
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Complications during pregnancy may increase risk of death
A research team in Montreal has shown that women who have had serious complications during pregnancy are twice as likely to die up to three decades later.
Serious conditions such as stroke, cardiac complications, acute kidney failure and pre-eclampsia affect just under 5 % of women during pregnancy and childbirth. But compared to women who had no serious pregnancy complications, women in the study had an increased risk for earlier death. (EurekAlert)
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Can a twin be hidden in an ultrasound?
You’ve heard the stories: An unsuspecting couple goes to the hospital to have a baby and ends up leaving with two babies because — surprise! — there were actually twins in there. A whole other baby nobody knew about… or saw on any of the ultrasounds.
Does this happen? Sure. That said, it’s nowhere near as common as many people think. Thanks to advances in modern imaging technology, it’s hard for twins to conceal themselves beyond a certain point in pregnancy. (healthine)
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3 Things that happen when you give your baby cold breast milk
How many sleepless nights has a breastfeeding mom or dad stood at the refrigerator, screaming baby in their arms, wondering if they really have to heat up that bottle before feeding their little one?
In all honesty, it's crossed every parent's mind to just give a baby cold breast milk, whether they're on the go without a warmer or just exhausted. But what happens if you do? (Romper)
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Study shows that raising the minimum wage will lower infant mortality rate |
A new study from professors at Syracuse University has found that raising the minimum wage can significantly reduce infant mortality in large cities across the United States.
The study suggests that each time the minimum wage raises by just a dollar (keep in mind the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hour), the infant mortality rate drops by 1.8 percent annually in big cities. That jump in the survivability rates of infants is extremely significant. (Fatherly)
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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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