Sept. 26, 2019
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.

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Now for the headlines........
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LOOKING FOR CHILDCARE

For many families, searching for a high-quality early education program can be a challenge. Aside from very real issues of cost and convenience, parents must consider a wide range of factors that will impact their children’s learning and development. And there is a catch — many of the key factors are not ones that families can see. This is a great article from The 74 for parents preparing for the childcare search.
RELATED: Like many areas, it's not free (or even inexpensive) to send your child to preschool in Colorado. But the Right On Mobile Education program takes a free preschool to the families, instead. They converted this school bus into a mobile classroom, and are looking to expand the preschool program by two buses to serve two more "childcare deserts."
A REPORT ON THE RISE OF C-SECTIONS

In this special report, U.S. News & World Report shines a light on national, state, county and hospital C-section rates. For the millions of Americans who will give birth this year, knowing the cesarean rate of the hospital where they plan to deliver should spark important conversations with their providers about what type of care they want. Yet the numbers alone can be confusing, particularly without clarity about what cesarean rates truly indicate and why they matter.

RELATED: Researchers have uncovered more about the potential risks of giving birth vaginally after a cesarean delivery. A new study found there is increased risk, but a low risk overall, of complications for women who give birth vaginally after a cesarean delivery. Experts say women should talk to their doctors about potential risks and what they want.
ADHD MISDIAGNOSES

If a child can't sit still or blurts out random thoughts in kindergarten or first grade, does the child have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Or is the youngster just not mature enough to sit still yet? US News & World Report reviews a recent study that found the youngest kids in a class are over 30% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD.
THE IMPORTANCE OF GRANDPARENTS (AND BEING A GRANDPARENT, AS WELL)

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune recently broke down a study that focuses on the importance of grandparents in raising children. The study found that one in four children under five are regularly cared for by a grandparent. The survey findings can help uncover the grandparent experience and lead to ways to better support and include them in the early childhood development conversation.

RELATED: If you've ever been told that spending time with your grandchildren will keep you young, it turns out that might not just be a ploy to get a free babysitter for the night: there may be some actual science behind it . Researchers have found that spending time with grandchildren can have positive health impacts. But there is a caveat. Quality is just as important as quantity.
COUNTING WORDS AND OVERCOMING THE 'MILLION-WORD GAP'

Parents may want to have a few words with their children before sending them off to school. But ideally, they should have millions of words with them before the first day of class. So how can parents know whether their child is hearing enough words? By counting them.  Detroit is one of five cities chosen  to launch a new program designed to count the words shared with children in order to help parents close the word gap."
ADDITIONAL STORIES FROM THIS WEEK...

Much has been made of the Trump administration's "public charge" rule, which states that a person's immigration status could be judged by the amount of public benefits could be tied to that individual. But this CalMatters article explains how the avoidance of those services could be impacting children of immigrant families-many of whom are U.S. citizens-who are caught in the middle of a tricky political situation.

During pregnancy, there tends to be a heavy focus on labor and birth, with far less emphasis on what happens when you get home. But this LAist article compiled stories-"from the ghastly to the glorious"-for this article about what postpartum really means to moms.

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...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