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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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PAID FAMILY LEAVE HAVING A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR MOMS IN CALIFORNIA, NEW JERSEY
State paid leave policies cause a 20 percent reduction in women leaving their jobs in the year after having a child
, and up to a 50 percent reduction in the first five years after having a child, a March of Dimes Center for Social Science Research study found. The study analyzed female labor market participation in both New Jersey and California before and after the states implemented paid family and medical leave. Paid leave nearly closes the gap in workforce participation between women with young children and women without young children. (NJBiz)
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PAID FAMILY LEAVE EXPANSION NEEDS ECHOED BY CALIFORNIA VOTERS
A new public opinion poll conducted by Change Research demonstrates that California voters strongly support the expansion of Paid Family Leave
which was recently proposed by the Newsom Administration. The online poll, funded by First 5 California, sampled 1,315 registered voters in the state and represents a mix of demographic groups. Voters showed widespread support for protecting all workers’ jobs during leave (83 percent), increasing the wage replacement rate (64 percent), and extending the length of time benefits can be accessed (67 percent). (First 5 California)
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EARLY CHILDCARE & EDUCATION
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GOV. NEWSOM'S FIRST YEAR GRADES ON EDUCATION ISSUES
In his first year in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom partially made good on
education positions
he highlighted during his campai
gn. These include making early education a priority, funding incentives to hire more teachers and creating the framework for a database to track students from pre-K to higher ed. In 2019, he also made decisions that sometimes surprised, and largely pleased, education groups and advocates and that distinguished him from his predecessor, Gov. Jerry Brown. (EdSource)
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EARLY CHILDCARE PROVIDERS ARE SPENDING THEIR OWN MONEY TAKING CARE OF KIDS
Finding affordable child care in Los Angeles is often a struggle, but parents aren't the only ones
dealing with the financial burden. Child-care providers lay out money for everything from rent, to utilities, to buying meals and snacks, to paying employees and other expenses. After all of that, their net pay can amount to minimum wage or less. The burden is especially heavy for small-scale operators.
The story is out of Los Angeles, but the theme rings true in Bakersfield and other cities across the state. (LAist)
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OUT OF POCKET COSTS FOR NEW PARENTS AVERAGE $4,500
A new study warns parents-to-be that average out-of-pocket costs for health care during pregnancy
, delivery and the first three months after birth jumped to more than $4,
500 in 2015 from just over $3,000 in 2008. That's for women with employer-based health insurance. The study found that 98% of women had out-of-pocket costs, and that many patients risk delaying or forgoing some types of care due to thos
e costs. (US News & World Report)
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HEALTH CARE BIAS LAW GOES INTO EFFECT IN CALIFORNIA
California may be cited as a model state for its efforts to improve outcomes for women giving birth, but black women statewide are still substantially more likely than white women to die in childbirth, give birth prematurely and lose their babies. Starting this year, California is requiring that health care workers who treat pregnant women receive implicit bias training — designed to improve awareness of the impact racial bias has on maternal and infant health. This quick video offers a brief explanation of the law. (CALMatters)
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CHILDBIRTH WITH LUPUS
Lupus, an autoimmune condition in which a person's own immune system
mistakenly attacks itself, most commonly strikes women of childbearing age. Expectant mothers with lupus and their unborn infants face some increased pregnancy, maternal health
and fetal developmental risks, but certain specialists can help by directing your care from before conception all the way through childbirth and beyond. (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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