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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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EARLY CHILDCARE & EDUCATION
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FAMILIES FACED WITH HIGH COST AND LACK OF CHILD CARE ON THE CENTRAL COAST
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The cost of living on the Central Coast is one of the highest in the nation. The situation gets worse when you add the cost of childcare on top of the cost of housing.
"The problem is getting more significant," said Wendy Wendt, Executive Director of First 5 San Luis Obispo County. "A median income family is spending more on childcare than on housing." (KSBY-TV)
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HOW PLAY IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN KINDERGARTEN
Originally intended to ease overcrowding in local schools, the Pathfinder Kindergarten Center, located about 25 miles north of Seattle, is a haven for its 545 kindergarteners.
The $26-million school opened in 2017 with a central goal: to make kindergarten here more playful and joyful. Multiple play areas both inside and outside the school offer kids opportunities to learn and burn off energy. (Hechinger Report)
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INTERVIEW WITH FIRST 5 CALIFORNIA CHAIR GEORGE HALVORSON
First 5 California's
Talk.Read.Sing.
campaign has made great headway in educating parents throughout the state. This informative interview with First 5 California Chair George Halvorson shares a little insight into the purpose and progress of the campaign.
Chair Halvorson dives into the mechanism of First 5, as well as some information on what we know about how a young child's mind grows. (My L.A.)
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MORE SCREENINGS, SERVICES ON THE HORIZON FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA
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A new plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who struggled with dyslexia as a child, would pay for more screenings and services for the thousands of California students with dyslexia — a condition that advocates say has not received enough attention in schools.
The
California Dyslexia Initiative
, which the governor announced last week as part of his 2020-21 budget proposal, would set aside $4 million for screening, professional learning for teachers, research and a conference on dyslexia, a learning disorder that affects one’s ability to read and write. (EdSource)
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PFAS GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
This interactive map highlights PFAS contamination throughout the country. Kern County has four locations identified as containing the chemical, two of which are military bases.
While information on this particular issue isn't new, two news pieces from the last week are - including nearby well closures and a study on the impact of PFAS on dental health in children.
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PFAS FOUND IN DRINKING WATER LEADS TO TOOTH DECAY IN CHILDREN
Children with higher concentrations of a certain chemical in their blood are more likely to get cavities.
Chemicals referred to as PFAS were once used to make nonstick cookware, carpet, cardboard and other products. Scientists have linked them to a range of health problems -- from heart disease to high cholesterol -- but now, researchers are exploring how they affect dental health. (Science Daily)
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ORANGE COUNTY CLOSING WELLS FROM PFAS CONTAMINATION
The state has lowered the acceptable levels for two PFAS toxins in drinking water, triggering the closure of 33 wells in Orange County.
The new closures are in addition to nine contaminated wells that were closed last year, and as many as 29 more could be shut down this year in Orange County as the state expands its testing. If those are taken offline, that would total 71 closed wells of the 200 in Orange County Water District’s service area of 2.5 million residents. (OC Register)
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FEBRUARY IS SAFELY SURRENDERED AWARENESS MONTH
February is Safe Surrender Awareness Month and events throughout the county all month will highlight the law, which is intended to save babies from possible abandonment.
The first Safe Surrender of 2020 has already happened this year. Below are two local stories about the Safely Surrender law.
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BREAST MILK
ENHANCES COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN BABIES
Previous animal studies have determined that a carbohydrate, the oligosaccharide 2'FL found in maternal milk, positively influences neurodevelopment.
Now, in the first stud
y done in humans, investigators at
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego, have shown that 2'FL found in breast milk enhances cognitive development. Findings will be published in
PLOS ONE
on Feb 12. (EurekAlert)
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BABY IN YOUR ROOM, NOT IN YOUR BED:
GOOD ADVICE, BUT ARE PARENTS LISTENING?
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Parents have long been told that babies should sleep in their own crib to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), yet nearly 1 in 5 infant are still sleeping in their parent's bed, a new study finds.
To decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against bed-sharing, but new parents may be getting varying advice on bed-sharing from their pediatricians, the study suggested.
"We found a lot of mothers are bed-sharing despite AAP recommendations to room-share without bed-sharing," said study lead author Dr. Ann Kellams, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia. (US News & World Report)
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BABY CARRIERS SOLD AT TARGET, AMAZON RECALLED
Around 14,000 of Infantino's baby carriers have been recalled because its buckle can break, and the child can fall out. These items were sold at Target and Amazon from November 15 to December 20, 2019, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a news release this week.
The carriers were manufactured in China, and no injuries have been reported. (CNN)
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MORE INFANT SLEEPER RECALLS
Four more companies recalled a total of about 165,000 infant inclined sleepers due to the risk of suffocation, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Consumers who have the sleepers should immediately stop using them and contact the individual companies for a refund or voucher.
There were no reported incidents or injuries associated with the products recalled today, according to the CPSC. (Consumer Reports)
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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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