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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WHY AMERICA'S PARENTS CAN'T GET PAID FAMILY LEAVE
Working parents feel the frustration every day regarding how expensive it is to raise a family in America
. It turns out not everyone shares working parents' urgency, but a majority of Americans support paid leave, whether paid for by employers or the government.
This in-depth study by USA Today
on the issue - where big businesses, small businesses, parents and taxpayers stand - is worth a read about an issue that Americans alone face in the industrialized world, being the only such nation without a federal paid family leave policy.
RELATED: Also in USA Today, Ivanka Trump has been working on paid family leave legislation for the entirety
of her father's presidency, but
she hasn't made much headway
beyond a series of roundtables and meetings with legislators.
“It's a travesty that we are the only country in the developed world without a policy to support parents and families,” Trump says.
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HOW MANY KIDS IN CALIFORNIA ARE HOMELESS?
Education news website
EdSource explains how a recent audit by the state of California shows that
schools throughout the state undercounted their
homeless students by at least 37 percent
in 2017-18. The federal McKinney-Vento Act defines homelessness as children living in cars, motels, shelters, campgrounds or doubled up with another family due to financial hardship. Those children are entitled to transportation, counseling, connections to social services and other benefits which they are not receiving if left unidentified.
RELATED: This
chart from EdSource
shows the homeless student population
throughout the state. By their figures, there are six Kern County schools in which homeless kids make up at least 13% of their enrollment. There are 44 schools in Kern County where they make up at least 5% of enrollment figures.
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PUBLIC CHARGE POLICY IS KEEPING AMERICAN CHILDREN FROM SEEING THE DOCTOR
New federal regulations say that using too many public benefits
could keep foreign-born parents from permanent residency and a path to citizenship. The fear and confusion surrounding this
new “public charge” policy
may cause immigrant parents to go without health care assistance their children, even though they are, in many cases, U.S. citizens.
RELATED:
For the first time in more than a decade, the nation is experiencing a
decline
in children enrolled
in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage. This
pediatrician's opinion piece
from California Health Alert points to several actions from the federal government for the reason, and explains why we should be concerned over the decline in healthcare visits for our children.
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BLACK MOTHERS GET LESS TREATMENT FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
"You're afraid to say it because you think the next step is to take your children away from you."
This was a
concern echoed by several
women of color interviewed for this NPR story on race and postpartum depression. One in seven mothers, nationally, are affected, but black women are affected more, while also being less likely to report it. Maternal health experts say women often choose to struggle on their own rather than seek care and risk having their families torn apart by child welfare services.
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TOP 25 CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2019
'Tis the season... for all the Best of 2019 lists to come out.
Below is a compilation of some of the top kids' books lists, just in time for your holiday shopping:
RELATED:
Did you get to name a baby in 2019?
Check out where
the name you picked
ranked on the list of top baby names for the year.
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WE COUNT!
2020 CENSUS BOOK FOR KIDS INTRODUCED
The census determines how some $1.5 trillion in federal spending
is allocated and how citizens are represented in Congress and the Electoral College. Getting it wrong will hurt families, communities and early childhood professionals
for the next ten years
, and it's estimated that millions of kids under 5 were left uncounted in 2010. “This is the bottom line for the programs and paychecks of the professionals that love, care for and educate young children,” says Lisa Bernstein, the co-creator of
We Count! A 2020 Census Counting Book
aimed at improving the count of children in the upcoming census.
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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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