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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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CHILD CARE & EARLY EDUCATION
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Why does California disappoint in preschool access and quality? |
California continues to lag behind other states in preschool access and quality and the pandemic didn’t help matters, according to a national report that ranks all state-funded preschool programs.
The report ranks the state 15th in access for 4-year-olds.
Though the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) meets six of the 10 standards of measurement in the report, the transitional kindergarten program only meets three of them. (EdSource)
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The pandemic has made kindergarten transitions harder
Many districts saw significant drops in kindergarten enrollment this year as some families chose homeschooling or opted to hold their child back a year.
This may make for a uniquely challenging situation this fall, as children enroll in kindergarten in “potentially record numbers.” (EdSurge)
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Child care providers ask state to hold off on in-person inspections
Child care providers are pushing back against a state plan to restart in-person inspections.
About 2,200 child care providers across California have signed a petition asking the Department of Social Services to continue doing them virtually but so far the plan remains unchanged. (CalMatters)
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Child care is in crisis, but we can fix it - and help the economy
The country was millions of child care spots short even before the pandemic. Nearly a third of the children in need of child care went without it; their parents relied on a patchwork of family and friends for help, sometimes working fewer hours as a result. Usually, it was the mother who stayed home. (LA Times)
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This bill could become U.S.'s first comprehensive child care program
Two lawmakers are looking to build on the existing child care block grant for states, dramatically increasing its funding and turning it into an entitlement so funding would rise with demand.
The program would reach roughly 80% of infants and toddlers, according to an estimate by analysts at the advocacy group Zero to Three.(HuffPost)
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Brushing away oral health disparities in America's rural children |
An interdisciplinary team of researchers report in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry that rural children are less likely to receive preventive dental care than urban children.
Using samples from 20,842 respondents from a 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health, the team determined the existence of an urban-rural disparity in U.S. children’s oral health. This disparity can have serious consequences for children’s oral health. (MUSC)
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Dads who drink have a higher rate of baby birth defects
It’s well-known that moms shouldn’t drink before or during pregnancy. Whether it’s risky for dads to pound a beer before getting pregnant is more controversial.
But the evidence that men should abstain before conception is growing. (Fatherly)
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Where does California rank for children's health care?
Children's health care is a different story in every state. Financial website WalletHub therefore compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 35 key indicators of cost, quality and access to children’s health care.
The data set includes share of children in excellent or very good health, and pediatricians and family doctors per capita. (WalletHub)
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Food allergies, changes
to infant gut bacteria linked to method of childbirth, ethnicity
Researchers have found a causal link between caesarean section birth, low intestinal microbiota and peanut sensitivity in infants, and they report the effect is more pronounced in children of Asian descent than others, in a recently published paper. (ScienceDaily)
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Simple treatment during pregnancy can protect baby from memory problems in later life
A new study has discovered a direct link between low oxygen in the womb and impaired memory function in the adult offspring. It also finds that anti-oxidant supplements during pregnancy may protect against this. (EurekAlert)
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After 10 months of breastfeeding I was d-o-n-e. I was tired of pumping in a closet at work. I was sick of stressing about whether or not I was producing enough milk. I wanted my body to belong to me again. After my daughter's first birthday I gradually began the weaning process. I had finally reached the promised land, or so I thought. (Motherly)
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Study helps unravel why pregnant women develop heart failure
Researchers at Penn Medicine have identified more genetic mutations that strongly predispose younger, otherwise healthy women to peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare condition that often leads to lifelong heart failure and even death. (EurekAlert)
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Child tax credit: Will you receive $500, $3,000 or $3,600 per child? Here's your monthly total |
You could get a total of seven checks, starting in July, over the next 12 months with the expanded child tax credit for 2021 -- that is unless you opt out of the monthly payments to get one big check next year. The math is complicated. The qualification rules are confusing and so is the payment schedule.
CNET's child tax credit calculator can help you find out how much you could get with each payment. (CNET)
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Guidance on how to prevent abuse of children with disabilities
Children with disabilities are at least three times more likely to experience abuse and neglect compared to their peers, and a new American Academy of Pediatrics report underscores the role of pediatricians in preventing maltreatment and offers guidance on how they can support families.(STAT)
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Are you spending your parenting time and energy wisely?
As we juggle work and home, with our time always squeezed, how can we ensure that we are spending our parenting time and energy in the right ways, especially as our children age and change? It begins with two questions. (Harvard Business Review)
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How intimate partner violence affects children's health |
Childhood should be a happy and carefree time, but often it doesn’t work out that way. Children are exposed to all the stresses and strains that affect the families and communities in which they grow up. Recent research shows this can have lifelong implications for health.
A recent study found one in three children (and their mothers) in the study had experienced intimate partner violence or domestic abuse by the time the children in the study turned ten. (The Conversation)
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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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