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Newsletter, September 2020
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New Partnership Expands Tele-screening Work
A new partnership with Catholic Charities of Dallas will expand the tele-screening work we've conducted over the summer for young children in Dallas. Catholic Charities' new Together We're Better program is a 16-week mobile parenting and early learning program designed to promote nurturing and caring parents focused on the early education of their children. The program also provides basic needs support, such as food and diapers. CCF has agreed to partner with Catholic Charities to provide virtual developmental screenings to the children enrolled in Together We're Better. The virtual screenings will assess young children's development across 5 domains, providing early identification of delays and disabilities, and connecting families with early intervention services when the screenings indicate such needs. We look forward to partnering with Catholic Charities in serving these new families!
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COVID-19 Impact Survey Highlights Stressors and Coping Strategies Among Families
In an effort to measure the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on at-risk families with young children, we recently surveyed 124 past participants of our Play With Me program. Initial analyses of the survey results have highlighted the stressors that families are feeling, including the ability to pay for basic needs, difficulty balancing responsibilities, changes in childcare arrangements, decline in the quality of family relationships, and reduced income. In our sample, 30% reported job loss. To cope with these stressors, a majority of respondents reported finding new ways of connecting with family and friends. Additional coping strategies included spending time outside, feeling a greater appreciation for family, being able to relax when feeling stressed, and relying on faith as a source of support. The most commonly endorsed coping strategies were feeling a deeper appreciation for life and being more grateful for each day. Results from this research are being used to inform the social and emotional outreach support services we are providing to families during these difficult times.
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New Research Analyzes Caregivers' Experiences of Racism on their Children's Emotional Health
Recently published findings from the Dallas Project on Educational Pathways (DPrEP) have highlighted the effects of Black mothers' experiences of racism on their children's emotional health during an early period in their development of racial awareness. The DPrEP study, co-directed by CCF director Dr. Margaret T. Owen and Dr. Margaret O. Caughy of the University of Georgia, has followed the development of Black/African American and Mexican American children since they were 2½ years old. In this analysis of the children as they moved from kindergarten to first grade, parents' past-year experiences with racism were associated with increases in anxious and sad behavior in their children, especially when the parents reported using more preparation for racial bias with their young children. The findings add to the literature on racism and further elucidate roles played by aspects of ethnic-racial socialization practices in these early years.
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From the Director
Fall has arrived and we are continuing to work and teach remotely and support families virtually. I'm particularly excited about our new partnership with Catholic Charities of Dallas and how we will be able to support one another in providing developmental screenings to at-risk children, free of charge to families. With the many compounding stressors that families are feeling, from job loss to illness to the cultural reckoning of racial injustice, supports, understanding, and resources are all needed. CCF strives to be a beacon of light for families during these dark and uncertain times. Thank you for supporting us in this endeavor.
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