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Listen to this30 APRIL
A major study has just shown that kids who grow up in low-income families develop smaller brains than those raised in more affluent circumstances. The research led by neuroscientists at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Columbia University Medical Center is not the first to point out this phenomenon. A 2013 study at the Washington University School of Medicine also found smaller brain volumes in people who had experienced poverty as young children as well as difficulties with stress memory and processing emotion.
Information like this can lead in two directions: to despair or to action. We could conclude that poor kids are biologically doomed to a lifetime of low achievement. Or we could act immediately to improve the early experiences of these children while redoubling our efforts to end poverty. Despair is a non-starter. Putting aside humanitarian concerns the United States cannot afford to limit the prospects of the 20 percent of its children who grow up in poverty.
As Harvard University's Charles Nelson wrote in an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association:
"If we wish to protect our children's brains we must work hard to protect their young minds. Exposure to early life adversity should be considered no less toxic than exposure to lead alcohol or cocaine and as such it merits similar attention from public health authorities."
What if 20 percent of our children were exposed to cocaine in early childhood? We would treat it as a national emergency. Poverty is a national emergency. Strangely we are often resigned to a significant portion of our country living in poverty even though we know what works to lift families to self-sufficiency.
We love stories of people who grew up poor and turn out to be amazing achievers. Sometimes we take those stories as proof that poverty does not have a long-term limiting effect. But we celebrate these rags-to-riches stories precisely because they defy the odds. Instead we should be changing the odds to produce more happy endings.
Researchers in the brain development studies have been quick to point out that improving a child's environment can insulate a child from the damaging effects of poverty. That is hard to do – even significantly more difficult when financial pressures bring extreme stress into a household. A Yale University study I co-authored found that the inability to buy an adequate supply of diapers was associated with stress and depression in low-income mothers. We know that maternal stress and depression trigger a host of bad outcomes for children.
Providing better supports to struggling families can make the job of parenting less overwhelming and create more opportunities for parents to provide the nurturing that we know helps kids immediately and for the rest of their lives. In all my years of working with families in poverty I have consistently seen that parents want to do what's best for their children. Often all they lack are resources. We now have proof that providing those resources will help all children in the long run.
Providing those resources is the kind and just thing to do. It is also a matter of urgency. We cannot place one in five American children at risk of permanent limitations – not if we want to remain an economic power. Children are always the smartest investment. A growing body of research is proving that delaying that investment will have tragic outcomes for all of us.
PR Newswire
28 April 2015
More: http://www.pharmiweb.com/pressreleases/pressrel.asp?ROW_ID=113804#.VUHnzekcSUk#ixzz3YmO7ZW00
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28 APRIL
The care of children matters to all of us. But today there are millions of children around the world that are not cared for adequately. It is a global crisis and one that will only get worse. There are an estimated 151 million children worldwide with either one or both parents dead, with at least 13 million of these children having lost both parents (UNICEF 2013).
"Everybody wants to go home to live with their parents so they can give you love and attention.” (10-year-old girl living in residential care in Guyana)
Adequate care means that children grow up in a permanent, safe and caring family. Many children are separated from their families because they cannot afford to care for them. Other move to attend school or access health services unavailable to them at home.
Children that aren’t cared for adequately are less likely to attend or do well in school, they are less able to access health and other basic services, and they are more likely to engage in anti-social and criminal behaviours. The lack of care affects their physical, emotional and cognitive development and can sometimes even be life-threatening. This in turn has an impact on society as the future prospects of children without adequate care are often severely limited. As adults, they are often less able to access employment, more likely to experience poverty and more likely to be dependent on the state. Inadequate care can hinder efforts towards development targets such as growth, employment, poverty reduction, health, education and humanitarian preparedness and response.
Children that aren’t cared for adequately are less likely to attend or do well in school, they are less able to access health and other basic services, and they are more likely to engage in anti-social and criminal behaviours. The lack of care affects their physical, emotional and cognitive development and can sometimes even be life-threatening. This in turn has an impact on society as the future prospects of children without adequate care are often severely limited. As adults, they are often less able to access employment, more likely to experience poverty and more likely to be dependent on the state. Inadequate care can hinder efforts towards development targets such as growth, employment, poverty reduction, health, education and humanitarian preparedness and response.
Children have rights and these rights have already been translated into global guidance endorsed by the UN. But improving the care of children requires major efforts and political will. Investment in vulnerable families and communities are needed to strengthen their ability to care for their own children. Investments must also be made in quality, family-based, alternative care. Families living in poverty need greater access to social protection and basic services. It also means giving children without adequate care a stronger voice and raising awareness of their needs. Ensuring that all children are adequately cared for is within our reach.
Our recommendations:
Build an in-depth understanding of care in each context, and develop locally appropriate responses.
Make the care of children a political and financial priority.
Ensure broader development and humanitarian work reinforces the effective care of children.
Increase the coverage and quality of social protection in order to strengthen the capacity of families to care for children.
Ensure that each country adheres to the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.
Family for Every Child
May 2015
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24 APRIL
Fewer than half of the adults in an in-depth qualitative research study conducted by American Humane Association say that our nation's children are healthy, receive a good education, or are safe. The study group, involving a geographically, ethnically, and age-diverse sampling of 100 parents, step-parents, grandparents, step-grandparents, grown siblings, aunts, uncles and other adults, was questioned on a wide range of topics including: The top perceived threats to the welfare, wellness and well-being of today's children; What barriers currently in their path can interfere with the future we want for our young people; Physical and emotional issues, including health, obesity, bullying, teen pregnancy; educational issues; drugs and alcohol; crime and violence; parenting; governmental and environmental issues; financial issues; and how we see our current treatment of America's children and their condition.
Key results
While there were a number of results that gave cause for hope, including
the degree to which adults are attuned to the challenges facing today's
children, the study found that the respondents see a daunting array of
traditional and emerging dangers facing children today, and many hold
bleak views about their physical, emotional and educational condition,
as well as how children in America are valued and treated.
Interestingly, men were about twice as likely as women to see children
as healthy and safe.
Key findings of the 2015 State of America's
Children research study include:
The Top Three Perceived Threats to Children: When asked to list
the top threat to children, the greatest number of respondents cited
educational concerns as the top issue, followed by physical and
emotional threats, bad parenting/no moral values, and drugs/alcohol.
Concerns over specific threats:
The degree of adult concern over specific threats to the welfare,
wellness and well-being of our children is both reassuring in that they
are not unaware of the problems facing our young people, and worrisome
in the degree to which adults believe that these problems are affecting
today's children. In a number of issue areas it is clear that media
attention and awareness programs on emerging dangers are reaching adults
and having an impact. In fact, on a five-point scale of "unconcerned,"
"very little concern," "somewhat concerned," "very concerned," and
"extremely concerned," many specific topics elicited the highest
responses of "very concerned" or "extremely concerned," including:
Texting while driving (87%); Absence of good adult supervision
(86%); Absence of positive attention by adults (83%), Illicit
drugs (83%); Bullying (73%); Exposure to family violence (72%);
Drugs/alcohol (72%); Poverty (72%) Obesity (71%); Sexual
abuse (71%); Physical abuse (70%); Dropping out of school (70%);
Exposure to violence in neighborhood (68%); Cyberbullying (67%);
Homelessness (65%); Social isolation (64%); Sexual trafficking (59%);
Dating violence (56%); Teen pregnancy (56%); Depression (55%); Violent
video games (50%); Violent TV (50%); Violent movies (49%);
War (42%); Terrorism (43%).
Relatively newer, serious dangers such as cyberbullying and texting while driving prompting significant concern ranked highly (67% and 87% respectively). A majority of people ranked what can be less obvious emotional threats such as social isolation (64%) and depression (55%) as very or extremely concerning, giving them the kind of prominence once more commonly reserved for highly visible more physical threats.
Interestingly, despite media attention, the threat of terrorism did not play high on adults' worries for today's young people. And the respondents were now split on other former hot-button issues such as violence in entertainment, with only half believing violence in videos, movies and television is a significant concern. Abuse and real-life violence of all kinds were prominent in adults' concerns, while extremely rare threats such as kidnapping hardly made an appearance.
These survey findings regarding concerns around physical and emotional well-being are consistent with what The Academic Pediatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have deemed the most important problem for U.S. children – the effects of poverty on child health and wellbeing, e.g. lack of affordable healthy food, lack of exercise, obesity and other physical/emotional health issues.
Men twice as likely as women to see children
as healthy and safe
Perceptions about the treatment of children in America:
We asked the nation's adults to assess how they feel children in America
are being treated in a broad number of ways. Some of the results,
especially those tied to the age-old American ideals of opportunity,
reflected continuing hope for the next generation, and men were about
twice as likely to see a rosy picture when asked about children's health
and safety, but a marked preponderance of those dealing with the
physical, emotional and educational realities facing today's young
people were alarming, with surprising numbers of people saying they
either "agree" or "strongly agree" with the following statements:
Children in America go hungry (82%); Children in America have opportunities to achieve/do well in life (74%); Children in America have opportunities to contribute/be generous/help (73%); Children in America have opportunities to play outside (66%); Children in America have access to health care (62%); Children in America are safe (48%) [Note: Men were more sanguine (63.8%) than women (34%) on this point]; Children in America receive good education (47%); Children in America have a connection to their self-identified culture (47%); Children in America are protected from harm (46%) [Note: Staying consistent, men were twice as likely to agree (61.7%) as women (32.1%)]; Children in America are treated with respect (44%); Children in America feel safe (43%) [Note: More than twice as many men agreed (59.6%) compared with women (28.3%)]; Children in America have access to mental health care (42%); Children in America have more than one adult who is unconditionally crazy about them/positively involved in their lives (39%); Children in America are emotionally healthy/cope well/help others/accept help from others (37%); Children in America are physically healthy (24%) [Note: Once again, a notable difference opinion arose across gender lines with 31.9 percent of men and just 17 percent of women agreeing].
Opinions on what government should focus on
Based on the concerns adults expressed in this survey, we asked their
thoughts about what government should focus on to ensure a healthy
future for America's children. Educational issues were runaway top
responses (42%), followed by issues affecting physical and emotional
well-being, government and environmental issues (11%), financial
problems (7%), and government intervention in parenting (5%).
PRNewswire-USNewswire
22 Apfil 2015
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22 APRIL
Have you seen parents yelling and getting rowdy at youth sport games? Have you been that parent? The youth sports community has become more competitive throughout the years, but most of that competitiveness stems from parents and coaches. Kids In The House interviewed John O'Sullivan, founder of Changing The Game Project, to share with parents how they can redefine the youth sports community and teach the true meaning of success to young athletes.
O'Sullivan founded The Changing The Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He tells parents that one of the most important conversations they have with their child athlete is during the car ride home from the game.
"The best thing that a parent can say to their kids after a game is really five simple words and that's 'I love watching you play'," he says.
O'Sullivan explains that too many parents use this time to overanalyze the game. He stresses the importance of understanding that kids simply need you to support them and let them relax at this time.
"This is the time when kids are physically and emotionally exhausted and they just want to unwind, and yet this is the time so many parents choose to criticize and critique their kid's performance or the performance of the coach or the performance of their teammates," says O'Sullivan. "And this is probably the least teachable moment."
O'Sullivan also encourages parents of very talented athletes to help them see their value as an individual and not just focus every aspect of their lives around the sport they play.
"John does a great job teaching coaches and parents that they need to focus on the child's personality rather than their performance," says Leana Greene, CEO of Kids In The House. "I've seen so many parents define their child solely as an athlete and focus too much on the sport rather than their happiness."
O'Sullivan teaches parents that a child's "state of mind will determine how well they play." As parents and coaches, he says adults need to encourage kids to play their best rather than play to win. This will help them as they progress and play at higher levels.
"The best players play with freedom," he says. "They play without fear and they are not afraid of making errors. They can play up to their potential."
Kids In The House is hosting a live Google Hangout broadcast on Thursday, April 23rd with John O'Sullivan, Natalie Hawkins, mother of Olympic Gold Medalist Gabrielle Douglas, John Haime, optimal sports psychologist, and Kevin Lake, film and branded entertainment executive who is currently producing Playing It Forward with Robert Downey Jr. and a documentary on former NFL player Steve Gleason.
For more advice on raising an athlete, watch all of John O'Sullivan's videos on KidsInTheHouse.com.
About Kids in the House
Kids in the House is the world's largest parenting video library with over 8,000 videos from 450 experts, including physicians, psychologists, researchers, educators, best-selling authors, and other celebrated voices in our culture. This website contains videos that feature parenting tips for all parenting styles from parents who have dealt with particular issues and can share their hard-earned wisdom.
Kids in the House is a place where parents have the opportunity to hear and share different perspectives and get solutions for parenting challenges that range from pregnancy to getting into college. The videos aim to help parents and caregivers become better at parenting by educating, inspiring, and entertaining. The videos are split into the following categories: All Parents, Pregnancy, Adoption, Baby, Toddler, Preschool, Elementary, Teen, and Special Needs.
Leana Greene, founder and CEO of Kids in the House, is a parenting trends expert and one of the top female entrepreneurs in the United States. She aims for this website to be the most comprehensive resource of parenting advice available – one that respects the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
21 April 2015
Press release, PR Newswire
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-truth-behind-competitive-parents-ruining-youth-sports-300068982.htm
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20 APRIL
President Barack Obama called it a humanitarian crisis and ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate an emergency response.
But the United States is not alone among the developed and developing economies in facing problems associated with unaccompanied migrant children, some not yet in their teens. The issue is confronting policymakers around the globe and challenging a number of established societal assumptions about childhood.
Relevant to San Diego
In San Diego last week, academic researchers from more than 30 countries gathered for the 4th International Conference on the Geographies of Children, Youth and Families. The three-day conference was organized by San Diego State University's Department of Geography to discuss topics ranging from youth migration to child labor, educational policies, violence against children and young people's rights and well-being.
"San Diego was a good setting for this year's conference themes—borders and well-being," said Stuart Aitken, former chair of SDSU's geography department.
"It may be argued that the field of children's geographies got a start here in 1998, when a National Science Foundation grant brought together a dozen or so young academics to establish an ongoing discussion about the place of children and youth in the world, how they imagine it and grow into it, which aspects of that world limit their growth and development, and how they push back against those limits."
Not a new phenomenon
Karen Wells, a researcher at the University of London who studies the impact of globalization on children, said she attended to learn about new research in the field. The United Kingdom is currently experiencing youth migration from Eritrea and Afghanistan, she said.
The theme of border crossings threaded through the conference, culminating with a panel discussion of unaccompanied migrant children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into California, Arizona and Texas.
News report
28 January\\ 2015
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-01-youth-migration-definitions-childhood.html#jCp
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17 APRIL
USA
Bipartisan response to
growing child and
youth homelessness introduced
Advocates today applauded the introduction of bipartisan legislation to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles that deny federal assistance to nearly one million homeless children and youth.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates that nearly 1.3 million children and youth in America are homeless. Children and youth face the same problems as other homeless Americans, including hunger, health problems, and increased risk of exploitation and violence. But because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) uses a different definition of “homeless” than other federal agencies, the bulk of the nation’s homeless children and youth cannot get basic HUD-funded assistance. HUD’s definition and associated paperwork requirements practically exclude many homeless families from a safe place to stay, employment assistance, help finding housing, counseling, and help accessing health care and child care.
The Homeless Children and Youth Act, sponsored in the United States Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Steve Stivers (R-Ohio-15) and Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa-2nd), would eliminate the definitional obstacle and funding restrictions that effectively deny most homeless children and youth basic assistance. The bill would not require local governments and nonprofits receiving HUD funds to prioritize children and youth over adults, but it would empower local leaders to serve all homeless people and end current policies that deny most homeless children and youth the same assistance available to homeless adults.
Organizations endorsing the legislation included the First Focus Campaign for Children, the National Network for Youth, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, and Covenant House. Responding to the bill’s introduction, these organizations released the following statement by First Focus Campaign for Children president, Bruce Lesley:
“HUD denies help to nearly a million homeless children and youth who live every day with hunger, trauma, exploitation and violence. This bill offers a bipartisan plan to level the playing field, so Washington bureaucrats can no longer deny homeless people help just because they’re young.”
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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization.
Ed Walz 27-1-2015
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15 APRIL
New Zealand’s first youth work degree
Youth worker Jessie Hitchcock is among the first cohort of students to complete the ground-breaking new Bachelor of Youth Development at Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec).
Jessie graduates at WelTec’s Wellington graduation ceremony on Tuesday 14 April at the Michael Fowler Centre.
Jessie works at Vibe, a Wellington youth health service.
“The Bachelor of Youth Development has been incredibly beneficial for my career,” says Jessie, “And I’m building up a professional network for the future. I may even move into the area of justice and youth policy. It’s wide open and new, and a really exciting time in the field,” she says.
The Bachelor of Youth Development is the only degree of its kind in New Zealand. Traditionally professionals working with young people have been broadly trained as social workers, which runs the risk of glossing over the challenges and issues that adolescents and young adults uniquely face.
Jessie is already applying the new skills she has been learning over the last three years. The programme involves ongoing work experience placements and professional supervision, “The degree is absolutely relevant and I’ve used it on a daily basis. I’m learning how to reflect on my own performance in my practice, and to keep on evaluating it.”
The design of the Bachelor of Youth Development facilitates flexible study which can be done in the workplace and online, with regular face to face workshops. From July this year, it will be on offer to students all over New Zealand, starting with the South Island, where the association of Youth Work Professionals in Christchurch has offered its network as a support system.
MaryLou Sloane, Head of the School of Health and Social Services, says the degree is helping to make youth development a professional career option.
“There are estimated to be 3000 youth workers employed in New Zealand and many volunteers. We’re helping to improve youth work practice and the skill level of practitioners,” she says.
At graduations in Wellington and Auckland this week eighteen students will achieve their Bachelor of Youth Development.
Press Release: Weltec
14 April 2015
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1504/S00032/new-zealands-first-youth-work-degree.htm
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13 APRIL
Former Adams County Youth Court Judge John N. Hudson is assisting juvenile courts across Mississippi with abused, neglected and delinquent children. Hudson retired in December after 31 years on the bench in Adams County.
Hudson says in a news release that he will work to bring uniform practices to the way children are treated in the courts throughout the state. His began work April 1.
The Jurist in Residence position is patterned after a similar program created in Texas to assist its juvenile courts.
In the 21 Mississippi counties, a county court judge oversees the Youth Court. The chancery courts handle juvenile cases in 61 counties where there is no county court.
Seattle-based Casey Family Programs is providing $60,000 for the Jurist in Residence position for a year
The Associated Press
10 April 2015
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10 APRIL
USA
This month, we recognize National Youth Violence Prevention Week, an initiative of the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). The campaign aims to raise awareness and to educate students, teachers, school administrators and the public on effective ways to prevent or reduce youth violence.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 32.8 percent of ninth through twelfth graders reported being in a physical fight in 2011, the last year in which data is available. One year of homicides and assault-related injuries among youth ages 10 to 24 costs Americans an estimated $16.2 billion in lifetime combined medical and work loss costs.
As a state legislator, I serve on the Violence Prevention Task Force, which aims to understand the underlying causes of youth violence and develop a comprehensive plan for addressing those issues. I have also sponsored legislation to create a bullying hotline to provide a safe place for students to anonymously report bullying and harassment.
While these are both steps in the right direction, it ultimately takes a community-based approach to reduce youth violence. I look forward to continuing my efforts on the Violence Prevention Task Force, to facilitate a conversation between parents, educators, religious leaders, law enforcement officials, health professionals and legislators, so we can work together to keep our children safe.
Whenever you have ideas on how my work in Springfield can help keep our children safe at home, I hope you will contact me at 618-282-7284, or email me at staterepcostello@gmail.com.
Jerry F. Costello II
9 April 2015
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8 APRIL
CANADA
Province to engage with public and aboriginal partners to modernize the Act
Ontario is launching the third review of the Child and Family Services Act (CFSA), which governs the operation of many of the province's programs and services for children and youth.
The review, which must be undertaken every five years, will target two key areas – improving outcomes for children and youth, and modernizing and clarifying the language of the Act.
The public engagement process includes:
Regional engagement sessions
Engagement with First Nations, Métis, Inuit and urban Aboriginal partners
Written submissions
Social media engagement to help capture and encourage input from youth.
This review is an opportunity to improve services for children, youth and families across the province.
Quick facts
The CFSA is one of the key statutes administered by the Minister of Children and Youth Services.
Since the first review in 2005, the government has worked with the public in developing important updates to legislation.
Press release
Newsoom Ontario
http://news.ontario.ca/mcys/en/2014/09/ontario-launches-child-and-family-services-act-review.html
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1 APRIL
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr42.htm
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