Center for Urban Child Policy TUCI | Memphis

The Center for Urban Child Policy Blog Has Moved!

2010-04-07T16:53:00.003-05:00

Friends, we are delighted to let you know that our parent organization, The Urban Child Institute in Memphis, Tennessee, has established a Current Discussions page on their web-site.

That page now hosts our ongoing efforts to connect the very best research on early childhood brain development with both longitudinal evaluations of early interventions and policy efforts to promote stronger child development in Memphis. We hope that you will continue to engage with our work at its new address. We thank you for your feedback over the years, and we pledge to take advantage of the capacities of the new address, in particular the opportunity to engage with the larger group of researchers, and children's advocates at The Urban Child Institute.

We think you will appreciate the broader range of perspectives available at the new site. We will also make sure that the posts from affiliates of the Center for Urban Child Policy carry the tag: Research and Policy

New Parent Survey Demonstrates Gaps in Developmental Knowledge

2010-04-01T17:41:00.002-05:00

Parents control the experiences and environments that shape their children’s foundational early brain development. In June 2009, Zero to Three commissioned a survey of parents with infants and toddlers to find out how much they understand about the link between a child’s earliest experiences and their early brain development. This survey was nationally representative of parents raising young children. They also queried parents about the sources they turn to for advice on how to best support their children’s early development and while some of their findings were encouraging, others were disturbing.

The good news is that parents readily understand the links between their children’s earliest learning experiences and their cognitive development and some aspects of how to support social development.
- Fully 93% of parents surveyed understand the importance of reading to children in order to support cognitive development;
- Better than 80% understand the importance of play for supporting children’s social development; and
- Nearly three-quarters of young parents understand the importance of talking to young children to support their early language and literacy abilities (Hart Research Associates, November 2009).

Unfortunately, many parents fail to understand how early children begin to develop their social and emotional capacities and consequently they often fail to understand how strong an influence they can have on their children’s emotional development and/or what they need to do to support that development.

Science tells us that children begin to experience sadness and fear between birth and six months of age. Infants are also able to tell when their parents are upset during the first six months of life.
- 30% of parents nationwide know that their children can experience sadness and fear so early;
- Only 44% of parents know that children can tell when they are upset in the first 6 months of life and 20% thought that children do not develop that ability till they are 2 years old.
- 43% of parents were also unaware that the areas of a child’s brain which enable them to control temper tantrums do not begin to develop significantly till ages 3 to 5.
- Fully a third of African American parents and a quarter of Hispanic parents felt that children should be able to control temper tantrums by age 2.
Typically this misunderstanding means that parents assess children’s inability to exercise self-control as defiance as opposed to a lack of developmental capacity.

All of these findings beg the question, where do parents turn for information about childrearing and how can providers and practitioners get accurate developmental information into the hands of parents? The survey found that almost half (44%) of parents rely on their own parents, typically their mothers and mothers in law for information about development and parenting. A significant percentage (30%+) also look to their faith communities for information about how to guide their children’s development. Comparatively, 13% of parents said they turned to parenting books, magazines or other outside sources for advice. Zero to Three recommends that providers and practitioners need to find ways to get information into the hands of grandparents and faith communities in order to help parents get accurate information on child development.

These groups are also an important target because they are such an important source of child care for young children nationally. Before the recession, 50% of children between birth and age 3 were in family, friend and neighbor care (FFN). That percentage has only increased over the last two years since a quarter of parents surveyed had to change their child care because of financial hardship. Grandparents, extended families and friends are only becoming more important as a source of regular child care since parents are increasingly less able to afford formal care outside the home.

Sources

Hart Research Associates. (November 2009). Parenting Infants and Toddlers Today: Research Findings. Washington D.C.: Zero to Three. < docid="10881">

Revisiting the Significance of Public Investment in Pre-K

2010-03-17T13:45:00.001-05:00

Last week, the candidates for governor gathered at the Capitol for a panel discussion on issues affecting Tennessee children. One of the issues before the candidates was the future of Tennessee’s voluntary pre-kindergarten program.

If there is one lesson we should draw from more than forty years of careful scientific research on pre-school, it is that high quality early education makes a world of difference for children. The first few years of life are a period of profound brain development, and the quality of the pre-school experiences of children matters for their school readiness and achievement. Children who attend high quality pre-kindergarten programs are much more likely to reach school ready to learn.

A recent report out of the Tennessee Comptroller’s office appears to minimize the gains made by children in Tennessee’s pre-kindergarten program.
It would be a mistake to take this report at face value.

No children from Memphis City Schools (MCS) were included in the Comptroller’s study. This is an astonishing oversight when Memphis is the largest school district in the state, and has the largest concentration of both low-income and minority children in the state – precisely those cohorts of children most likely to benefit from pre-kindergarten.

The best national data shows that a wealth of benefits for young children and their communities follow when we invest in pre-kindergarten. Middle and upper income children do better when they reach kindergarten. Much more dramatic improvements are made by lower-income children.

When children who otherwise would be at-risk for poor educational outcomes attend high quality pre-kindergarten programs, their language and cognitive abilities improve, they are less likely to fail a grade, and they are more likely to complete high school and to enroll in college.

Memphis City Schools has administered a careful evaluation of children entering and completing pre-kindergarten each year since 2005. The evidence from this evaluation is clear: a year of pre-kindergarten helps children prepare for school. The average 4-year old in Memphis starts pre-k with language skills slightly behind what would be considered typical for a 4 year old nationally. With a year of pre-kindergarten under their belts, these same children are ahead of the curve when it is time to enter kindergarten. These children will show more rapid vocabulary growth as they progress through school, which will translate into stronger reading scores in subsequent grades.

What’s the bottom line? If we look only at the dollars, pre-kindergarten makes phenomenally good sense. For every dollar invested, pre-kindergarten programs return between $4 and $7. These returns are seen in higher rates of high school graduation, higher rates of college attendance, lower rates of teen pregnancy, lower rates of reliance on welfare, and lower rates of criminality.
In short, high quality pre-kindergarten is among the very smartest public investments we can make.

Electronic medias show mixed effects on children’s emotional and moral development.

2010-03-09T23:09:00.002-06:00

Children's optimal development is a function of their early environmental inputs, and electronic media is a key part of that environment. Today, American children are bombarded with electronic media, from television, to video games, computers, and iPods. The Future of Children recently released an evaluation of the effects of media on child well-being. On the one hand, the study found that content intended to encourage pro-social behavior led to increased cooperation, tolerance, and altruism among children. Similarly, children exposed to health marketing campaigns designed to prevent smoking, drug, and alcohol use and to promote physical activity and safe sexual practices were likely to engage in less risky behaviors.

On the other hand, entertainment and news programming led to higher levels of fear and anxiety among children. Similarly, high levels of media consumption are associated with unhealthy behaviors like alcohol and tobacco use. Perhaps most disturbing, young children believe that commercials are simply informative, rather than understanding their potential to manipulate.

The Take Away: Adults advance healthy social, emotional, and moral development in children when they insure that children are exposed to age appropriate media. Adults should limit advertisement and marketing exposure, while expanding pro-social electronic media access.

References
Children and electronic media. (2008). The Future of Children, 18(1), Retrieved from http://www.policyforchildren.org/pdf/Children%20and%20Electronic%20Media_18_01_ExecSummary.pdf

The Urban Child Institute Event- "Brain and Body: How The Immune System Makes A Smarter Brain"

2010-03-09T14:24:00.002-06:00

The First Years: Early Brain Stimulation May Aid Cognition

By Barbara Holden
Special To My Life

The Neuroscience Institute of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center will feature nationally recognized neuroscience professionals during a national Brain Awareness Week presentation March 18 to promote brain science and positive behaviors that enhance brain development in early childhood.

The Urban Child Institute considers stronger brain development among future generations one of the key long-term strategies for improving quality of life in Shelby County.

One fact we know now is that most brain development occurs in the earliest years of life. Most of the brain's cells are formed before birth, and most connections among cells are made during infancy and early childhood.

"There is no doubt the brain is the most flexible early in life, when synaptic connections are being made and optimized," said Dr. Staci Bilbo, a professor in the department of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and one of the program's guest speakers.

The free presentation is open to the public and will be held at the Urban Child Institute, 600 Jefferson Ave., at 6:30 p.m. To register, call Brenda Williams at 385-4234 or e-mail her at bwilliams@theurbanchildinstitute.org.

We are fortunate to have this availability of professionals to drive understanding and improvements for early-child brain development in Shelby County.

"This is an event for child care professionals, educators, but really to reach ordinary folks -- parents and caregivers," said Dr. Paul Herron, a professor with the UT Neuroscience Institute. "We want to emphasize brain development so that parents and families have a better understanding of what causes and enriches development, learning and behavior."

A hurdle in education is overcoming a myth that because infants and toddlers aren't talking that not much is happening behind those pretty little faces. Far from it, people in their early years of life have much more brain activity occurring than they will as adults.

"You only have neural cells being born in adults in a very limited capacity," Bilbo said. "Because new neurons and new connections between these cells are the very basis of cognition, you automatically have less of it occurring when you are older than when you are young."

Parents and caregivers can have maximum impact on a young child's brain development by doing a couple of basic things.

First, talk -- a lot -- to your children. Research demonstrates that when children hear more words, spoken in complete sentences, it contributes to making them better learners and achievers later in life.

Second, environment is so important to cognitive development. Children need nurturing, loving care. Singing, playing and reading make a mighty contribution.

Barbara Holden is a director at the Urban Child Institute, a Greater Memphis organization dedicated to promoting early childhood development. The Commercial Appeal is a partner with the Urban Child Institute in this effort to help parents and other care givers learn skills that nurture and educate the minds of infants and children. For more information, go to theurbanchildinstitute.org or dial 211 for the Public Library and Information Center.

* This First Years article appeared in The Commercial Appeal on March 9, 2010.

Play time supports cognitive and social development that lasts into adulthood

2010-03-06T16:55:00.001-06:00

Often dismissed as childish, play may actually be is the most important way for young children to grow, learn about their surroundings, and actually build stronger brains. Play allows young children to hone their attention spans and to learn to focus on specific tasks. When they are at play, children are strengthening their motors skills, visual tracking, and hand-eye coordination. Cooperative play with other children helps to develop creative thinking, problem solving, decision making, and communication skills like listening, cooperating, and negotiating. Despite the growing popularity of expensive playthings, children need very little to maximize their play experiences. Uninterrupted and unstructured play time is important. Children need safe play spaces where they can explore and interact with materials freely. Boxes, spoons, blankets, and bowls can unleash creativity just as effectively as pricey educational toys.

Adults who were allowed adequate play time in childhood are more flexible, more knowledgeable about the world, and are more flexible in their thinking. In contrast, children who were denied play time are much more likely to become adults who are less trustful and less cooperative.

The Take Away: Play helps young children to develop their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. Play-time is an important way to nurture optimal early childhood brain development. Children who play grow into adults who are better able to adapt and navigate through complex environments.

References
Advance of the science of play. (n.d.). The National Institute for Play, Retrieved from http://www.nifplay.org/science_intro.html

Grace, F. (2010). The Importance of play. Public Agenda, Retrieved from http://publicagenda.org/blogs/the-importance-of-play

Play. (n.d.). Better Brains for Babies, Retrieved from http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/bbb/play.php

New research seeks to understand the link between infant brain development and bipolar disorder in young children

2010-03-05T20:10:00.000-06:00

Since the mid 1990’s, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children has increased 4,000%. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) also realizes the damages that premature diagnosis of bipolar disorder can have on young children. In an attempt to reduce the number of diagnosis and the risk factors involved with prescribing medications with possible metabolic side effects, the DSM has created a new title for children that exhibit bipolar characteristics, Temper Dysregulatory Disorder (TDD). Scientists are hoping that the American Psychiatric Association will embrace TDD, rather than labeling children with a chronic, life-long disorder that will require a lifetime of medication.

Two Brown University researchers are studying the link between brain development in infants and later bipolar diagnosis in children. This research will focus on myelination, the creation of the fatty lining that surrounds the brain’s fibers and neurons. Recent studies suggest that abnormal myelination can lead to nuerodevelopmental disorders like autism.

The Take Away: By observing the development of normal myelination in contrast with abnormal myelination, the scientists hope to discern which regions of the brain control language acquisition, motor skills, memory, and vision in children— in addition to how they develop, and how delays are produced.

References
Spiegel, A. (2010). Children labeled 'bipolar' may get a new diagnosis. National Public Radio, Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123544191&ft=1&f=1001

Two brown faculty to study brain development in infants and children with bipolar disorder. (2009). Medical News Today, Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173314.php

Poverty in early childhood affects the brain in ways that carry into adulthood

2010-02-28T19:16:00.001-06:00

Scientists are using new strategies to examine the neurobiological effects of poverty on the developing brain. Through epigenetic profiling, hormonal studies, and neurological brain imaging, researchers can identify the effects of growing up in poverty on brain growth. The scientists find that poverty in early childhood (the first five years) has effects that last into adulthood. Compared to children from middle-income families, children who grew up in poverty finished two fewer years of school, and they worked 451 fewer hours. As a group, poor children grew up to earn about half as much and needed about $800 more in social support. Poverty in childhood also led to a greater chance of being an overweight adult, and doubled the risk of health or psychological problems.

In 2008, 14 million American children lived in poverty. In Memphis, 23% of young children (age five or younger) live in dire poverty – about $10,000 a year for a mother and child. These children are likely to live in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty and crime. Understanding the negative influence of poverty on early brain development underscores the importance of family income as one factor that promotes optimal brain development.

References
Due to the current recession, an additional. (n.d.). The Urban Child Institute, Retrieved from http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Download.php?fileId=49da4b38dee2a3.04560655

Duncan, G, Magnuson, K, Boyce, T, & LaShonkoffst, J. (2010). The Long reach of early childhood poverty: pathways and impacts. Center on the Developing Child, Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/

LaSantinist, J.L. (2010, February 21). Poverty in childhood can shape neurobiology: study. Yahoo News, Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100222/sc_afp/sciencesocialpovertyuschildren

Excessive fear and anxiety are detrimental to brain development

2010-02-25T17:17:00.002-06:00

Persistent fear, stress, and anxiety can disrupt brain development in children, causing long-term physical and psychological delays. Fear triggers the stress response system of the brain. Long term stress response activity can disrupt the brain’s circuitry. This is especially detrimental during periods of rapid brain growth like those within the first 3 years of life. Persistent fear, stress, and anxiety in childhood can damage memory, stress regulation, and social/behavioral development. In children younger than 3, continual fear and anxiety can diminish the capacity to learn.

Infants begin to recognize fear between 6 and 12 months old. Children at this age may show anxiety when surrounded by strangers or display fear of a toy that is loud and unpredictable. As they grow, young children begin to exhibit unrealistic fears based within their imagination. These are all normal phases of growth. These fears disappear once children are able to interact socially, control inanimate objects, and differentiate between reality and imagination. Fear that is associated with threatening circumstances and maltreatment is significantly different in nature. It does not disappear.

References
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2010). Persistent Fear and Anxiety Can Affect Young Children’s Learning and Development: Working Paper No. 9. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu

Affection and attachment are linked to brain development

2010-02-23T17:16:00.002-06:00

Positive interactions with adults create emotional information that is integrated by the amygdala and stored in the hippocampus of the developing brain. These interactions including holding, singing, kissing, and gazing, spark neurochemical activities and aid in the organization and wiring of the brain. Even after emotional memories cannot be remembered, they continue to play a large role in relationship development and attachment. One-on-one interactions with adults develop the brain and strengthen the areas that teach children how to communicate in social contexts. Infants who experienced secure, positive interactions with adults are more likely to be able to establish healthy relationships later in life.

Before an infant’s sense of smell, sound, or taste has developed, the sense of touch dominates his experiences with the world. The part of the nervous system responsible for touch is the somatosensory system. It helps to shape health, sensitivity, motor skills, and even emotional wellbeing. Touch therapy and affection have been attributed to better weight gain, healthy growth, and social development in infants. Because brain growth is so rapid within the first year, affectionate interactions are vital for optimal brain development.

References
Holden, Barbara. (n.d.). The Urban Child Institute, Retrieved from http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Downloads/FirstYearsColumn/03_04_08_Holden.pdf

Attachment and the role of the caregiver. (n.d.). Better Brains for Babies, Retrieved from http://www.bbbgeorgia.org/attachCareGiver.php

Attachment . (n.d.). Better Brains for Babies, Retrieved from http://www.bbbgeorgia.org/attach.php

Improving the prospects for America's future through early childhood investment

2010-02-22T10:22:00.002-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Organization of American States (OAS) meeting in Puebla, Mexico on initial and basic education for indigenous and rural children. Puebla is a beautiful and thriving city; and I look forward to returning soon, with my family in tow.

Additionally, the conference was an eye-opening experience in terms of public investment in early childhood development. Early childhood (particularly the period between 0 and 3) is the period of most rapid brain development, and it is the period in which targeted public investments generate the greatest financial and social returns.

While we in the United States tend to think about education as starting at kindergarten or first grade, the Mexican state of Puebla is pushing to begin their educational process much earlier. They envision a universal system of center-based education for children between the ages of 3 and 7 (the period of basic education). Meanwhile, they are developing a curriculum for initial education between a child’s birth and age 3.

The OAS conference drew speakers from Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Bolivia, the United States, and Canada, and it was striking to see the common ground shared across each of these national contexts. First, there was a keen sense of the challenges confronting the entire hemisphere. Futurists tell us that the kindergartners entering school next fall will emerge from the educational system in a dozen years or so into a world far different from the present; they will apply for jobs that don’t yet exist; and will be expected to master technologies that have yet to be invented.

Moreover, the odds of maintaining a competitive position in the workforce of the future are daunting, given worldwide population trends. To see this, we need only compare the number of children in North America with the number in India in China. There are roughly ten times as many Indian and Chinese children as there are North American children. (In other words, there are as many third graders in the top ten percent of the class in India and China as there are third graders in all classrooms in the U.S. and Canada combined; and the same is true for every grade).

How then do we best prepare our children for the world they will inherit? Here, again, the presenters in Puebla shared a similar message: The seeds of academic and life-long success are sown long before children reach school. Rightly, we lament the achievement gap that emerges between ethnic and racial groups, and between children of the poor and children of the middle-class, with lasting implications for individuals, families, and communities. But much of this achievement gap has its origin in early childhood development. In other words, to a large degree, a child’s success in school is a product of their early childhood experiences and early brain development – all of which takes place long before children enter kindergarten.

The scholars at the OAS conference were quick to highlight the good news in this story: First, a half century of careful research on early childhood brain development helps us to understand how to improve the developmental well-being of children. Second, these early years present an extraordinary opportunity to shape the future not only of children – but also of societies. This is because there is tremendous plasticity in the developing brain.

Third, the research is equally clear that – as a cohort, children who experience strong and nurturing early childhoods are likely to do better over the long term, both in school and in other facets of life.

And here is the best news of all: by maximizing the likelihood that young children will develop to their full capacity, societies have the greatest chance of shaping their own futures in the face of growing uncertainty.

Family mealtimes assist in the development of relationships, language, and motor skills

2010-02-16T16:43:00.004-06:00

Hectic work and family schedules make it difficult to plan family meals. Although 80 percent of American families say that they value family meals, only a third of families actually eat a meal together daily. Meanwhile, a growing body of research suggests that family meals are a great way to promote optimal social, emotional, and cognitive early childhood development. Healthy and nutritious meals support optimal brain development. Additionally, regular family mealtimes are an opportunity for infants to learn motor skills, be introduced to new words, and develop good eating habits. Through positive interactions and engaged eye contact, routine family meals can create trusting, supportive relationships between parents and children. Infants begin to feed themselves between 6 and 12 months of age, helping their development of fine motor skills. The mouth muscles that are exercised during self-feeding are also important in speech development. When families eat together, children hear new vocabulary and learn how to express their ideas. When parents work to include family meals in their schedules, children tend to be healthier, to do better academically, and to learn stronger communication skills.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest finds that meals cooked at home are much healthier as well. They contain half the calories than those in restaurants, are higher in calcium and fiber, and lower in saturated fats. As children get older, mealtimes offer an opportunity for parents to discuss values, expectations, school, and friends. Children who share family meal times are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as adolescents. For more information on how to customize nutritious meals for your family, visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/

References
Holden, B. (n.d.). The Urban Child Institute, Retrieved from http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Download.php?fileId=4936d4066bcdf9.39496939

Holden, B. (n.d.). Special to my life. The Urban Child Institute, Retrieved from http://tiny.cc/TUCI380

Mealtimes matter for healthy brain development. (n.d.). Better Brains for Babies, Retrieved from http://www.bbbgeorgia.org/physicalMealtimes.php

Trends in health care coverage for American children are mixed: eligibility has expanded, but states – including Tennessee – are cutting back

2010-02-11T17:27:00.002-06:00

Access to health care is a fundamental component of optimal early childhood brain and physical development. Across Tennessee, 158, 759 children were without health insurance in 2008. Meanwhile, an additional 646,054 children from families in poverty received health care coverage through the TennCare program. In Shelby County alone, 133,864 children received health insurance coverage through Tenncare. Across the state, an additional 32,069 children in low-income families were insured through the state CHIP program, CoverKids. In Shelby County, 4,054 children received insurance through CoverKids. In spite of rising unemployment and growing numbers of families in poverty, a lack of funds caused the state CoverKids program to suspend enrollment in December of last year.

In 2008, state Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) coupled with the federal Medicaid program provided health benefits to more than 35 million children nationwide. Outreach efforts and expanded program eligibility resulted in a reduction in the number of uninsured children across the U.S. (falling from 8.1 million in 2007 to 7.3 million in 2008). There is more good news when it comes to health care for children: the passage of the CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2009, is estimated to mean that an additional 2.6 million previously uninsured children will gain health insurance coverage.

References
Every Child Matters Education Fund. (2010). Where Health care reform stands in congress. Retrieved from http://www.everychildmatters.org/National/News/Where-Health-Care-Reform-Stands-in-Congress.html

Insure Kids Now. (n.d.). Facts and figures. Retrieved from http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/facts/index.html

Kaiser Health News. (2010). Millions more children added to medicaid, chip rolls in 2009. Retrieved from http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/February/04/chip-medicaid.aspx

The Urban Child Institute, . (2009). Covering kids' health needs. Center for Urban Child Policy, Retrieved from http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Download.php?fileId=4abcdd75c831c2.31242311

The Evidence Is Clear: Breastfeeding Promotes Optimal Brain Development In Early Childhood

2010-02-10T17:05:00.002-06:00

The evidence continues to mount: breastfeeding promotes optimal early childhood brain development (See: Following AAP, the American Dietetic Association Supports Exclusive Breastfeeding For Six Months, Revised WIC Guidelines Provide Incentives To Breastfeeding Families, Two U.S. Health Organizations Collaborate To Improve Breastfeeding Rates). Breastfed babies do better when they reach kindergarten and as they progress through school, and they score higher on IQ tests (Horwood & Ferguson, 1998; Tanaka, Kon, Ohkawa, Yoshikawa, & Shimizu, 2009).

But what exactly is it about breastfeeding that would account for such a dramatic effect?
The answer: Human milk is packed with health-advancing nutritional benefits that promote optimal brain development in very young children. According to Melinda Johnson, nutrition instructor at Arizona State University and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, “It’s not just one mechanism…The nutrition [provided by breastfeeding] is perfect for the growing child…DHA [an omega-3 fatty acid found in breastmilk] is critical for brain development and also for nervous system development.” The existence of this crucial acid in breastmilk may help to clarify the evidence that breastfed children perform better in the educational environment (Doheny, 2010).

Additionally, human milk also includes the amino acid taurine, acknowledged for its significance for maximum neurological growth. “Newborns and preemies cannot manufacture taurine,” stated Dr. Ruth Lawrence, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ section on breastfeeding, “Taurine is one of the amino acids needed for brain growth. The brain will double in size in the first year of life…We in the breastfeeding field have been focusing on brain growth [and its importance] for a number of years.”

Despite the proven benefits, breastfeeding rates are low in Shelby County and across the state of Tennessee. Only about half (53.6%) of Shelby County mothers intend to breastfeed their infants immediately after birth, compared with 59.2% of mothers across the rest of Tennessee. Meanwhile, Healthy People 2010, the nation’s health agenda, established target breastfeeding rates of 75% at birth (For more information on breastfeeding trends in Memphis, please see Strategies for Improving Rates in Shelby County).

Policy Suggestions To Promote Breastfeeding In Our Community:

- Build Employer Support for Breastfeeding. Supply breast pumps to moms who can’t afford to purchase or rent them. Promote corporate education and support of the current law requiring procurement of break time and suitable space to express breast milk.

- Encourage Community Engagement. Actively engage husbands, partners and companions in physician visits, social support consultations, and breastfeeding promotion gatherings. Breastfeeding must emerge as the familiar and expected manner of infant feeding.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References

Doheny, K. (2010, January 3). For baby and mom alike, breast-feeding may be best. HealthDay Reporter: Yahoo! News.

Horwood, L.J. & Fergusson, D.M. (1998). Breastfeeding and later cognitive and academic outcomes. Pediatrics, 101, 1-7.

Tanaka, K., Kon, N., Ohkawa, N., Yoshikawa, N., & Shimizu, T. (2009). Does breastfeeding in the neonatal period influence the cognitive function of very-low-birthweight infants at 5 years of age? Brain and Development, 31(4), 288-293.

Nationwide, the cost of quality childcare is rising faster than inflation

2010-02-10T16:05:00.001-06:00

A growing body of scientific evidence makes it abundantly clear: high quality early childhood care and educational experiences help to promote optimal early childhood brain development. This foundation, in turn, provides a solid base for subsequent growth, development, and school readiness. Across the country, over 80% of professional families place their young children in high quality early learning centers during the work-week. Meanwhile, according to a recent report from NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, high-quality care is growing increasingly unaffordable for middle and low-income families – precisely those families whose children would most benefit from high-quality early-childhood interventions.

Across the country, childcare expenses account for 10% of family income for two-parent families. For single parents, meanwhile, childcare expenses account for an astonishing 60% of the median household income (NACCRRA, 2009). In every region of the United States, the market-rate for quality childcare prices it far beyond the reach of most single-parents. Single-parents with one child pay more for childcare than they pay for food. Single parents with two children pay more for childcare than for rent. The average yearly childcare costs for an infant surpass 4-year public college tuition rates in 39 states.

References
Parents and the high price of child care: 2009 update. (2009). National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies, Retrieved from http://www.naccrra.org/docs/publications/supporting-docs/parents-and-the-high-price-of-child-care-2009-update/executive-summary.pdf

Devlin, K, Breland, F, & Imig, D. (2009). Updates on data, education and policy. The Urban Child Institute, Retrieved from http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Download.php?fileId=4ac3b9cb2120d7.54160006

Shelby County receives $1.6 million to expand accessibility to Early Head Start programs

2010-02-05T17:07:00.000-06:00

Research shows that at-risk children who have the benefit of Early Head Start experience improved cognitive, social, and emotional development. EHS children score higher on language growth measurements, display fewer behavioral problems, interact more positively with adults, and are less likely to test into the “at-risk” category of developmental performance. Children in EHS are more likely to receive immunizations on time and to visit a physician due to illness. Moreover, parents of EHS children are more likely to engage in practices that support early learning, read to their children daily, attend school functions, and provide emotional support.

Early Head Start is a program designed to serve children from birth through age three. Early Head Start offers center-based care, home-based prenatal care, parental support, age appropriate learning, medical services, disability and mental health screenings, evaluations, and early intervention services.

Currently, there are 12,479 children income eligible for Early Head Start in Shelby County. However, there are spots available for less than one percent of these children. Limited space may be expanding as the Department of Health and Human Services announces an additional $1.6 million in grants to expand EHS in Shelby County.

Every parent needs to know: Language development begins at birth, and early literacy skills help children succeed in school

2010-02-03T14:55:00.001-06:00

Zero to Three offers good advice for new parents about how to help develop literacy in young children. Children’s relationships with books, capacity to communicate, and ability to read are directly related to their experiences with language. When parents and caregivers make books available and fun, and when they sit down to read with young children, they are helping prepare those children to succeed in kindergarten and elementary school, building their self esteem, problem-solving abilities, and social skills.

Language acquisition begins at birth. Parents should talk to babies often and with a wide vocabulary. The Urban Child Institute informs parents and caregivers about the importance of responsiveness and language exchanges. Responsive parents try to recognize their babies’ signals, allowing parent and child to communicate through a mixture of words and facial expressions. These exchanges foster brain development and prepare infants to begin sounding out different phonemes.

Positive interactions with books and play help to develop literacy among infants. Allow children to play with books in unconventional ways. Sound books, pop-up pages, and bright colors can capture the attention of infants. Naming objects in pictures aids in language acquisition. Ask children to pick out books with a specific characteristic. Creating a book with pictures of family members is a fun way to learn names and relationship words like uncle, brother, and dog.

Toddlers can improve their motor skills by interacting with “lift the flap” books. Parents and caregivers encourage a familiarity with words by posting them around the house or childcare center. Match objects around you with pictures in books. Read stories about going for a walk or about bedtime as ways to introduce those activities. Letter magnets and crayons help introduce letters, words, and the mechanics of writing. Most importantly, adults should encourage and support early literacy by providing children with ample conversation opportunities.

Undercounting may cheat poor children in Memphis out of federal funds.

2010-02-01T16:57:00.001-06:00

Title I funds provide federal support to schools with high percentages of poor children. Districts also have the option of targeting Title I funds to pre-school programs designed to support the optimal early development of at-risk children. The formula used to apportion Title I funding is based on the child poverty rate in a district relative to other states and districts. The result of this formula is that a state could experience both an increase in child poverty and a decrease in Title I funding (if poverty rates in other states rise more rapidly).

The New America Foundation has an easily navigable web feature that allows users to type in their school districts and see 2007 funding statistics, 2009 allocation estimates, student enrollment, student demographics, and poverty percentages. Users can also compare their school district with other districts within the state; as well as with state and national averages.

The New America Foundation’s calculator paints a disturbing picture of the well-being of children in Memphis and Tennessee. The rate of student poverty in Tennessee is 50 percent higher than the national average of 13.2 percent. As we would expect, the share of Memphis City School (MCS) children in poverty is another 30 percent higher than the state average, and double the national average. Even more disturbing for policy-makers, the federal statistics used in the foundation’s calculator undercount the share of poor students in Memphis by 12 percent. (According to Department of Education figures, 70.8 percent of MCS students are eligible for free and reduced price lunch, while MCS reports that 81 percent of students are actually eligible for the school lunch program).

Only one-third of teenage mothers earns a high school diploma or GED

2010-01-30T19:43:00.001-06:00

Findings released by Child Trends shows that only 34 percent of adolescent mothers will earn a high school diploma or GED. The age at first birth and education level of the mother are good indicators of the family’s socioeconomic status. Mothers who earn a diploma are more financially stable and more capable of providing necessary resources for the child’s development. Teenage mothers who delayed childbirth until 18 or 19 years old were nearly twice more likely to earn their diploma than younger girls. Studies have shown that children of teenage mothers are more likely to grow up in poverty, become incarcerated, be subjected to abuse or neglect, or have children as teenagers-thus continuing the cycle of premature fertility, poverty, and disadvantage. The attainment of a diploma increases the financial outlook for children and families.

This information is especially important in urban areas where teenage pregnancies, premature births, and infant mortality are high. Adolescent motherhood increases healthcare costs, welfare recipients, and the number of children who live in poverty. Although mothers with high school diplomas are more financially stable, researchers agree that families need to earn twice the national poverty line to adequately support a child. In Shelby County, mothers do not earn that level of financial stability until 29 years of age

Introducing multiple languages to young children helps strengthen the architecture of the developing brain.

2010-01-26T12:00:00.001-06:00

Parents and educators sometimes worry that introducing multiple languages to children too early may lead to linguistic and cognitive delays. Research performed by the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) shows that just the opposite may be true. Children introduced to a second language at an early age do not lag behind their peers. In fact, it is common for young children to mix multiple languages in one sentence, and if bilingual children show a lack of vocabulary recognition, they quickly catch up to their monolingual counterparts by elementary school. Further, bilingual children show a distinct advantage in reading acquisition due to their familiarity with a variety of phonemes. With each new language learned, the brain develops new neural connections, thus strengthening the architecture of the brain and preparing the child for future academic successes.

Experts at Zero to Three offer this advice for multilingual families. Be consistent: speak one language at home and the other outside of the home. They also point out those children who learn their family’s native language early on share a stronger sense of cultural identity. A study conducted by the SCDOE followed four different cohorts of children, each one introduced to a language at a later age (0, 3, 5, and 7 years). Results show that earlier is better. The area of the brain that permits easy language acquisition becomes active at infancy and closes around 10 years old. Cities like San Francisco have developed language immersion preschools citing benefits such as improved understanding in all academic subjects, higher standardized test scores, and better career opportunities.

Women need 400 micrograms of vitamin folic acid every day to protect against birth defects

2010-01-25T14:25:00.002-06:00

January is Birth Defects Prevention Month, and organizations like the March of Dimes and the Grain Foods Foundation are working to raise awareness of the importance of folic acid for healthy birth outcomes. The March of Dimes reports that only 28 percent of women knew that consuming folic acid helps to protect against birth defects; only 11 percent of women knew that folic acid should be taken before becoming pregnant. Serious birth defects that affect the brain and spine, like spina bifida, begin mere weeks after conception. Something as simple as eating enriched grains can prevent these neural tube defects.

For every 1,000 live births, 276.3 infants will be born with birth defects in the state of Tennessee. Birth defects were responsible for 1 in 5 infant deaths in Tennessee in 2004. Memphis already leads the nation in infant mortality, making it imperative that we emphasize proper prenatal care. Women should eat at least 400 micrograms of the B vitamin folic acid every day. This can be found in an assortment of grain products like breads, bagels, pretzels, and pastas. When compared to whole grain items, products made with enriched white flour contain twice as much folic acid.

In the United States, one out of every 33 babies born will have a birth defect, which could inhibit their physical and mental development as they grow into young children. In 2004, the costs for treating birth defects amounted to $2.6 billion. This figure includes hospital costs but does not take into consideration the expenses of treating behavioral and cognitive delays caused by defects. On January 18th, Schnucks pharmacies announced that they will provide free prenatal vitamins to women who can present a valid prescription. Help the March of Dimes and the Grain Foods Foundation by spreading the message.

Preschools Reshape Pre-Mathematics Curriculum in Response to New Brain Research

2010-01-22T11:06:00.001-06:00

New research has prompted preschools in Nashville, Boston, and Washington to create new games, activities, and curriculum to improve mathematic reasoning in young children and to increase kindergarten readiness. Recent studies indicate that even infants can differentiate amounts and quantities. Moreover, by 18 months, children can distinguish between shapes. By preschool, children are able to connect numbers and shapes with corresponding concepts and labels like five and triangle. Aside from basic counting exercises, the majority of early education centers spend little time attempting to teach mathematics to toddlers.

Counting activities have been developed to simultaneously incorporate the three concepts of quantity (e.g.: five apples), the corresponding word (five), and the numerical representation (5). Even traditional games like Chutes and Ladders enhance children’s mathematical ability by teaching the relationship between numbers and quantity. For low-income preschoolers, this head start in math comprehension makes a considerable difference. After one year in a math centered preschool environment, 4 year olds in Nashville and Boston were tested on addition, subtraction, and number recognition and placed in the 76th percentile. Children who did not receive the intervention placed in the 50th percentile. Even after their first year of kindergarten, young children who participated in the program maintained their mathematical advantage by placing in the 71st percentile

Recession pushing more young children into dire poverty

2010-01-20T09:51:00.001-06:00

A recent report from The Brookings Institution estimates that across the country, 5 million additional children will fall into poverty as a result of the current recession. In 2007, Shelby county already had an alarmingly high rate of impoverish children, with an estimated 15 percent of all children ages 0-17 living in dire poverty. In Memphis, that estimation is at 21 percent—1 in every 5 children living in dire poverty (with family incomes less than roughly $10,000 a year).

Children who grow up in poverty lag behind their middle class counterparts in both cognitive and behavioral development. Since the most sensitive period for brain development is before the age of five, it is especially disturbing that nearly a quarter of all pre-school age children in Memphis (23 percent) live in dire poverty. Recent analyses demonstrate that children in families that fall below the poverty line during a recession are less likely to graduate from high school or go on to college than children in families that remained above the poverty line. While some observers see the rise in benefit applications as a signal that our social safety net is working, others see it as a sign of a worsening situation. As the labor market changes and job growth remains stagnant, a true estimate of the economic effect of the current recession on children is yet to be seen.

The jobless rate in the state of Tennessee has almost doubled in the last year, rising from 6.4 to 11 percent. By July 2009, unemployment in Memphis had reached 11.6 percent, higher than state and national averages, meaning that more and more children in our community are living in financially strained households. Across the country, 10.5 million children are estimated to have at least one unemployed parent; that is one out of every seven children in the United States. Children of unemployed parents are more likely to experience increased levels of toxic stress associated with homelessness, domestic abuse, and poverty.

An increasing number of schoolchildren in the South are poor and minority

2010-01-07T15:57:00.006-06:00

A report released today by the Southern Education Foundation notes that the South has become the first region of the country where more than half of public school children are poor and more than half are members of ethnic minority groups.

According to the report, the shift was fueled by influx of Latinos and the return of Blacks to the South in recent years. These trends have exacerbated the demographic shifts which began with the flight of White families to the suburbs during the 1970s and 1980s.

As communities across the South struggle to grow productive, highly educated work forces, they face daunting challenges given the lower achievement rates among poor and minority students, who - too often - reach school at a social, emotional and cognitive disadvantage. By 36 months of age, a child from an impoverished family may have a vocabulary a third the size of a child from a professional family. This inequality tracks with children as they progress through school, and low income children are much more likely to be held back a grade, and to drop out.

According to Michael Rebell, executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University, the implications of this trend are enormous: "When we realize that the majority of graduates of our schools are going to come from backgrounds with educational deprivation, it makes it imperative that schools be improved." It also becomes imperative to understand that deprivation begins long before children reach the school house doors.

These trends are well-recognized in Memphis, the largest school district in the state of Tennessee, and 21st largest district in the country. More than 80 percent of students in Memphis City Schools are low-income and a similar percentage of students are ethnic minorities.

Help Prevent Child Abuse

2010-01-06T14:59:00.003-06:00

The Memphis CAC (in collaboration with You Have The Power) is providing a free workshop designed to empower ministers, congregational leaders, youth workers, and lay leaders to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse. The event will be held January 11, 2010 from 6:30-8:30 pm at Kingsbury Christian Church (7887 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138). The program meets the requirements DHS sets forth for personal safety training and certificates of attendance will be available. To register, contact Su Hartline at 901-888-4337 or shartline@MemphisCAC.org.

How Does Maltreatment Affect Early Childhood Development?

Many abused children develop issues that impair their social, emotional and physical development- these issues manifest early in life and can continue throughout the lifetime. Hostility, elevated sexualization, and other delinquent behaviors commonly observed in maltreatment victims, combined with diminished concentration, lead to higher school dropout and retention levels for abused children when compared to nonabused children. When children experience sexual maltreatment, they are more likely to have an elevated number of sexual relationships and, accordingly, an increased likelihood of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or becoming pregnant unintentionally. Notably, the rate of teen pregnancy among sexually abused girls is approximately 4 times higher than non-abused girls (Putnam, 2006).

Fast facts (Zero To Three, 2009):

- Children from birth to 36 months of age are consistently the age group most likely to be victims of maltreatment. Infants and toddlers account for almost 30 percent of child abuse and neglect victims.

- Infants (under 12 months of age) are at greatest risk of maltreatment.

- The maltreatment rate for 2002 was 12.3 per 1,000 children (USDHHS, 2004). However, child welfare researchers suggest that actual incidences are much higher than recorded. A primary reason for this is that some less easily identifiable and sensitive cases of maltreatment, such as sexual abuse, are underreported.

Local Resources Designed To Prevent Maltreatment and Assist Victims

Child maltreatment prevention and intervention can help to decrease rates of abuse and neglect. Additionally, these programs are cost-effective, saving a minimum of three dollars for every dollar dedicated to program operations (Karoly et al., 1998).

The Memphis community is fortunate to have a city-based agency dedicated to providing for children who are victims of maltreatment. The mission of the Memphis Child Advocacy Center (CAC) is to serve children who are victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse through prevention, education and intervention. The Memphis CAC vision is a community where children are safe, families are strong, and victims become children again.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References

Karoly, L., Greenwood, P., Everingham, S., Houe, J., Kilburn, M., & Rydell, C. (1998). Investing in our children: What we know and don’t know about the costs and benefits of early childhood
Interventions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

Putnam, F.W. (2006). The impact of trauma on child development. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 57, (1), 1-12.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. Child maltreatment 2004. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Zero To Three. (2009). Facts about abuse and neglect of infants and toddlers. Washington, DC: Zero To Three.

Approximately 3 out of 5 Family-based Child Care Programs Restrict Mobile Play As A Form Of Punishment: Findings From A Recent Study

2009-12-31T09:18:00.001-06:00

Stewart Trost, Oregon State University researcher and expert on obesity problems, surveyed approximately 300 family-centered child care facilities serving families with children aged 2 to 5. Even though about 4 out of 5 surveyed programs provided more than an hour of mobile playtime per day, approximately 2 out of 5 indicated that the children enrolled in their programs were required to sit still for prolonged time periods. Two-thirds of providers surveyed reported that they leave the television switched on for most of the school day.

Perhaps even more distressing was that over 60% of the surveyed child care staff reported that they withheld mobile playtime and movement (sometimes called “time-out”) as a punitive measure. Although time-out is preferred to corporal punishment, requiring children to sit still doesn’t improve behavior if what they really need is to burn off some energy. “Would you withhold fruits and vegetables for kids who misbehave and negatively affect their health?” Troft asks.” All the research shows that restricting physical activity makes children more, not less, likely to misbehave. So, it’s not even an effective means of punishment.”

Play is one of the most critical things a child does. Through active play and engagement with adults and other children, a child explores her surroundings, retains important information and builds connections in her mind. Play also provides children with the opportunity to develop crucial social traits (BBB, 2007).

As Trost suggests, preventing children from participating in the act of play is not effective in changing inappropriate behavior. Need ideas on parenting and discipline techniques that work? Please visit The Urban Child Institute’s resource page on sensitive discipline techniques at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Parenting.

References
Better Brains for Babies. (2007). Better Brains for Babies Trainer’s Guide. Athens, GA: Better Brains for Babies.

Kids in home-based day care lack exercise. (2009, December 18). Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091219/hl_hsn/kidsinhomebaseddaycarelackexercise/print

Preparing Early Childhood Staff To Adapt To The Diverse Educational Setting: Findings From a Recent Study

2009-12-22T09:24:00.000-06:00

Today’s early education environments exhibit our country’s evolving cultural landscape. In the future, most early childhood educators will doubtlessly interact with an increasing number of children from families very different from their own. The transforming makeup of the American educational system demonstrates the advancing unification of ethnicity, faith, physical capability and language. This inspiring (yet demanding) cultural phenomenon mandates that new educators be increasingly perceptive and ready to teach young, multifaceted pupils, as well as become powerful advisors in the multicultural educational setting.

Leaders in college-level early childhood education programs have reacted uniquely to this crucial concern. Little is understood about variables that may influence how diversity and language issues are approached in university early childhood degree programs. Recently, the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina conducted a study examining the impact of geographical locations, institutional features and program components on the diversity-related educational requirements in over 400 Bachelor’s degree programs that educate early childhood teachers.

Some Findings:
- Four-year degree programs with a higher number of nonwhite faculty were more likely to mandate more coverage of cultural issues in the ECE program. This finding implies that attracting and maintaining a diverse faculty may be a critical approach for creating a culturally sensitive early childhood labor force.
- Early childhood programs in rural locations were less likely to require coursework focused on linguistic diversity than programs located in metropolitan areas[1].

The complete results of the study emphasize the significance of coordinating best practices with teacher readiness mandates, retaining a diverse faculty, and providing information about cultural contexts to the largely White early childhood teaching personnel.

The University of Memphis offers a four-year program in which students can earn a Bachelor’s of Science degree in early childhood education. Prior to earning the degree, students are required to complete coursework relating to race and ethnicity, family and culture and gender issues. For more information about the early education program, please call 901.678.5915.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home/.

[1] For a more complete listing of the findings, please visit the UNC Child Development Institute’s website at http://www.fpg.unc.edu/

New Research Suggests That Daily Television Viewing Time Varies Significantly By Type Of Child Care Setting

2009-12-10T15:15:00.000-06:00

According to new research published this fall in the journal Pediatrics, young children enrolled in out-of-home care may be spending over 30% of the time they are awake each day watching television. The study (the first in more than two decades to examine television watching in the child care setting) suggests that television viewing patterns vary significantly by type of child care setting- about 70% of family-based child care programs reported daily television watching, while 36% of center-based child care programs reported daily television viewing.

Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle and a researcher at the University of Washington, surveyed 168 licensed daycare programs in four different states. The results suggest that among preschool-aged children, those in family-based day care programs watched television for 2.4 hours per day on average, compared to 24 minutes in larger centers. Only family-based providers conceded to placing infants (less than 12 months of age) in front of the television, for an average of about 12 minutes per day.

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages any television watching of any kind during the first 24 months of life and advises a daily restriction of 60 to 120 minutes of superior programming for older children. Young children attend child care programs in order to foster social abilities, cultivate cognitive skills and partake in creative play, as well as allowing parents to work. According to Christakis, “It’s not what parents have signed up for. I’m not sure how many parents are aware of this…We know what is good for children and we know what’s not. High quality preschool can make a very, very positive difference. We’re so far from meeting that, that we really have a lot of work to do…It’s alarming to find that so many children in the United States are watching essentially twice as much television as we previously thought.”

Other studies have linked extreme television watching during early childhood with language problems, weight issues, attention difficulties and hostile behavior. (See Television Viewing Associated With Increased Combative Behavior In Young Children ). Christakis suggests that one of the primary issues with television watching for young children is that it replaces time that could possibly be spent running in the backyard, reading a story, playing with toys and interacting with adults and peers- all behaviors and activities that promote optimal cognitive, social and emotional development during the first years of life.

For more information on the well-being of young children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References

Blankinship, D.G. (2009, November 23). Study: Kids watching hours of TV at home daycare. Associated Press: Yahoo! News.

Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education: Moving from an “Inputs” Focused Program to an Outcomes Based Model of System Reform

2009-12-10T15:07:00.001-06:00

All across the U.S., low income and minority students are consistently less likely to be prepared for kindergarten, less likely to be proficient on achievement tests, more likely to be held back and less likely to graduate from high school; this phenomenon is called the “achievement gap”.

Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) that was held in Washington D.C. During his remarks, Secretary Duncan commented on the importance and value of early learning systems that span pre-kindergarten to 3^rd grade as the best opportunity policymakers have to “get schools out of the catch up business” (Duncan, November 2009, para. 6). In other words, - as NAEYC’s call to action on pre-K to 3^rd grade systems states-, “to close the (achievement) gap, we must prevent the (achievement) gap” (Duncan, November 2009, para. 5).

However, the most interesting aspect of Secretary Duncan’s speech is not in recognizing the role of early education in helping to prevent achievement gaps between children from different backgrounds. Instead, his most valuable point is that system reform in early childhood can not have the intended effect of eliminating the achievement gap, unless reform efforts are measured in terms of children’s “outcomes” instead of “inputs” to their early education.

Traditionally, education reform in early childhood has been focused on raising teacher qualifications, lowering staff to child ratios and improving curriculums. While these are all “inputs” which have been linked to better child outcomes in research studies, Duncan’s larger point is that it is ultimately not enough to simply raise the quality of early childhood education. We have to know if reform efforts are leading to better outcomes for children served by the system.

What types of outcomes? Kindergarten readiness has traditionally been thought of as a child’s academic or intellectual preparation for school. Certainly knowing letters of the alphabet, having a large receptive vocabulary and the ability to distinguish beginning and ending sounds of words are all important to the process of becoming literate. Many, if not most, of our current assessments of pre-kindergarten programs are focused on children’s intellectual preparation for kindergarten. However, we also know that social and emotional development, which encompasses the ability to self-regulate and participate in groups, is a key component of school readiness. Therefore, as Secretary Duncan pointed out, effective outcomes measurement must be expanded to include all dimensions of school readiness, not just the ones we actively know how to measure.

There are several valid tests of children’s social and emotional development including:

- Behavioral Skills Rating Scales of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development;

- Ages & Stages Questionnaire on Social and Emotional Development; and

- The Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA).

Currently in Shelby County, Head Start and Early Head Start are the only early care and education programs that are required to asses and track children’s social and emotional development. Head Start and Early Head Start are also the only early care and education programs that are required to help children access physical, mental, and developmental health services. Children need to be academically, social/emotionally and physically prepared to participate in school from day one. Effectively expanding and improving our current early care and education system to help eliminate the achievement gap locally should include assessment of the full range of children’s developmental preparation for school.

Sources

Duncan, Arne. November 18, 2009. The Early Learning Challenge: Raising the Bar — Secretary Arne Duncan's Remarks at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. [Accessed December 3, 2009]

Action Steps To Improve Child Well-being In Memphis: Call the White House Today!

2009-12-10T14:43:00.000-06:00

Children’s early brain development occurs through a process of interaction between children and their environments. The quality of these environments and relationships shape the degree to which children’s brains will develop effectively. Children’s early developmental experiences build the foundations for their subsequent success in school and life.

More than half of the children born into our community every year are raised in families lacking access to resources that children need for healthy development. As a community, we need to understand that many of our problems stem directly from the earliest experiences of our children. We can’t wait- NOW is the time to invest wisely in our youngest citizens in order to achieve an ideal future for the city of Memphis.

The national financial plan is crucial to maintaining and expanding high-quality early childhood education programs, such as Early Head Start and early intervention programs for children with special requirements. In order to confirm that the federal 2011 national budget incorporates the monetary support that these programs need to assist vulnerable young children, we are encouraging all Shelby County citizens to communicate with the White House in order to advocate for early childhood issues.

Why contact the president NOW? The Obama cabinet is presently laboring over the financial plan suggestions for the next fiscal year and we need to guarantee that programs that serve infants and toddlers are penciled in. President Obama’s financial plan delivers a message to Congress regarding the issues that should be the primary expenditures during the next financial phase- fundamentally setting the model for what is incorporated into our national budget.

Why is expansion in these early childhood programs critical for the Memphis community? We have a tremendous number of susceptible young children who are not receiving federal services that could be hugely beneficial to families and the greater Shelby County community.

- Designed to promote healthy physical, emotional and cognitive growth for at-risk children, Early Head Start (EHS) has been shown to improve child developmental outcomes and strengthen parenting skills. Currently, less than one percent of eligible children in Shelby County have access to EHS.

- Early Intervention services support optimal early childhood development, and help families trying to provide for their children’s special needs. Approximately 2% of Shelby County children under three are enrolled in the Tennessee Early Intervention Service system. Recent estimates suggest that our community has a significant need to expand enrollment in services for children with disabilities or developmental delays.

You can help by asking for increased funding for Early Childhood Programs. Please take action today by contacting the White House in one of the two following ways:

1. Leave a message for the Obama administration on the White House Comments line. To call the White House Comments line, please dial 202-456-1111.

2. Send President Obama an e-mail in support of the expansion and maintenance of quality early childhood programs. To e-mail President Obama, fill out the form on this website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact.

For more information on the well-being of young children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

Perry Pre-School: Still a Good Investment but Not as Good as Previously Reported

2009-12-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

The last 10 years have seen enormous growth in the amount of state and federal funding being directed towards creating pre-kindergarten programs. In spite of a grim economic climate nationally, state pre-kindergarten programs were slated to receive $5.3 billion in state and federal funding next year (Pre-K Now, October 2009, 2). Why are pre-kindergarten programs becoming a major target of public spending? Many pre-kindergarten programs have been funded in the hope that they will help low income children be better prepared for kindergarten and that they will narrow the achievement gap and earnings between lower and upper income children as they grow to adulthood. So where does Perry Pre-School fit into this picture?

The Perry Pre-school Project was a two year, high quality early childhood education program offered to low income children in Ypsilanti, Michigan in the late 60’s. The notable thing about Perry Pre-School is that its original researchers created equally sized control (children who did not participate in the program) and experimental (children who did participate in the program) groups at the beginning of the project. Then they tracked each group of children for the next 40 years to measure how the control and experimental groups did on various indicators as they grew to adulthood. For instance, they tracked whether or not the children failed grades, were suspended in school, became teenage mothers, graduated from high school, went to college, went to prison, how much they earned in adulthood, how often they used welfare and food stamps, etc.

Forty plus years into the program they can now demonstrate that children who participated in Perry Pre-School at ages 3 and 4 have lead significantly more productive and stable lives. For instance, they were less likely to fail grades in school, less likely to be suspended, less likely to go to jail, less likely to be teen parents, more likely to go to college, more likely to be employed, etc. All of these findings on the experimental group were then compared with the results of the control group in order to calculate the long range cost savings associated with having participated in the program. Researchers then compared the cost savings generated by program participants to the initial cost of providing them with high quality pre-kindergarten. For many years, this return on investment (ROI) was calculated for Perry Pre-School as being either 16 or 17 to 1. In other words, for every dollar invested in the program, the program participants cost society $16 or $17 less than they would have if they had not gone through the program (Rolnick & Grunewald 2003, Belfield et al., 2006).

This fall, Nobel prize winning economist James Heckman revisited the earlier work of the return on investment from Perry Pre-School to determine the accuracy of the estimated ROI. They found that due to errors in earlier estimation analysis, the ROI for Perry Pre-school has been overstated. They describe an estimated ROI of between $7 and $10 for every dollar invested in Perry. While this is much smaller than the earlier estimates, it still represents a substantial return (Heckman et al., November 2009).

Given the reality that much of the enthusiasm for investing in state pre-kindergarten programs has been fueled by the promise of generating large ROI’s for the next generation, it remains to be seen whether or not a $7 to $10 ROI is large enough to inspire lawmakers nationwide to continue to invest in these programs. It should also be noted that Perry Pre-School was only able to demonstrate a $7 to $10 ROI after 40+ years of tracking its participants. None of our current state pre-kindergarten programs has existed long enough for us to know whether or not they will prove as cost-effective as Perry Pre-School.

Sources

Belfield, C.R., Nores, M., Barnett, W.S., Schweinhart, L., (2006). The High/Scope Perry Preschool program: Cost-benefit analysis using data from the age-40 followup. Journal of Human Resources, 41, 1, pg. 162-190.

Heckman, J.J., Moon, S.H., Pinto, R., Savelyev, P.A., Yavitz, A. (November 2009). The Rate of Return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program. NBER Working Paper No. 15471. [Accessed November 11, 2009] http://www.nber.org/papers/w15471.pdf

Pre-K Now. (October 2009). Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal year 2010. Washington D.C.: Pew Center on the States. [Accessed November 10, 2009]

Rolnick, A., Grunewald, R. (2003). Early childhood development: Economic development with a high public return. Tech.rep., Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN.

Television Viewing Associated With Increased Combative Behavior In Young Children

2009-11-25T07:30:00.001-06:00

Recent research suggests that television watching is related to hostile behavior in children under the age of three. While investigators in the current study (published in the November issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine) found that young children who received corporal punishment, resided in a dangerous community, or had a mother who was distressed or under mental pressure were more likely to display aggressive behaviors, they also found that television viewing (both direct and indirect) had a statistically meaningful effect on children’s aggression.

The study, conducted by Dr. Jennifer Manganello- an assistant professor of health communication at the University of Albany School of Public Health- provides results from an analysis of national data collected for over 3,000 children born between 1998 and 2000. Because so many variables can impact a child’s actions, the investigators attempted to control for as many variables as possible, including maternal parenting beliefs, maternal experience with violence, the security of family surroundings and demographic characteristics. Even after weighting for these variables, television was more likely than many other factors to elevate aggressive behaviors.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is disturbed enough about the media’s impact on the behavior of young children that they recently refreshed their protocol on media brutality:

“Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents. Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares and fear of being harmed,” wrote the AAP Council on Communications and Media.

According to Richard Gallagher, director of the Parenting Institute at the New York University Child Study Center in New York City, television is not a harmless instrument- it does have an impact on children and families. While media subject matter may influence actions, Gallagher suggests that children’s behaviors may also be influenced by “opportunities lost.”

In other words, when an infant or toddler is viewing a television show, which is an inactive behavior, the child does not have the occasion to engage with other family members and may have decreased interaction with his or her companions. “The AAP guidelines that children under 2 shouldn’t watch any television may be fairly strict and hard to carry out, but parents should be judicious about how much TV young children are watching, and be aware that it’s not likely to be appropriately stimulating,” stated Gallagher.

Parents should operate as a television “purifier” for their young children. For instance, moms and dads should indicate when something is nonsensical on television and that it is not a real-world situation. Also, if they happen to see something disturbing or violent- even in a television show designed for children- parents need to translate that situation for children, and inform them of what would happen if that were a real scenario.

For more resources on parenting and early child development, please visit The Urban Child Institute’s Parenting Resources webpage at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Parenting.

References

Gordon, S. (2009, November 2). TV may increase aggression in toddlers: The more watched, the more aggressive the behavior, study finds. HealthDay Reporter.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=632720

New Research Links Tobacco Exposure During Pregnancy to Various Neuro-developmental Problems in Early Childhood

2009-11-23T10:15:00.003-06:00

According to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, tobacco exposure during pregnancy has been found to be associated with disagreeableness in very young infants, inadequate concentration and information synthesizing during the first year of life, as well as impulsivity during the preschool years.

“We found that even in the first year of life, we can see differences in attention and irritability and in the regulation of emotions…Then at age 3, we saw that kids with prenatal tobacco exposure seem to have trouble waiting for an award, which ties in with findings that smoking during pregnancy can have a specific impact on the parts of the brain that are involved in regulating behavior, ''stated Dr. Sandra A. Wiebe, lead investigator and professor at the University of Alberta, Canada.

An estimated 10% to 30% of females in the United States use tobacco during pregnancy (Brauser, 2009). Last year in Tennessee, over 16,000 (18.8%) of mother’s giving birth in our state reported cigarette smoking during pregnancy . Over 1,100 (6.9%) of the birth mother’s reporting cigarette smoking during pregnancy gave birth in Shelby County (TN DOH, 2009).

Dr. Wiebe acknowledges that it can be difficult for mothers to quit smoking; however, she believes that information and education on the effects of prenatal tobacco exposure can help encourage moms to abstain. “We need to explain that it can affect how well a baby learns about the world, as well as how well they’re able to behave adaptively in various situations once they start preschool or kindergarten,” she suggested.

Local Resources

The Church Health Center's Hope and Healing Center offers health and wellness programs including weight loss classes and smoking cessation counseling. Their Freedom From Smoking program is eight weeks of group counseling designed to help participants kick the smoking habit. They offer sliding scale membership fees based on income and family size. For more information, please call 901-259-4673.

For more information on the well-being of young children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home/.

References

Brauser, D. (2009, November 9). Prenatal tobacco exposure linked to multiple problems. Medscape Medical News.

Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Health Statistics. Personal Communication, November 12, 2009.

Following AAP, the American Dietetic Association Supports Exclusive Breastfeeding For 6 Months

2009-11-13T16:46:00.002-06:00

According to a recent policy report released by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), breastfeeding provides health advantages to both mothers and babies; thus, the use of human milk for infant feeding should be advanced and applauded.

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that exclusive breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and health protection for the first 6 months of life, and breastfeeding with complementary foods from 6 months until at least 12 months of age is the ideal feeding pattern for infants. Breastfeeding is an important public health strategy for improving infant and child morbidity and mortality and improving maternal morbidity and helping to control health care costs,” the ADA stated in a press release.

The recommendations of the ADA mimic the breastfeeding policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months after birth, continuous breastfeeding for at least 12 months after birth, and thereafter as long as mutually desired (AAP, 2005).

The authors of the policy report developed a science-based examination on the framework of breastfeeding customs and health advantages in the United States and in other nations. They determined that human milk supplies superlative nutrient content for very young children and weakens the possibility of developing multiple serious and enduring conditions.

The health advantages for babies include:

- A sound immune system

- Reduced possibility of developing asthma, lower respiratory tract complications and gastroenteritis

- Elevated defense against allergies and sensitivities

- Appropriate growth of teeth and jaw

- Correlation with increased IQ and improved educational achievement

- Decreased risk for SIDS, as well as recurrent illnesses, including weight issues, diabetes, heart problems, elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and childhood cancer

The ADA suggests that dietetic specialists and registered dietitians maintain a critical role in endorsing and fostering breastfeeding for its health advantages for children and families. Additionally, dietary professionals also have a crucial position in administering pragmatic research on breastfeeding-related matters. The authors suggest that more research on breastfeeding promotion campaigns is of particularly high priority.

For more information on the current Shelby County breastfeeding campaign, please contact Dr. Julie Ware (President of the Shelby County Breastfeeding Coalition) at julieware2@bellsouth.net. The Shelby County Breastfeeding Coalition is a county-wide collaboration that aims to implement national breastfeeding policy recommendations. The collaborative consists of nine organizations and represents a partnership between the public and private sectors, as well as uniting the community with medical, academic, public health, research, and business groups.

For more information on the well-being of young children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2005). Policy statement: Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics, 115 (2).

Breastfeeding benefits moms and babies: Report. (2009, November 6). Healthday: Yahoo!News.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091107/hl_hsn/breastfeedingbenefitsmomsandbabiesreport

Flu Vaccination During Pregnancy: An Effective Way to Help Improve the Health of Memphis Babies

2009-11-11T13:37:00.002-06:00

With the very real concerns surrounding the flu this winter, many of us are wondering if it is safe for pregnant women to get the flu shot.

Research that was recently presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting found that getting a flu vaccine during pregnancy greatly improves a child’s chances of having healthy birth outcomes. The researchers examined the effect of having a regular flu vaccination and not the H1N1 vaccination. However, the CDC does recommend that all pregnant women receive the swine flu vaccine as well (CDC, 2009, November).

Why does vaccination help? Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases like the flu because their immune systems are depressed in order to protect their developing babies. Additionally, infants cannot be vaccinated against the flu for the first 6 months of life, so they are vulnerable unless they have received the vaccination second hand while they are in utero (Fox, 2009, October 29).

Specifically, the studies have revealed that flu vaccination during pregnancy at the height of the flu season can reduce an infant’s chances of being hospitalized in the first 6 months of life by up to 85%. Pregnant women who were vaccinated against the flu were also 80% less likely to have a premature birth and 70% less likely to have a baby that was small for gestational age. Their babies, on average, were a half pound heavier than those of unvaccinated women (Fox, 2009, October 29).

Sources

Fox, M. (October 29, 2009). When Moms Get Flu Shot, Babies Benefit Too: Study, ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8951864

Centers for Disease Control. 2009 H1N1 Influenza Shots and Pregnant Women: Questions and Answers for Patients. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/pregnant_qa.htm

New Study Estimates That 50% Of Our Nation’s Children Will Receive Food Stamps Before Their Eighteen Birthday

2009-11-05T10:05:00.002-06:00

Recent estimates from researchers at Washington University in Saint Louis suggest that almost half of our country’s children (and a staggering 9 out of 10 African American children) will receive food-related governmental assistance at some point during the first eighteen years of life. The study, released earlier this week in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, states that repercussions from the recent economic crisis could heighten these numbers dramatically.

Lead investigator and sociologist Mark Rank cautions that this increase is a health issue that the medical community needs to be mindful of given that children on food assistance are at risk for dietary deficiency and other afflictions related to economic deprivation, including insufficient cognitive, social and emotional development. “This is a real danger sign that we as a society need to do a lot more to protect children, “ Rank advised (Tanner, 2009, p. 1).

According to a federal brief released last month from the United States Department of Agriculture, almost 29 million citizens received food stamps in a typical month last year, and about 50% of these recipients were children. Food stamps are a government-run program for low-income families, covering many food items (with the exclusion of prepared hot items and alcohol).

In Shelby County, over 233,000 individuals (26% of the county’s population) were receiving food stamps as of June of this year (TN Department of Human Services, 2009). Approximately 63,000 (27%) of these recipients are under 18 years of age. In other words, about one in four Shelby County children are currently obtaining food-related assistance (CUCP estimate, see footnote). Furthermore, according to recent information released by the Tennessee Department of Education, approximately 86% of students currently enrolled in the Memphis City school system are from families who meet certain income criteria making them eligible to receive free or reduced price lunch (TDOE, 2009).

This research is consistent with other current studies that estimate that upwards of 40 percent of our nation’s children will reside in impoverished or low-income families by their late teenage years, and that one in two will at some point live in a household that is headed by a single parent (Tanner, 2009).

“The current recession is likely to generate for children in the United States the greatest level of material deprivation that we will see in our professional lifetimes,” stated Stanford pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise. “I find it terribly sad, but not surprising.”

In the midst of our current dire economic climate, what can the Memphis community do to support the healthy development of our youngest citizens? We welcome your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org.

References
Tanner, L. (2009, November 3). Half of U.S. kids will get food stamps, study says. The Associated Press.

Tennessee Department of Education, 2009,
http://edu.reportcard.state.tn.us/pls/apex/f?p=200:1:829762500068372

Tennessee Department of Human Services. (2009, September). Tennessee Monthly Food Stamp
Participation. Nashville, TN: Author.

CUCP estimate: Please contact us at cucp@theurbanchildinstitute.org for more information.

Premature Births Lift U.S. Infant Mortality Rate

2009-11-04T16:32:00.002-06:00

The Wall Street Journal reported this week on a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that examines the link between prematurity and infant mortality around the world. (The U.S. ranks 30th in the world in terms of infant mortality rates).

The study concludes that premature births, which are often due to poor prenatal care of low-income pregnant women, are the main reason the U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most European countries.

About 1 in 8 U.S. births are premature. Early births are much less common across most of Europe; for example, only 1 in 18 babies are premature in Ireland and Finland.

Poor access to prenatal care, maternal obesity and smoking, too-early cesarean sections and induced labor and fertility treatments are among the reasons for preterm births, experts said.

Premature babies born before 37 weeks tend to be more fragile and have under-developed lungs, said the lead author of the new report, Marian MacDorman of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Premature births are the chief reason the U.S. has an infant mortality rate more than twice as high as infant mortality rates in Sweden, Japan, Finland, Norway and the Czech Republic.

If U.S. infants were as mature as Sweden's are at birth, nearly 8,000 infant deaths could be avoided and the U.S. infant mortality rate would be about one-third lower than it is, according to a calculation by Ms. MacDorman and others at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Why so many more premature infants here? Experts offered several possible explanations:

■Fertility treatments and other forms of assisted reproduction probably play a role because they often lead to twins, triplets or other multiple births. Those children tend to be delivered early.
■The U.S. health care system doesn't guarantees prenatal care to pregnant women, particularly the uninsured, said Alan R. Fleischman, medical director for the March of Dimes.
■Maternal obesity and smoking have been linked to premature births and may also be a factor.
■Health officials are also concerned that doctors increasingly are inducing labor or performing C-sections before the 37th week. However, Fleischman said most infant deaths do not occur in babies just shy of 37 weeks gestation, but rather in those much younger,
Labor was induced in nearly 16% of premature births in 2006, up from about 8% in 1991. Cesarean sections were done in 36% of preterm births, up from 25% in 1991, Ms. MacDorman said.

The report also found that while the U.S. more commonly saw premature births, survival rates for infants at that gestational age were as good or better than most European countries.

"So, once the baby is born too early, we do a good job of saving it. What we have trouble with is preventing the preterm birth in the first place," Ms. MacDorman said.

Improving Infant and Toddler Care: Considerations from the National Center for Children In Poverty

2009-11-03T10:29:00.002-06:00

Careful research shows that better prepared family care providers offer our youngest children higher-quality care. In order to improve the cognitive, social and emotional development of infants and toddlers, policy leaders have instituted training and education qualifications for licensed providers and designed multiple initiatives to prepare and inform early care staff.

So what works? What types of education are most effective in advancing the quality of family child care homes and centers? Researchers from the National Center for Children in Poverty (2005) reviewed a wide body of literature on training methods for early care providers and provide the following summaries for professionals and policy-makers:

- Coursework that provides higher education credits and is supplemented with technical support seems to enhance quality in the early care setting, particularly for family care providers. Caregivers receiving technical assistance demonstrated higher quality scores in language/reasoning and basic/personal care.

- Noncredit training has a greater impact on caregivers who have no affiliation with a professional organization (such as the National Association for the Education for Young Children) than on affiliated providers. Prior to training, affiliated providers typically have higher observed levels of quality than unaffiliated providers.

- Scholarships providing enrollment in community college-level coursework in child development appear to increase overall quality ratings in center-based providers.

- Long-term, personalized coaching for caregivers can improve early care quality. Infant caregivers involved in mentoring programs have demonstrated improved quality in discipline techniques, sensitivity and learning activities.

More research needs to be done on infant and toddler caregiver training and education. What we do know is that training methods need to match the particular types of providers, and trainers need to be ready to make adjustments as the research advances.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org.

References

Kreader, J., Ferguson, D., & Lawrence, S. (2005, August). Impact of training and education for caregivers of infants and toddlers (Research-To-Policy No. 3). National Center for Children In Poverty.

Revised WIC Guidelines Provide Incentives To Breastfeeding Families

2009-10-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

As of October 1, the federally-funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has altered subsidy provisions in order to provide improved nutritional support to low-income families. In addition to including more food items that will reduce the amount of saturated fats and increase healthy fiber in the intake of WIC participants, the revised food packages better encourage and endorse sustained breastfeeding and reinforce WIC’s breastfeeding promotion endeavors.

The adjusted nutritional package provides mothers who solely breastfeed with the opportunity to receive more choices and increased quantities of approved foods, including a monthly $10.00 voucher which can be redeemed for fresh fruits and vegetables. Babies who are solely breastfeed receive increased quantities and a more mixed selection of baby food at 6 months of age. Breastfeeding mothers can also receive breast pumps and other breastfeeding aids to help support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding.

Although WIC promotes breastfeeding as the preferred method for feeding infants, WIC has historically faced numerous challenges in increasing the prevalence of breastfeeding among participants. Through nutrition knowledge and breastfeeding promotion efforts, WIC employees encourage and support mothers in the breastfeeding process; however, the time that staff has to counsel and educate pregnant women on breastfeeding is restricted. Furthermore, a mother’s choice to breastfeed may be determined by other variables beyond the WIC staff’s control, such as opinions of partners and friends, her doctor, and community acceptance.

Although more research is needed to determine the most effective breastfeeding promotion and support measures needed to increase breastfeeding among WIC participants, we applaud the efforts of the WIC system in altering food packages in order to provide incentives to breastfeeding mothers. By recognizing and supporting the breastfeeding guidelines suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics[1] (AAP), the WIC program is making positive progress in achieving optimal infant and child health, growth and development in vulnerable, low-income families.

WIC is a federal program designed to provide supplemental food to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children until the age of five. For more information on the Tennessee WIC program, please call the Shelby County Health Department at 901.544.7583.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References

Oliveira, V. (2003, July). WIC and breastfeeding rates: Food assistance research brief. United States Department of Agriculture (Report Number 34-2).

Tennessee WIC brings more to the table. (2009, October 19). Tennessee Department of Health. The Daily Times.

[1] The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first 6 months after birth, continuous breastfeeding for 12 months after birth, and thereafter as long as mutually desired.

Recession’s Toll On Very Young Children: How Can Parents Promote Optimal Development During Times of Financial Strain?

2009-10-27T12:58:00.001-05:00

Counselors, educational analysts and school therapists report seeing an increasing number of children dealing with strain and pressure as a result of their parents’ recession-related monetary issues. A perception of disaster can create profound unhappiness or worry, particularly if families unleash their distress or exasperation, argue about finances, or change housing arrangements and/or school districts (Brody, 2009).

Three out of four parents state that the economic downturn has increased tension in their household, and a third report that their children have demonstrated apprehension or agitation about the economy, according to a current U.S. study by Wakefield Research. Approximately twenty percent of children will develop a mental health issue at some point during the lifespan, and financial hardship could provoke a concealed anxiety issue.

“We’re living in very difficult times,” said Rosalind Dorlen, the American Psychological Association’s New Jersey public education coordinator. “It would be naïve to assume kids going through this would be unaffected. Is this going to be the ‘Worried Generation’?”

Experts at the Carsey Institute suggest that children of all ages experience the ramifications of financial distress, but our youngest citizens are particularly susceptible. For children less than age six, the demands of economic deficiency include insufficient health, decreased access to high-quality educational programs, inferior cognitive and social and emotional development, and heightened parental pressure. Evidence also suggests that financial hardship is linked with a lower quality home setting and inadequate parenting methods (Poiter, 2009).

How can parents assist and help prevent the development of unneeded stress and anxiety in their youngest family members? According to Jane Burdsall of the New Jersey Association of School Psychologists, a primary step is to remember to speak calmly and without frustration to all members of the household. Young children need to feel secure, and it is crucial that parents’ remember children’s ages and developmental stages when sharing and discussing economic information. Although young children are resilient, it is important for parents to reassure infants and toddlers in order decrease tension levels and promote a secure environment.

What else can parents to do encourage optimal cognitive, social and emotional development in our youngest children during this tough economic time? We welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References

Brody, L. (2009, October 13). Recession’s toll on children: Parents aren’t the only only ones who
suffer when jobs are lost and money is tight. McClatchy/Tribune News.

Poiter, B. (2009, September 30). Recession’s impact on young child poverty uneven throughout
nation. UNH Campus Journal.

Increasing Political Will for Investment in Early Childhood Development Programs

2009-10-08T11:41:00.000-05:00

Nationwide public opinion polling conducted in the last year and a half on behalf of the Partnership for America’s Economic Success, and in conjunction with Professor James Heckman, offers important findings about what the public, policy influentials, and policymakers understand about the importance of investing in early childhood interventions in order to support the optimal cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of children (ROI Ventures and Neimand Collaborative, 2009, October).

Here are some of their findings:

- On a scale of 1 to 100, policymakers are 75% of the way towards being ready to make large investments in early childhood education and services.

- Policymakers understand the long range benefits that will accrue for children and society if we make strategic investments in early childhood, but they are hesitant to make large new investments in services without a clear mandate from policy influentials and the public.

- On the other hand, early childhood investment has a relatively low amount of salience for the general public as a political issue. The public is significantly more interested in seeing public investment to solve problems with the economy, health care and crime.

- The public and influentials are about 25% of the way towards being willing to support large public investments in early childhood services.

- There is wide-ranging support for the notion that children need access to high quality early care, education and support services; however, there is widespread disagreement about who should pay for those services.

- Roughly 50% of the public is willing to pay higher taxes in order to provide expanded services to children between birth and five; the other half is unwilling to do so.

Many of the strategies that have been pursued by advocates of early childhood investment have failed to convince the public of the value of investing in early childhood. Frequently, advocates have suggested that the non-poor should invest in high quality early services for the poor in order to close the academic achievement gap or create more equal outcomes between non-poor and poor children. However, since many members of the public are currently struggling to provide services for their own children, they are not persuaded that they should pay to provide services for poor children as well.

Many advocates have also spent a lot of time focusing on the negative outcomes associated with not establishing healthy foundational social and emotional skills instead of emphasizing that the time from birth to five is a window of opportunity to maximize development. Messages about “use it or lose it” brain development, which suggest that children who do not experience optimal development are doomed to lives of failure are not convincing to the public since they are skeptical that a child’s life outcomes could be “determined” before they are even in kindergarten.

Research on effective framing demonstrates that the public will support investments in early brain development only if they understand that providing services to support early brain development will help fix societal problems such as the current economic crisis, crime and health problems. In other words, we can fundamentally shift public will towards investment in birth to five services if we can help people understand how they and society at large will benefit in the long run from those investments.

Sources

Barnett, W.S. (1996). Lives in the Balance: Age-27 Benefit-Cost Analysis of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program. Monographs of the HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 11. Ypsilanti, Mich.: High/Scope Press.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved [August 21, 2009] from www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/environment_of_relationships.pdf

ROI Ventures and Neimand Collaborative. (2009, October). The Heckman Equation: Talking Dollars and Sense about Investing in Early Childhood Development. Washington D.C.: Partnership for America’s Economic Success. [Accessed October 5, 2009] http://www.partnershipforsuccess.org/uploads/20091007_100709HeckmanPPTDRAFT.ppt

Ramey, C.T. & Ramey, S.L. (2004, October). Early Learning and School Readiness: Can Intervention Make a Difference? Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 50, 4, 471-491.

High-Quality Infant/Toddler Care: What Should Parents Look For?

2009-10-07T11:49:00.001-05:00

The evidence keeps pouring in: the first years of life are a critical period of brain development, and a baby’s first care-givers can help to encourage – or impede – optimal social, emotional and cognitive growth.

In Shelby County and across the nation, the majority of young children will spend a significant amount of time every week-day in the care of non-family members while their parents are at work. And when it comes to their children, most parents want the same thing- They want their infant or toddler to have access to a high-quality early education setting. Parents spend a great deal of energy and time researching and trying to find an available slot in a high-quality, affordable child development center or family provider.

How can parents know when they have found the right child care setting? What are the markers of a superior infant or toddler classroom? The following list is comprised of some of the indicators that can confirm for parents that developmentally correct practices are being used in their child’s early education setting.

Continuity Of Teachers and Children In The Classroom. Known faces are critical to high-quality care for very young children. Continuity provides regularity and security- this eases children’s adaption to new environments and makes the departure and reunion process easier for both kids and parents.

Involvement Between Children and Staff Members. One of the most crucial elements of superb early education for infants and toddlers is the interactive setting- parents need to observe teachers actively engaging with children. Staff members should react swiftly to requests, comment on what children are doing and seeing, and check in often to see if assistance is needed.

Variations In Pace Throughout The Day. Because young children enrolled in early education can spend the majority of their week at the child care location, pace changes are essential, both for the children and the staff. Parents should look for evidence that infants and toddlers get opportunities to play outside and in the gym, to sing and respond to music, and to experience variations in the learning setting. Parents need to see the pace in the classroom elevate and become lively and brisk during some parts of the day, and then ease off to become cozy and softening during others.

Parents As A Fundamental Component Of The Early Education Setting. The knowledge that parents are a child’s primary and most important educators is the foundation for a positive parent-staff relationship. When families are incorporated as a principal component of a young child’s early school experience, the teachers, parents and children all prosper and flourish.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References

Albrecht, K., & Miller, L. G. (2007). Quality for infants and toddlers: A view from the door. Early Childhood News- Excelligence Learning Corporation.

Just When Does the Achievement Gap Start?

2009-10-06T11:10:00.001-05:00

Research on early brain development suggests that the human brain is partially completed in utero and continues to develop long after birth. Although infants are born with all the neurons they will ever have, the connections between neurons, or synapses, have not been established at birth. Most synapses are formed in the first 3 years of life. However, synaptic pruning continues into the teenage years. Brain synapses connect and are pruned in response to external stimuli. This means that the brain develops in response to children’s relationships and their environment. This is important because the accuracy and effectiveness of synaptic connections will determine how effectively the brain will function as children grow to adulthood (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004).

A child’s ability to develop effective cognitive, social and emotional skills in early childhood is dependent on the accuracy and effectiveness of their synaptic formation. Early brain development is crucially linked to later development because it provides the foundation upon which all of the more complex skills and abilities will be built (Thompson, 2001, Spring/Summer; Cunha & Heckman, 2007, May).

Children growing up in diverse economic and family circumstances do not have equal access to the relationships and environments that will support their early brain and mind development. This is critical because it means that their foundational skills, which will enable them to develop more intricate traits and abilities as they grow, are fundamentally different.

Ramey & Ramey (2004) discuss differences in the early childhood experiences of different groups of children in order to determine when it is possible to see a gap opening in the cognitive abilities of disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers. Their research, conducted over the last 30 years on participants in the original Carolina Abecedarian Project and subsequent cohorts of participants, has established that poor children and their more advantaged peers have demonstrable differences in their cognitive abilities beginning at 18 months of age.

At 18 months, disadvantaged children scored an average of 18 points lower than their more advantaged peers on the Mental Development Index of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Disturbingly, without intervention, this gap persisted and grew as the children in the study progressed to kindergarten. By the time they reached the kindergarten classroom, more advantaged children were an average of 2.5 years ahead of their disadvantaged peers developmentally (Ramey & Ramey, 2004, October). Multiple other studies that have tracked cohorts of young children have demonstrated the same early achievement gaps between poor and non-poor children and their persistence as children grow up (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007, Table 110; National Center for Education Statistics, 2007, Table 111; Barnett, 1996)

However, there is good news. Children who get access to high quality early childhood programs, like the Abecedarian Project, end up doing about as well as their more advantaged peers in early childhood. The Abecedarian Program provided disadvantaged children with high quality, full time child care from 6 weeks to 3 years of age, regular home visiting to help provide support and information for parents, access to economic supports like free diapers, free food and free transportation, full year pre-kindergarten from 3 years old till school entry. The gains that children in the program made, versus their peers who were not enrolled, persisted as the children grew into adulthood.

Sources

Barnett, W.S. (1996). Lives in the Balance: Age-27 Benefit-Cost Analysis of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program. Monographs of the HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 11. Ypsilanti, Mich.: High/Scope Press.

Cunha, F. & Heckman, J.J. (2007, May). The Technology of Skill Formation. American Economic Review, 97, 2, 31-47.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Table 110. Mean reading scale scores and specific reading skills for fall 1998 first time kindergarteners, by time of assessment and selected characteristics: Selected years, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Digest of Education Statistics. [Accessed September 2009] http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_110.asp

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Table 111. Mean mathematics and science scale scores and specific mathematics skills of fall 1998 first-time kindergartners, by time of assessment and selected characteristics: Selected years, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Digest of Education Statistics. [Accessed September 2009] http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_111.asp

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved [August 21, 2009] from www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/environment_of_relationships.pdf

Ramey, C.T. & Ramey, S.L. (2004, October). Early Learning and School Readiness: Can Intervention Make a Difference? Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 50, 4, 471-491.

Thompson, R. A. (2001, Spring/Summer). The Growth of the Brain. The Future of Children: Caring for Infants and Toddlers 11, 1. [Accessed September 2009]. http://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=44&articleid=186&sectionid=1212

Supporting the Cognitive, Social and Emotional Growth of Young Children By Inviting Parents Into The Classroom

2009-10-02T07:10:00.005-05:00

While the central practice of an early education teacher fittingly targets the security and guidance of young children, often too little consideration is paid to the role of family members- both as engaged partners and as part of the regular curriculum- in the early education environment.

Recent research suggests that quality child care doesn’t just benefit kids- it also supports families (See “Child Care Programs Assist Parents In Building Social Capital: Suggestions For Administrators and Faculty”).The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the accreditation body that is recognized as the gold standard in the field of early childhood education, understands the importance of family involvement in the development of young children, and mandates that centers follow explicit family engagement standards in order to maintain their accreditation status. There are many simple ideas that early educators can integrate into their program in order to promote family involvement in the educational setting- both directly and through projects that permit children to think about and discuss their families regularly throughout the school day (Francis, n.d.).

- Ask parents into the facility to display and share hobbies and pastimes, cultural rituals, unique foods, etc. This is not only an great time for a young child to observe and enjoy her own family- it also lets parents know that their exceptional stories are acknowledged and welcomed in the classroom.

- Construct a welcoming, family-focused environment and let parents know that their participation is desirable. Make sure family members know where art supplies, toys and books are kept so that they can engage without restriction.

- Assist children in making a family tree. For infants and toddlers, this may simply be naming people in their households and those special to them. Keep the tree uncomplicated and straightforward and mention it often as a source of communication.

- Choose quality reading materials- there are hundreds of fantastic children’s books that recognize the diversity of modern families. Be perceptive to family variance with any activity you do, but recognize that books provide you with a unique opportunity to mention and encourage all families.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References
Francis, K. (n.d.) Inviting family into the classroom. EarlychildhoodNEWS: The Professional Resource For Teachers and Parents.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.) Introduction to NAEYC standards and criteria. Washington, DC: Author.

How Much Better Prepared for Kindergarten Are Children Going through Head Start and State Pre-K?

2009-09-30T13:56:00.002-05:00

Early Childhood: The Most Economically Efficient Time to Invest in a Child’s Development

Children undergo their most rapid brain development between conception and age 3. Nobel prize winning economist James Heckman has pointed out that the rapid and foundational nature of this period of early brain development means that it is an excellent time to invest in young children’s developing skills. His recent research has also demonstrated that investments in children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills after 5 can only achieve maximum effectiveness and return to society if they are built on a solid foundation of early skills development (Heckman, July 2008). Heckman reached these conclusions about early investment, in part, by studying the returns to society and the individual that were achieved by children who participated in high quality early interventions, such as the Perry Pre-school Program and the Abecedarian Program in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Current Investments in Early Brain Development

Spurred on by the hope of increasing children’s preparation for kindergarten, particularly their cognitive and social/emotional development, the federal and state government have been making investments in Head Start and more recently, state pre-kindergarten for the last several decades. However, questions still remain about how much more prepared children are for kindergarten after participating in Head Start and/or state pre-kindergarten. We also do not know a lot about whether children who participate in Head Start are better off, worse off or about the same as children who participate in state pre-kindergarten.

In order to address these questions, the researchers at Early Ed Watch have been writing an interesting series of articles comparing the salient features of Head Start and state pre-kindergarten programs around the country in order to determine whether children do better, worse or the same in each type of pre-school program. Their blog can be accessed here.

To complicate matters, programs in many communities, including Memphis are in the process of merging their state pre-kindergarten and Head Start programs so that funding can be leveraged to produce a higher quality program for more children.

Most of the national level research on Head Start comes from two studies, the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) and the Impact Study. These studies have demonstrated that most children are better prepared for kindergarten, but their gains in kindergarten readiness are not comparable to the Perry or Abecedarian programs that helped spur public interest in funding these programs. However, in programs such as the Abbott Pre-School Program in New Jersey and the Tulsa Pre-K Program, children are seeing gains in pre-kindergarten readiness which are much more comparable to the results achieved by the Perry and Abecedarian programs.

Maximizing the Return on Our Current Investments

What are the salient features of the Abbott and Tulsa programs which helped improve student’s early learning outcomes so much? The primary factors involved appear to be higher teacher salaries and an equalization of quality standards including teacher education and ratios. Teacher salaries played a large role in increasing program quality because they attracted highly qualified individuals who are good at “engaging students in academic concepts and had a close relationship with them” (Guernsey, September 11, 2009). Giving children access to these high quality teaching experiences, in turn, significantly improved their preparation for school. For more information on this topic please see the Early Ed Watch Blog at http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2009/checking-assumptions-about-school-readiness-14507.

We are hopeful that the forthcoming collaboration of Shelby County Head Start and the Memphis City Schools pre-kindergarten teacher will allow the district to leverage funding and equalize quality standards between the two programs so that our investment in vulnerable Memphis children’s early development can be maximized.

Sources

Guernsey, Lisa. (September 11, 2009). Checking Assumptions about School Readiness. Early Ed Watch Blog. Washington D.C.: New America Foundation. Accessed September 23, 2009. <>

Heckman, James J. (July 2008). Schools, Skills and Synapses. Economic Inquiry 46, 3, 289-324.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. (2004). Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved [August 21, 2009] from
<www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/environment_of_relationships.pdf>

"Hang up the cellphone and talk to young children"

2009-09-29T13:48:00.002-05:00

In today’s New York Times, Jane E. Brody has a column entitled “From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk.” Brody reminds us that communication begins as soon as a child is born. She writes: The way you touch, hold, look at and talk to babies help them learn your language, and the different ways babies cry help you learn their language. According to the American Medical Association, parents should talk to their babies whenever they have the chance… “your calm, reassuring voice is what he needs to feel safe. Always respond to your newborn’s cries – he cannot be spoiled with too much attention.”

While we often stress the importance of language in the home for early child development, Brody points to the negative effect of electronic distractions on today’s parenting. She writes: “all too often, the mothers and nannies I see are tuned in to their cellphones, BlackBerrys and iPods, not their young children.”

What difference could this possibly make on child development?

According to Randi Jacoby, a speech and language specialist, “Parents have stopped having good communication with their young children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development. Young children require time and one-on-one feedback as they struggle to formulate utterances in order to build their language and cognitive skills. The basic skills are not being taught by example…”

Ms. Jacoby advises parents to: “Reward your little one’s communicative attempts with your heightened attention to his/her conversation. Be prepared to put down your cellphone and look them squarely in the eye as they share their thoughts with you.”

What would effective parent/child communication look like?

Jane Brody reviews several guidelines for parents:
• Avoid baby talk and baby words, which can confuse a child who is learning to talk. If your child uses a baby word, repeat it, but also use the correct one.
• Play word games like “This Little Piggy” or “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” and encourage your child to do the accompanying motions.
• Count the steps as you go up or down.
• Ask questions that require a choice, like “Do you want milk or juice?”
• Sing songs and recite nursery rhymes.
• Read together every day, and ask your child to name or describe the objects and characters in the story.
• Above all, when your children try to talk to you, give them your full attention whenever possible.

Which Quality Factors Improve Children’s Cognitive Development Between Birth and 5?

2009-09-23T10:16:00.003-05:00

Children undergo their most rapid brain development between conception and 36 months of age (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004). Children’s brains and minds develop in tandem; therefore, access to resources that promote optimal development is particularly important during a child’s earliest years. Early mind development is a compilation of the cognitive, social and emotional skills that human’s develop and build more complex skills upon as they age. In turn, early growth is an important predictor of later life outcomes. Early brain and mind development are both experience dependent (Thompson, 2001, Spring/Summer). Young children utilize the components of their early relationships and resources to support the physical development of their brains as well as the acquisition of their cognitive, social and emotional developmental skills.

Years of research has demonstrated that children who receive supportive, nurturing care in a rich language environment have better cognitive development by the time they enter kindergarten (Burchinal et al., 1996; Willms, 2002; Howes, 1997; National Institute for Early Education Research, 2003, December). In turn, increased kindergarten readiness has been linked to better performance in school and enhanced preparation for the workforce. There are many things that parents can do to support their children’s cognitive development including:

Speaking to infants and children often and trying to use at least 5 words per sentence;

Reading to their children daily from an early age;

Using the teachable moments of daily life to help children gain understanding of early math and science concepts, for instance cooking together can be an excellent opportunity to explore things like ratios and fractions and the differences between liquids, solids and gases (Zero to Three, n.d.).

Not surprisingly, the same characteristics that help improve cognitive development at home also apply to child care settings. Child care settings that have small caregiver to child ratios and well educated caregivers who receive ongoing training and support provide demonstrable increases in children’s language and cognitive development and also in their school readiness. Small caregiver to child ratios provide caregivers with the energy and time to respond more sensitively and thoroughly to children’s needs. Ongoing education and training arms providers with the information and skills they need to provide a rich language environment and utilize effective curriculums that improve children’s pre-literacy and pre-math skills (Burchinal et al., 1996; Willms, 2002; Howes, 1997; NIEER, 2003, December).

Sources

Burchinal, M.R., Roberts, J.E., Nabors, L.A. and Bryant D.M. (1996, April). Quality of Center Child Care and Infant Cognitive and Language Development. Child Development 67, 2, 606-20.

Howes, C. (1997). Children’s experiences in center-based child care as a function of teacher background and adult: child ratio. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 43, 404-425.

National Institute for Early Education Research. (2003, December). Can A College Degree Help Preschoolers Learn? Fast Facts: Issue No. 1. New Brunswick, N.J.: Author. <>

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. (2004). Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved [August 21, 2009] from http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu

Thompson, R. A. (2001, Spring/Summer). The Growth of the Brain. The Future of Children: Caring for Infants and Toddlers 11, 1. Accessed September 2009. < journalid="44&articleid=" sectionid="1212&submit">

Willms, J.D. (2002). Vulnerable children and youth. Education Canada 42, 3, 40-43.

Zero to Three. (n.d.). Everyday Ways to Support Your Baby or Toddlers Early Learning. Washington D.C.: Author. Accessed September 2009. < docid="3081&AddInterest=">

High-Quality Early Care Promotes Social, Emotional and Cognitive Development In At-Risk Young Children

2009-09-23T10:07:00.002-05:00

Eighty percent of brain development occurs in the first three years of life, and early environments can encourage or impede effective cognitive growth. Science affirms that residing in poverty means more than economic hardship for infants and toddlers- young children raised in impoverished households lack access to crucial resources needed for optimal social, emotional and cognitive development. Unfortunately, child poverty is on the rise in Memphis- from 2003 to 2007, the percentage of children living in impoverished families rose from 35 to 42 percent (The Urban Child Institute [TUCI], 2009).

However, researchers may have found a potential equalizer: high-quality early care and education. For our youngest at-risk kids, attending an enriching early care program may be enough to negate the impact of vulnerable home environments and present them with the framework needed for academic success. According to Boston College professor Eric Dearing, whose team evaluated data of more than 1,300 children in 10 regions across the United States, “even minimal exposure to higher-quality child care at times was enough to offset the deprivation often encountered when growing up poor” (West, 2009, p. 1).

Dearing suggests that the advantages of high-quality early care were seen in most children, no matter their socioeconomic status; however, the observed impact became more significant as the family income levels dropped. The study results also suggest that the effect of high quality care increases with exposure—the more time spent in an educational setting, the better.

What is high-quality early care? The study team, which includes researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Samford University, defines “higher quality” day care as environments that provide better than typical personal care, cognitive engagement and emotional support to infants and toddlers. Effective early care, Dearing suggests, should not be mistaken for the exclusive programs usually located in wealthy neighborhoods. Instead, top-notch early care can be provided in a setting as familiar as a grandparent’s house or as standardized as a traditional community day care center.

Low-income families, just like wealthier families, need caring child care environments while parents are on the job or attending school; however, impoverished families are typically obliged to utilize inferior care because they have few options. Although the study did not make targeted suggestions on how to enhance early care in poor environments, the researchers implied the need to better inform families on how to access high-quality early care and dispense increased public funding of education initiatives for children less than five years of age. The findings from the assessment appear in the September/October issue of Child Development.

For more information of the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References

The Urban Child Institute. (2009). The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County: DataBook. Memphis, TN: The Urban Child Institute.

West, P. (2009, September 16). Better day care, smarter kids? Yahoo News!: HealthDay Reporter.

Tennessee Receives Incentive Funding From HHS To Improve Programs For Children In State Custody

2009-09-17T10:02:00.002-05:00

This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $35 million in incentive awards to states that have increased the number of children adopted from foster care. Tennessee is one of 38 states receiving recognition and a financial award from HHS for improving policies and programs for maltreated children.

The Adoption Incentives plan was developed in conjunction with the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. The initial plan rewarded states for moving children from state custody to permanent adoptive homes. Under the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, incentives were increased for moving children from foster care into adoptive households. The Act also mandates the use of consistent and comparable data on foster care and adoption.

This is positive news for our community, where 925 children were in state care as of June 30, 2007. Approximately one in five of these kids were preschoolers - the time in which the most rapid cognitive, social and emotional growth takes place. It is imperative that these susceptible infants and toddlers have access to the resources that promote healthy development- including a loving, consistent and established family. We applaud Tennessee for earning these incentive funds and look forward to their continued success in achieving permanent placement for these children into attentive and caring homes.

According to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, “Adopting a child from foster care is a wonderful way to enrich any family’s life…We congratulate the states that performed so well this year and we thank the parents who are providing loving and permanent homes” (Reuters, 2009, p.1).

A complete listing of each state’s adoption incentive award amount can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2009/fy09_adoption_incentive_awards.htm.

Policy suggestions to support young children and their adoptive families (Zero To Three, 2009):

- Provide continual post-permanency supports for adoptive families after permanency has been established. Infants and toddlers who depart foster care for a permanent adoptive home may continue to have developmental and mental health needs. For these placements to be successful, enduring emotional, financial and logistical services should be readily available.

- Guarantee that court administrators are informed about child growth and development and utilize their education to ensure stability and security. In order to accomplish their leadership and governing roles in cases involving very young children, court authorities should be aware of current scientific advances and possess the ability to apply that comprehension in their legalistic decision-making.

For more information of the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References

Cohen, J. (2009). Securing a bright future: Infants and toddlers in foster care. Washington, DC:
Zero To Three Policy Center.

HHS awards $35 million to states for increasing adoptions. (2009, September 14). Reuters:
Business Wire 2009. h ttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/HHS-Awards-35-Million-to-bw-1239344910.html?x=0&.v=1

TN Department of Children’s Services. Annual Report FY 2009. Nashville, TN: Author.
http://www.state.tn.us/youth

Providing Consistent and Nurturing Care for Infants in the First Year of Life

2009-09-15T15:46:00.002-05:00

Children undergo a period of rapid brain development between conception and 36 months of age. Early brain development is experience dependent. This means that infants and toddlers need nurturing, consistent care from a regular caregiver in order to develop their foundational social, emotional and cognitive skills (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004).

- In Shelby County, 60% of mothers of infants were also in the labor force (American Factfinder, 2007).
- Similar percentages of single and married new mothers are working. Fifty-nine percent of married mothers of infants were employed, compared to 62% of single mothers of infants (American Factfinder, 2007).

Tennessee Maternity Leave Laws

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 stipulates that all employees in the United States are entitled to up to 12 weeks of uncompensated leave for any of the following reasons:

• for the birth and care of the newborn child of the employee;
• for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;
• to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
• to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009).

The 1987 Tennessee Maternity Leave Act law only provided unpaid leave for female employees and did not require employers to grant unpaid leave to families who were new parents through adoption (Baker Donelson, 2005). Following a 2005 amendment, the Act now entitles both male and female employees up to 4 months of unpaid leave in relation to pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or adoption. The period of leave for employees who are expecting a child can begin during or after the pregnancy at the employee’s discretion with 3 months prior notice to their employer. Leave for the adoption of a new baby begins when the adoption occurs (TN Code Annotated 4-21-208, 2005). Whether or not an employee is compensated during maternity leave is at the discretion of employers; however, some organizations allow new mothers to utilize unused, compensated sick and/or vacation time while they are on maternity leave (TN Dept of Human Resources, July 2009).

Finding Affordable, High Quality Infant Care

Who takes care of babies when mothers go back to work? In Tennessee, the two primary sources of publically funded care for infants (under 12 months of age) are Department of Human Services (DHS) child care (designed for low-income families receiving government assistance) and Early Head Start.

- In 2009, only 7% of DHS child care recipients were infants under one year of age (NACCRA, 2009). In Shelby County, this would mean that roughly 3,131 (~20% of those born every year) infants were receiving subsidized child care (TN CCR&R, October 2008).

- Currently, there are 95 Early Head Start slots in Shelby County and these are available for children between 6 weeks and 3 years of age (Warr, 2009).

As of December 2008, the average weekly cost of full time infant care in a 3 star or NAEYC accredited child care center in Shelby County was $140.00, or $7,280 annually and ranged from $110 a week to $191 a week (CUCP estimate, 2008).

If they had to pay the market rate, what percent of a family’s income would be devoted to child care? Median family income for married couples with children in Shelby County is $81,698 a year - this suggests that the average two-parent family in Shelby County would spend 8% of their income per year, per child for high quality infant care. By comparison, single mothers with children earn a median annual income of $22,007- These families would spend 33% of their annual income per child for high quality infant care.

Expanding Affordable Care: The Illinois Infant/Toddler Set Aside

Over the last few decades, our neighboring state of Illinois implemented a set of innovative child care programs that offer promising models for Tennessee. During the 1980’s, the Illinois legislature created three different programs to target services to children and their families who were between birth and age 5. In 1997, the legislature decided to combine the funding for all 3 programs into one block grant, which became the Illinois Early Childhood Education Block Grant (ECEBG). This grant money is used to fund early care and education, parent training programs and early intervention services. The legislature set aside 8% of the ECEBG to provide services directly to children from birth to age 3, and this is known as the Illinois Infant/Toddler Set Aside. The set aside became available to service providers around the state beginning in 1999. In 2004, they increased the amount of the set aside to 11% of the block grant funds and also began exclusively funding best practice proven programs (Ounce of Prevention Fund, 2007).

For the 2009/2010 fiscal year, the Infant/Toddler Set Aside will generate $37.6 million in funding for best practice programs for infants and toddlers in Illinois (CUCP Estimate, based on Bellinger, August 2009). While this does represent a 10% cut in funding from the 2008 levels, it still enables the Illinois Department of Education the leeway to create and fund high quality, affordable programs for infants and toddlers (Bellinger, August 2009). Tennessee does not have an Early Childhood Education Block Grant currently, but we do have many of the programs that were utilized to create the ECEBG in Illinois and it is not beyond our capacity to set aside a portion of those funds to create more affordable, high quality options for our youngest children.

Sources

American Factfinder. (2007). Table B13012. WOMEN 16 TO 50 YEARS WHO HAD A BIRTH IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS BY MARITAL STATUS AND LABOR FORCE STATUS. Washington D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau

Baker Donelson. (July 2005). “Amendment to Tennessee Maternity Leave Act Allows Leave for Adoptions and Male Employees,” Labor & Employment Alert. Memphis: Author. Accessed September 8, 2009.

Bellinger, Catharine. (August 2009). “Illinois Governor Protects Part of Early Childhood Budget, But Still, State Funding Drops,” Early Ed Watch Blog, Washington D.C.: New America Foundation. Accessed September 11, 2009 < http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2009/illinois-gov-protects-some-money-early-learning-all-early-childhood-programs-fac>

National Association of Child Care and Resource Referral Agencies. (March 2009).Average Monthly Number of Children Served by Age. Author. Accessed September 8, 2009.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. (2004). Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved [August 21, 2009] from www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/environment_of_relationships.pdf

Ounce of Prevention Fund. (2007). Illinois’ Infant Toddler Set Aside: What It Is and How It Works to Promote School Readiness. Chicago: Author. Accessed September 11, 2009. < http://www.ounceofprevention.org/includes/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/files/Infant%20Toddler%20set%20aside-pub%20rev%2007.pdf>

Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. (October 2008). Personal communication with Katie Devlin.

Tennessee Code Annotated 4-21-408. (2005). Leave for adoption, pregnancy, child birth and nursing an infant. Accessed September 10, 2009. http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/Title4-21-408.htm

Tennessee Department of Human Resources. (July 2009). “Maternity Leave,” State Employee Benefits. Nashville, TN: Author. Accessed July 8, 2009.
United States Department of Labor. (2009). Family and Medical Leave Act: Overview. Washington D.C.: Author. Accessed September 10, 2009.

Warr, Mike. (March 2009). Personal Communication with Katie Devlin.

Understanding Why Poverty Harms Children and How to Fix It

2009-09-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

In Shelby County roughly half of all children live in poverty during the critical years between birth and kindergarten entry. This start in life matters for the students and adults that these children will become. This is because children growing up in poverty lack access to the ingredients that make for positive early childhood development.

Resources and relationships are the primary ingredients that shape a child’s intellectual, emotional and relational skills. Further, the skills that infants and toddlers acquire in their first years of life are the building blocks that all of their later life learning and abilities will be built on (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2007). Poverty is one of the strongest known correlates to negative developmental outcomes (Brooks Gunn et al., 1994; G. J. Duncan & J. Brooks-Gunn, 1997; Lee and Burkham, 2002; Hart & Risley, 1995). However, very few people who research child development attempt to discern why poverty so consistently harms children’s development. Said another way, what is it about the experience of growing up in poverty that is so bad for children?

An impoverished childhood is literally like limiting a cake baker to flour and water. Poverty is about more than just a lack of financial resources. Meeting children’s developmental needs requires relationships, interaction and active give and take and this is no less true for children in poverty than for middle-class kids.

Parents raising their children in poverty are not poor parents. Rather, they are parents who lack some or all of the resources their children need to thrive. Helping children and families escape poverty and its devastating effects requires the extension of resources and relationships to parents and their children. Lest we forget, we are all affected by the devastating consequences of poverty on children’s development when they enter school unable to participate, fall behind, fail out, become involved with crime and drugs and then continue the cycle by raising their children in poverty.

In 2001, a book entitled Bridges Out of Poverty explored what it means to live in poverty, how living in poverty shapes people’s thoughts, choices and actions and what it requires to help people move permanently from poverty into the middle class. The authors define poverty as “the extent to which an individual does without resources” (Payne et al., 2001). They argue that poverty may include the absence of the following resources:

- Financial – Having the money to purchase good and services;

- Emotional – Being able to choose and control emotional responses, particularly to negative situations, without engaging in self-destructive behavior. This is an internal resource and shows itself through stamina, perseverance and choices;

- Mental – Having the mental abilities and acquired skills (reading, writing, computing) to deal with daily life;

- Spiritual – Believing in divine purpose and guidance;

- Physical – Having physical health and mobility;

- Support Systems – Having friends, family, and backup resources available to access in times of need. These are external resources;

- Relationships/Role Models - Having frequent access to adult(s) who are appropriate, who are nurturing to the child, and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior;

- Knowledge of Hidden Rules - Knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group; and

- Coping strategies – Being able to engage in procedural self-talk and the mindsets that allow issues to be moved from the concrete to the abstract. It is the ability to translate from the personal to the issue (Payne et al, 2001, pg. 11).

Sources

Hart, Betty and Todd Risley. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing Co.

Lee, Valerie E. and David T. Burkham. (2002). Inequality at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement as Children Begin School. Washington D.C.: Economic Policy Institute.

Duncan, G.J., Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, and P.K. Klebanov. (1994). Economic Deprivation and Early Childhood Development. Child Development. 65,296-318

Duncan, G. J. & J. Brooks-Gunn (Eds.), Consequences of growing up poor. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2007). The Timing and Quality of Early Experiences Combine to Shape Brain Architecture: Working Paper #5. http://www.developingchild.net

Payne, Ruby K., Phillip E. DeVol and Terie Dreussi Smith. (2001). Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Encourages U.S. To Spend More On Early Childhood

2009-09-08T15:21:00.001-05:00

According to a recent report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a France-based supervisor of industrialized nations, the United States has some of the modern world’s worst rates of child impoverishment, teen pregnancy and infant mortality. These results are striking given that the U.S. spends more per child (approximately $140,000) on welfare and educational services than the OECD average of $125,000 (Keller & Kurowski, 2009).

Child poverty statistics in the U.S. are almost twice the OECD average, at 21.6 percent compared to 12.4 percent. The rate of adolescent births in our country is triple the OECD average, with only Mexico reporting a higher rate among the 30 member OECD countries.

Why did the United States fare so poorly in the child well-being survey, despite spending more money per child? The OECD report suggests that U.S. government funding for children is heavily skewed to older children and adolescents (ages 12-17). U.S. spending on education, health and social services for children under six years of age trails far behind other industrialized nations- we spend about $20,000 on early childhood compared to the OECD average of $30,000 (Keller & Kurowski, 2009).

In “Doing Better For Children”, the report released last Tuesday, the OECD encourages the United States to transfer more of its public funding to our youngest citizens in order to advance our health and educational attainment. “A better balance of spending between the ‘Dora the Explorer’ years of early childhood and the teenage ‘Facebook’ years would help improve the health, education and well-being of all children in the long term,” the OECD said. The group suggests that the U.S. could benefit from investing in early childhood programs that strengthen pre- and post- natal services, promote breastfeeding and educate parents about healthy diet and risk factors such as smoking.

There is an urgent need to address these risk factors associated with poor child welfare, as they are especially prevalent in our community. In Memphis, almost one in five births are to females less than 20 years of age (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2005). Additionally, over 40% of Memphis children (under 18 years of age) live in impoverished households (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2007) . Each year, more than half of the children born in Shelby County are born into families in poverty and lacking access to basic resources that young children need for optimal early childhood development [TUCI], 2009).

Research shows that spending on early childhood is one of the smartest investments a society can make. By focusing on our youngest children and families – particularly the cohort of young children most in need - and implementing successful interventions, we can make economic and social decisions now that will enhance the well-being of the next generation (TUCI, 2009). We encourage our local, state and federal officials to consider the suggestions offered by the OECD- invest wisely in our youngest citizens in order to reach the future we envision for our community and our nation.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References

The Annie E. Casey Foundation, KIDS COUNT Data Center, www.kidscount.org.

Keller, G. & Kurowski, R. (2009, September 2). US fares poorly in child welfare survey. The Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g_CQ5dFodttwmt5mQB0fQiOrq_uwD9AEMF2O4

The Urban Child Institute. (2009). The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County: Data Book. Memphis, TN: The Urban Child Institute.

Child Care Programs Assist Parents In Building “Social Capital”: Suggestions For Administrators and Faculty

2009-09-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

Eighty percent of human brain development occurs during the first 36 months of life, and early surroundings can either encourage or impede effective cognitive growth. Sixty-five percent of mothers with very young children (under age 3) are employed; therefore, many infants and toddlers across the country and in Shelby County spend a substantial amount of time in the care of providers others than their parents (The Urban Child Institute [TUCI], 2009).

Quality child care benefits children and their families. First, parents are able to retain regular employment and provide for their children when affordable daycare is accessible. Second, enriching early care can advance children’s intellectual and social/emotional skills, ensuring that they reach the kindergarten classroom prepared and ready for academic success (TUCI, 2009).

Recent research from the University of Chicago suggests that early care programs have an often unnoticed capacity- linking parents with each other as unofficial consultants in parenting practices while also connecting them to organizations that can assist with the obstacles of child rearing. According to the study of 3,500 mothers in 20 U.S. cities, child care programs are regularly as beneficial for the parents as for the kids in terms of building companionable relationships and forming a support system. Early care programs become headquarters where parents can build “social capital”- the associations they require to assist with issues such as child behavior and locating quality medical care and schools. Child care programs that coordinated parent gatherings and had rigid drop-off and pick-up times where parents could connect had particularly effective parent support systems (Goldsmith, 2009).

“Parents come to school to find someone to care for their children, and they end up learning ways of taking care of each other…When you are a parent, particularly a first-time parent, the best resource you have is another parent” (Small, quoted in Goldsmith, 2009, p.1).

Early care administrators and teachers can easily encourage relationship building among enrolled families (Raising Children Network, 2009):
- Invite parents to a welcoming party at the beginning of the school year.
- Send home a weekly newsletter informing parents about classroom events and upcoming activities.
- Set up informal, monthly meetings between parents and teachers. Invite mothers and fathers to bring a packed lunch and join staff for a casual question and answer session.
- Formally recognize parent contributions (through a bulletin board or notes sent home).
- Establish positive communication with all families.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References

Goldsmith, B. (August 30, 2009). Child care helps parents make invaluable friends too: study.
Reuters Life! http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE57U0E720090831

Involving parents in school and child care. 2006- 2009 Raising Children Network (Australia).
http://raisingchildren.net.au/working_with_parents/working_with_parents_landing.html

The Urban Child Institute. (2009). The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County: DataBook. Memphis, TN: The Urban Child Institute.

Numbers Matter: How To Help Young Children Learn The Foundational Math Skills They Need For Kindergarten Success

2009-09-02T13:44:00.001-05:00

This summer, the Committee on Early Childhood Mathematics of the National Research Council issued a report entitled "Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths Toward Excellence and Equity" (Cross et al., 2009). The report details the importance of incorporating early math skills in the pre-school curriculum and provides information for parents and teachers to use in making sure that children are mathematically ready for school. Most parents know that learning to count and recognize basic shapes are important skills that will help their preschooler get ready for kindergarten. However, the report recommends that parents and pre-school teachers help children master more than these basic skills . Specifically, young children need to learn, “concepts of number, space, passing of time, (and) volume” (Chute, August 30, 2009, 1). Understanding these mathematical concepts at an early age helps children connect mathematical ideas to the physical world. This knowledge – in turn – provides preschoolers with a solid foundation on which to build a more complex mathematical understanding later in life.

Helping young children get ready for math does not have to be difficult. In fact, many pre-math skills are best learned through play. As children explore the world around them, they naturally make observations about numbers, space, time, and shapes and sizes. These are all key pre-math concepts. Parents and caregivers can enrich this exploration by helping children understand and interpret what they are observing. The most important thing is that children need to understand math concepts through their experiences of the tangible world and not as abstractions. The evidence is clear: even very young children benefit from an early introduction to key math concepts.

Sources

Chute, Eleanor. (August 30, 2009). “Back to School/Do the Math: Latest 'new math' concept: Start early and make it fun,” Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Accessed August 31, 2009. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09242/994281-298.stm#ixzz0PnO4uPu4

Cross, Christopher T., Taniesha A. Woods, Heidi Schweingruber, Eds. (2009). Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths Toward Excellence and Equity. Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press. < http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12519 >

Duncan, Greg J. et al. (November 2007). School Readiness and Later Achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43, 6: 1428 – 1446. http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/dev4361428.pdf

Parlakian, Rebecca. (n.d.) Growing Up Healthy: What Local Governments Can Do to Support Young Children and Their Families. Washington D.C.: Zero to Three. Accessed August 31, 2009. < http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/GrowUpHealthy.pdf?docid="1722">

New Pediatric Sub-Specialty Board Approved for Certification of Pediatricians with Expertise in the Management of Victims of Child Maltreatment

2009-08-31T13:13:00.002-05:00

It has been well demonstrated that maltreatment in the earliest years of life can lead to life- long behavioral and health problems (Sameroff, 1998). In November of 2009, approximately 200 doctors will sit for a board examination offered for the first time by the American Board of Pediatrics. The Board Exam will be for candidates in the field of child abuse pediatrics- a specialty involving not only caring for child maltreatment victims but also working with law enforcement and caseworkers and testifying in court cases. The acceptance of child abuse pediatrics as a medical concentration is expected to lead to an established system of accreditation for the estimated 25 child maltreatment fellowship programs in the U.S. for which there are presently no nationally agreed upon standards.

Administrators expect the changes to result in more specialists who can teach in medical universities, conduct research and serve as a resource for the general medical community. Additionally, practitioners also hope the increased acceptance of the concentration will generate higher reimbursements from insurance organizations and government health care programs- a benefit for hospitals that usually lose money on their child maltreatment teams because of the time devoted to these complicated cases (Hollingsworth, 2009).

The need for the maltreatment focus area is clear: research has regularly indicated that many medical professionals lack the knowledge to effectively handle these demanding cases. A recent study published in Pediatrics suggests that current standards of child maltreatment instruction are insufficient (Hollingsworth, 2009).

Even medical professionals who are not certified in child abuse pediatrics should focus on preventing child abuse and neglect: it is an integral component of accomplishing their responsibility of ensuring children’s health and welfare. Young children who are abused or chronically neglected have increased risks for social-emotional, behavioral and cognitive delays. Too often, by the time a child is determined to be a maltreatment victim, these problems have already begun to develop (Hawley, 2000). In 2008, children under six were the victims in nearly half of all investigations of abuse or neglect in Shelby County (TN DCS, 2008).

General principles that all who are involved in child care should become aware of include the following (Dubowitz, 2002):

1. Risk factors for abuse and neglect (such as parental substance abuse and maternal depression) need to be recognized and confronted. Caregivers at risk for abuse and/or neglect usually need mental health and social supports, and providers should expedite referrals.

2. Recognition and identification of a parent’s strengths and resources is vital to understanding the circumstances and preparing an appropriate response.

3. Child and family intentions/goals should be defined, clarified and integrated into the overall health care plan. For instance, a mother’s desire for her toddler to respect rather than fear her assists in the introduction of effective discipline approaches.

4. Acceptance of unconventional and informal assistance (i.e., friends, family, faith community) can be supported. For example, doctors can promote a grandmother’s engagement in child rearing by asking her to attend office visits.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org.

References
Dubowitz, H. (2002, June). Preventing child neglect and physical abuse: A role for pediatricians.
Pediatrics In Review, 23(6), 191-196.

Hawley, T. (2000). Starting smart: How early experiences affect brain development. Zero To Three/The Ounce of Prevention Fund. Washington, DC.

Hollingsworth, H. (2009, August 18). New specialty spurs hope for helping abused kids. Associated Press: Yahoo News. Retrieved on August 24, 2009 from
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090818/ap_on_he_me/us_child_abuse_pediatrics.

Sameroff, A.J. (1998). Environmental risk factors in infancy. Pediatrics, 102, 1287-1292.

Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. CPS/Custody Data. Nashville, TN.