Stanford Center on Early Childhood

“Many children spend their days in 'language isolation,' experts report, deprived of adequate interactions with caregivers. For decades, children have simply been surviving their care, not thriving in it. And, once again, Covid only exacerbated the problem: Nearly 45 percent of childcare providers said the quality of the care they offer has been affected by pandemic-related stressors, according to a survey earlier this year for The Hechinger Report by RAPID, a project of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood.” Read more from The Nation: https://lnkd.in/gC8b8RmA

The majority of Harris County, Texas, parents with young children report high levels of emotional distress. RAPID surveys ask parents with young children about their emotional well-being, and measures emotional distress as a composite of four experiences: stress, anxiety,?depression, and loneliness. RAPID survey data show that nearly two in three (64%) Harris County parents with young children report experiencing emotional distress. Of the parents who experience emotional distress symptoms, anxiety is the most prevalent symptom that parents experience (52%), followed closely by?stress (43%), loneliness (42%), and depression (37%). In other analyses, RAPID data has consistently shown a?chain reaction of hardship. That is, as parents’ experiences of hardship increase, they are also more likely to report emotional distress (higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness), which, in turn, is associated with an increase in emotional distress among their young?children. https://lnkd.in/gYuxbe44

Every child deserves access to healthy food to help them grow up strong and well, but recent data from the RAPID Survey Project show that many parents and caregivers have been concerned about food security, especially since the pandemic. The good news? Strong nutrition policies can help. A new survey shows that in states with #UniversalSchoolMeals policies in place, families are experiencing lower rates of food insecurity. We know that a free school meals policy for all works on the state level—now, let’s implement that nationally! Explore other findings from RAPID on food security: https://lnkd.in/guC7nAad

In this new fact sheet, we lay out what we’ve learned from parents with children under age 6 in Harris County – the most-populated county in Texas and home to the city of Houston – about their experiences with child care, and family economic and emotional well-being. https://lnkd.in/gYMnzq4v

Only 29.9% of children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) receive adequate nurturing care during ages 2-5. This gap highlights the need for more comprehensive early childhood programs to ensure every child’s potential is reached. A new series in The Lancet, Early Childhood Development and the Next 1000 Days, is co-authored by SCEC Associate Director Jelena Obradovi? and Senior Advisor Joan Lombardi. Read part 1: https://lnkd.in/gpJ8U89m Part 2: https://lnkd.in/gdpD_jVN

"Nearly half of California’s parents with children younger than 6 are experiencing material hardship, according to the RAPID Survey Project at Stanford’s Center on Early Childhood. These parents have difficulty paying for basic needs such as food, housing and medical care. Intuitively, Stanford’s research also finds that when caregivers can’t meet their family’s basic needs, their emotional distress increases. And when their emotional distress increases, so does the emotional distress of children. "But the good news is that help helps. Stanford’s research found that government financial relief during the pandemic reduced emotional distress for young families because they could afford essentials and pay their bills." https://lnkd.in/gcdDt_Qp

Another Stanford Center on Early Childhood #ECX Community Spotlight featuring the transformative #earlychildhood systems work happening in Memphis. https://lnkd.in/gUNYe_89. Thank you Mark Swartz and all those engaged in this inspiring work.

Another Stanford Center on Early Childhood #ECX Community Spotlight featuring the transformative #earlychildhood systems work happening in Memphis. https://lnkd.in/gUNYe_89. Thank you Mark Swartz and all those engaged in this inspiring work.

“What’s it like raising children in Memphis?” That’s the question at the heart of a new landscape analysis conducted by First 8 Memphis. The answer matters because adults’ well-being shapes the development and well-being of the children in their lives. But getting to the adults requires trust. “Word of mouth drives our outreach,” executive director Kandace Thomas says. “If people know the organization, or they know someone we know, they will be more likely to join.” Trust will matter even more as the community changes and diversifies. Immigrants and refugees from Latin America and beyond make up an increasing part of the cultural mix. Read more in our newest Early Childhood X Spotlight on Memphis, Tennessee: https://lnkd.in/gPp-RMXH

This statement from the Pediatric Academic Societies Maternal Child Health: First 1,000 Days Special Interest Group provides an overview of the rationale, evidence, and key action steps needed to engage Community Health Workers (CHWs) into team-based well-child care (WCC) for families in low-income communities. Integrating CHWs into early childhood WCC can allow for greater cultural relevancy for families, reduce the burden on clinicians to provide the wide range of WCC services, many of which do not require the expertise of a high-level clinician, and improve preventive care services to families during the vulnerable but critical period of early childhood. Co-authored by Dr. Lisa Chamberlain, Associate Director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, home of the RAPID Survey Project. https://lnkd.in/g3JbZwuA