Trauma-Informed Teachers: Local television station Spectrum News 1 recently highlighted how Los Angeles early childhood educators and parents are working together to combat early childhood suspensions. Students under 5 years-old are more likely to be suspended than older students, and most of these suspensions disproportionately affect black children. To help combat the statistic, an increasing number of preschool teachers are participating in trainings that focus on handling difficult behavior through trauma-informed care, cultural competency, and finding discipline options other than suspension. “We need to make every effort as educators to support our children, to provide them with the tools they need to succeed,” said Sara Vicente, an associate director of a preschool in Long Beach. Vicente's staff participated in the Exception Populations Training Institute offered through Child 360. “Many times they use the aggressive behavior, the biting, the kicking, the screaming, because there is a need, an emotional need that hasn’t been met.”
Death of Childhood: “I’ve come to believe that the problems with children’s mental and emotional health are caused not by any single change in kids’ environment,” writes Kim Brooks in a New York Times op-ed, “but by a fundamental shift in the way we view children and child-rearing.” According to psychologist Peter Gray, children today are more depressed than they were during the Great Depression and more anxious than they were during the Cold War, and Brooks argues this is because free time, recess, and play have been replaced by goal-driven activities meant to jumpstart a child’s success to ensure them a spot in a future that is economically-precarious. This shift has not only led to an increase in negative mental health outcomes like higher childhood suicide rates, but children are also suffering from a social-skills deficit. While some organizations are focused on helping schools restructure to allow for more free time, Brooks concludes that “in many ways, America has given up on childhood, and on children.”
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Fluoride in the Womb: Fluoride consumption by pregnant women may decrease the IQs of their male children, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics. Fluoride, which protects teeth from decay by strengthening enamel, is added to the water supplies of 5% of the world’s populations, including 66% of Americans and 38% of Canadians, but little research had been done on its effects on pregnant women prior to the study, as reported by NPR. According to the findings, a 1 milligram-per-liter increase in maternal urinary fluoride was associated with a 4.5-point lower IQ score in boys by the time they reached ages 3 to 4, as reported by WebMD. Some doctors and researchers have skepticism around the findings, with one Stanford metascientist stating that the results are “borderline in terms of statistical significance.” While others, including a doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital, argue that the findings should at least give rise to more research: “The hypothesis that fluoride is a neurodevelopmental toxicant must now be given serious consideration.”
Unintended Consequences: There may be consequences for doctors who provide care to unvaccinated children in the form of losing patients, according to a new poll by the University of Michigan. Four in ten parents say they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to take their child to a different doctor if they’ve discovered their current physician provides care to unvaccinated children, reports CBS Los Angeles. The poll also found that three in ten parents believe doctors should refuse services to parents who do not vaccinate their children, as research has shown that unvaccinated children pose a threat to other children. In a related story, ABC 7 reported that of Los Angeles Unified School District’s 137 schools, 5% of kindergarteners are not up-to-date on vaccines and within that 27% of kindergartens had permanent exemptions. Under a new California bill, SB 276, the Health Department can investigate schools will low vaccination rates and doctors who have granted more than five exceptions per year, meaning the issue may soon be curbed.
Related article: The Los Angeles Times: Anti-vaccine activist assaults California vaccine law author, police say
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Politics and Current Events
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Immigration and Children
The Department of Homeland Security unveiled a new rule this week that would allow migrant families to be held indefinitely, ending what's known as the Flores Settlement Agreement which protects children from being held by immigration authorities for more than 20 days, reports The Hill. According to the Trump Administration, the Flores Agreement incentivizes immigrants to bring their children when coming to the border as a “get out of jail free card.” This comes after many attempts by the administration to circumvent the agreement by separating parents from their children so they could detain the adults for a longer period of time. The move is being criticized as another act “intentionally harming children,” reports The Washington Post. The Flores Agreement, a decades-old settlement that transformed the way migrant children were treated at the border, is overseen by Judge Dolly Gee of the Federal District Court in Los Angeles. Gee, who denied the administration’s request last year to extend family detention times, will have to approve the new regulations, meaning they could be stalled or delayed.
Public Charge: California is suing the Trump administration over the legality of the “Public Charge” rule which could deny immigrants green card status if they receive public assistance, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. Legal experts say that California could turn the ruling if they can demonstrate that the Trump Administration’s policy is discriminating against certain immigrants. According to the court filing, California’s State Attorney General Xavier Becerra says the new rule violates the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee, disproportionately blocking admission of non-white immigrants from Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Fear and misinformation around the ruling has already led many immigrants, including ones who would not be affected by the ruling, to drop out of programs like Medi-Cal and CalFresh, as reported by CalHealth Report. About 13.5 million people including 7.6 million children could be at risk of un-enrolling in Medicaid, while up to 765,000 immigrants in California are estimated to be at risk of dropping nutritional assistance and health insurance programs. Doctors warn that this ruling will only mean sicker immigrants, with less people getting preventative care and more people waiting until they are at emergency-room status to seek help, reports The Washington Post.
Related post: California Budget and Policy Center: The Trump Administration’s New “Public Charge” Immigration Rule Will Push Thousands of Californians Into Poverty and Hurt the State’s Health and Economy
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Dyslexia and the Governor: During a press conference last week, Governor Gavin Newsom shared with reporters that he's been working on a children's book for kids with dyslexia. The Governor himself has struggled with the condition and helps his son, who is also dyslexic, learn to read.The Los Angeles Times reported that Newsom could not find books that his child could connect to about being dyslexic, so he decided to write his own. The Governor did not share any details about the book but did say: “When you’re struggling with your child to read and they’re struggling, and their self-esteem, and they get to an age where they start comparing themselves to their peers, it is deeply emotional and very challenging. That was a trigger to me. If there’s not something, do it.”
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Cheat Sheet: To help the media, advocates and the general public assess where 2020 presidential candidates stand on important issues related to family and work life, the Better Life Lab at New America has created a useful snapshot that tracks each of the candidate's positions with hyperlinks to sources. By tracking metrics related to the candidates' campaign websites, major speeches or op-eds and history of bill sponsorship, co-sponsorship or executive action, the snapshot shows whether or not a candidate has addressed an issue and in how many different ways.
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August 26 -- 400 Years: Reflections on Lessons Learned & Imagining Our Futures, 8:00 a.m. – 6 p.m., The California Endowment 1000 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012. $75, click here to register.
September 18 -- Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow 2019 Summit, 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m., Long Beach Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive Long Beach, CA 90815. Registration $100, click here to register.
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ICYMI: In Case You Missed It, More Great Reads
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