Blog

By Rhitu Chatterjee, Photo: Saul Martinez/NPR, National Public Radio, July 24, 2022 Shortly after Elizabeth George started her freshman year in high school last fall, her parents tested positive for COVID-19. And Elizabeth stepped up to take care of them. "I was running the house, sort of," says the soft-spoken 15-year-old. "I was giving them medicine, seeing if everyone is OK." Elizabeth's mother recovered, but her father was hospitalized. He died in September of last year. [ Please click...

Community violence can occur suddenly and without warning leaving many youth and families with a heightened sense of fear. Common types of community violence that affect youth include, but are not limited to, individual and group conflicts (e.g., bullying, fights among gangs and other groups, shootings in public areas such as schools, community parks, or neighborhoods). When these events happen, youth and families may experience a wide range of reactions including shock, anger, fear, loss,...

By Petula Dvorak, Photo: Amanda Voisard/The Washington Post, The Washington Post, July 25, 2022 “It’s a whole different generation,” Barbara Mickles said out loud, to no one in particular, shaking her head and adding a grandmotherly “mmm-hmmm” to underscore the absurdity of $100 sneakers on ever-growing kid feet. Mickles, 62, was watching a swarm of kids, including a few of her 16 grandchildren, go giddy over sneakers — Nike, Adidas, Champion. All the hot brands. Back in Arkansas, Shoe...

By Jeremy Loudenback, Photo: Kitchens for Good, The Imprint, July 27, 2022 Still reeling from the pandemic’s blow to jobs and the economy, the state of California is set to spend heavily on training young people who tend to have the most fragile links to the workforce: youth who’ve grown up homeless, in foster care or on probation. In the state budget deal approved late last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and lawmakers committed $65 million to expand apprenticeship opportunities in a range of...

Kofi Bullock, a husband, father and certified male doula hosts "How Doulas Can Include Dads". This engaging online event will not only give doulas new language to communicate with expecting dads, but also provide tangible father centered resources. Bringing an in-depth perspective of how to include dads, you’ll leave the training with tips and tools to add to your intellectual “doula bag”. Click Here for more details

What is Reunification? Reunification is the process of ensuring that children return to the care of their parent(s) and family as quickly as possible after an emergency. The vast majority of parents in the United States work outside the home. An estimated 69 million children in the United States are in school or child care on any given weekday. Emergencies increase the possibility for children to become separated from their parents or legal guardians. During the evacuation or sheltering...

By Scott Stoll and Sara E. Williams, PhD, Magination Press Family, April 27, 2022 We all know that emotions like love and gratitude are fun and beneficial, but what about emotions like fear, worry or jealousy? Believe it or not, all our feelings serve a purpose. I say “believe it or not” because maybe, like me, you may have grown up believing that being scared is a bad thing and something to be avoided. Fear certainly does feel uncomfortable, doesn’t it? But what if I told you that you could...

Learn4Life highlights National Parents’ Day to remind us of the importance of the parent voice in educational decisions that impact students LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2022) – Did you know the fourth Sunday of July is National Parents' Day? President Clinton established this day in 1994 to promote responsible parenting and to recognize positive parental role models. And shouldn’t parents’ role in education be a part of this designation? While we rely on parents to make sure their children go to...

These videos from Mount Sinai Parenting Center offer parents information on topics like sleep, safety, and development timed to coincide with each pediatric well visit. This video series was designed to help families find early moments of connection and strengthen discussions with providers at each primary care visit. Parents can access the videos here . Parents can also text SPARKS to 1-844-650-1210 to sign up to receive the videos by text. Pediatricians can access training on how to...

Charlotte Joy’s eighth birthday was fast approaching. Birthdays are often a source of unbridled joy for kids this age. Sadly, this wasn't the case for Charlotte. At least, not at first. The young girl from Tennessee had experienced tragedy a few months prior—losing her mother, Jenny Wren, to brain cancer. Knowing a time for celebration would be more important than ever, her older sister, Chloe Sexton, tried to organize a birthday party, sending out invitations to all her classmates. Only one...

Eating disorders have been expanding dramatically in recent decades, and the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have pushed us to even higher rates of eating disorders. Hospital wards are full of children who need to be medically stabilized before they can even begin treatment for the condition. The frustrating thing about the increasing rates of eating disorders is that we know many of them are preventable. As biopsychosocial disorders, they are rooted in heredity and individual psychology, but...

By ChrisAnna Mink, Photo: Children's Institute, Center for Health Journalism, July 19, 2022 Even when a resource is in their own backyard, people often don’t take advantage of it. That’s not the case for Children’s Institute in Watts. The organization offers early childhood education and mental health programs for kids and parents, and their new building is emerging as a community center. The organization operates under the principle that children’s development is intertwined with their...