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No Vacation for Hunger
When school's out, kids still need to eat. Check out our
WIC Can Help
page to learn more about summer food programs that provide free, nutritious meals to kids 18 and younger in community settings.
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Stress Linked to Obesity
There is evidence that
stress prompts people
to turn to "comfort foods." Now scientists have confirmed a link between long-term stress and obesity. While we can't totally eliminate stress from our lives, finding ways to manage it may be helpful in the short term AND long term.
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Support CWA without spending anything extra by using
AmazonSmile!
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ACA Replacement Proposal: How are All Americans Ensured Healthcare?
The newly released bills constituting the American Health Care Act, with hoped-for House committee mark ups and floor votes yet no scoring from the OMB, is on the streets. The authors and President Trump are pitching that it will be better for Americans, with more details to come. Conservatives are divided in their acceptance, some viewing the plans too close to the current ACA provisions. For a majority of Americans, especially middle class and low-income families and a growing aging population, the assurance of health care access and provision of care does not calculate. The Kaiser Family Foundation provides an interactive map estimating tax credits, a key component based on income and age, and increased costs for low-income and elderly Americans. ACTION: Read the Health Affairs blog for a detailed analysis of the proposal.
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Childcare Policy Brief
The Department of Health and Human Services has released an issue brief entitled, "
A Policy to Provide Child Care Access for all Working Families: Effects on Mother's Employment and Caseload
." This brief describes the effects of an alternative policy that would expand child care by providing subsidies for children ages three and younger in working families with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The alternative policy would also increase the average annual subsidy per child age three or younger from $5,562 (FY2013) to $10,000. The authors assumed a participation rate of 45 percent and used the Transfer Income Model (TRIM) to estimate the impact this policy would have on maternal employment and program caseloads. Results showed an estimated 262,000 to 427,000 additional mothers would be employed and an estimated 2.32 to 2.55 million children would receive subsidies, up from the FY2013 level of 1.44 million children.
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NWA Leadership Conference - A Success!
WIC staff from across the nation came together to learn from national leaders in USDA, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, and of course, NWA, about key issues, and also to share vital data and information about WIC services with our DC representatives. We can be proud of our CA WIC Ambassadors, including two WIC mothers, who, in visiting every CA Congressional office ensured our decision makers are informed about WIC. Check out a few pictures on our
Facebook
page
.
ACTION:
Invite your representative and their staff to
visit your clinic
. All representatives agree, a visit to WIC is an impactful experience. Need help?
Contact Sarah
and work with our Ambassadors. Check the
legislative calendar
to plan ahead.
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Conference Countdown!
The 2017 CWA Annual Conference & Trade Show is a month away. Besides the 20+ continuing education credits you can earn, you can expect to be professionally re-energized. Your days will be filled networking with colleagues; learning about tools and resources in the trade show; being inspired, and collecting best practices from 28 workshops, 5 plenary presentations, and numerous Local Agency Sharing exhibits. Back again this year is a Movie Night, featuring The Dark Side of the Full Moon, a documentary addressing the disconnect within the medical community to effectively screen, refer, and treat the 1.3 million mothers affected each year with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. On the lighter side are wellness breaks, and some friendly team competition with CWA Go! ACTION: Study the latest agenda on our Conference webpage and register before March 31.
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Dads More Involved, Not More Confident
A
survey
published by the Pew Research Center shows that
more dads are staying at home
to help care for their children. Since 1965, fathers have more than doubled their family involvement in childcare as well as household tasks like grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. However, participation does not mean dads feel confident. The
Fatherhood Initiative
reports that 50 percent of fathers don't feel prepared for parenthood. Finding parenting support geared towards dads can be challenging, as most popular parenting books and blogs are targeted at women. A
small study
of expectant fathers reveals that dads often rely on their partners for parenting advice, which does not provide an element of community support. Women can access many mom and baby groups, as well as online forums and blogs, but fewer options when it comes to dads. There are some "daddy blogs," but these resources don't always help fathers navigate the day-to-day emotional challenges of new fatherhood.
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Singing Keeps Moms and Babies in Tune
Recently,
researchers set out to identify infant and maternal behaviors
associated with singing to babies, compared to other common maternal interactions such as reading and playing with toys. High cognitive scores during mom's singing suggested that engagement through song is just as effective as book reading or toy play in maintaining infant attention, and far more effective than listening to recorded music. Mothers' also responded intuitively, when infant engagement declined, the mother adjusted her pitch, tempo or key to stimulate and regulate infant response. For mothers with postpartum depression, singing can be especially helpful - the infants are provided with much-needed sensory stimulation that can focus their attention and modulate their arousal. Simultaneously, mothers experience a much-needed distraction from the negative emotions and thoughts associated with depression, while also feeling empowered as a parent.
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Obesity Prevention and Collaboration Resource
The Association of State and Public Health Nutritionists' Obesity Prevention Nutrition Steering Committee has released the
Obesity Prevention Matrix
. The resource is designed to facilitate the state-level strategic collaboration of federal program activities across funding streams. Nutrition program leaders can use the Matrix to quickly identify programs that share similar goals and activities. Under each of the seven goals of obesity prevention, funding streams are listed along with a description of their objectives and potential activities.
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Updated Municipal Paid Leave Chart
The National Partnership for Women & Families has
updated their charts of municipal paid family leave policies
to include all of the policies that have passed through the first half of February 2017. These policies provide paid family leave or paid parental leave to city or county employees.
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