Here is a quick look at some headlines from this week impacting the lives of kids 0-5 and their families. The purpose of these stories is simply to inform, and they do not necessarily reflect First 5 Kern's areas of support or efforts towards these issues.
Follow First 5 Kern on social media for more kid-centric information.
Now for the headlines........
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NATURE IS A GREAT TEACHER
If you want to relieve stress, boost self-discipline, increase physical activity and promote self-motivation
in your student, make them spend more time outside, claims a recent study led by the University of Illinois. They say spending time in
nature boosts children's academic achievement
and healthy development, and published their study in the journal
Frontiers in Psychology
.
"It's time we take nature seriously as a resource for learning," said lead author, Ming Kuo.
An unrelated study published in the National Academy of Sciences found a dramatic correlation between green space
and mental health. The study included over 900,000 people and found "children who grew up with the lowest levels of green space had up to 55% higher risk of developing a psychiatric disorder." This article from
U.S. News & World Report
goes into some detail on the study.
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10 CHILDREN'S BOOKS ABOUT GREAT WOMEN
RELATED: The illustrator for the acclaimed book
A Computer Called Katherine
, which is on the above list, was
recently interviewed by NPR
and is worth a listen/read. The book is an adaptation of the true story made famous in the movie
Hidden Figures
. The only question is why this story took five decades to become even moderately known by the general public.
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SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON PREGNANCY IS ON THE RISE
There are many reasons why scientific research on pregnancy and pregnant women's health has been lacking in the past. But slowly, those reasons are fading and as this thorough article explains, pregnancy is
finally getting the attention from science
that it deserves.
The article asserts that the "assumption has long been... that it's essential to protect pregnant women from research, rather than ensure they benefit from its rapid progress." But policy and scientific opinion appears to be changing, promising to revolutionize the way we understand pregnancy.
FURTHER PREGNANCY NEWS:
A study conducted by Tulane University is touting the use of a cancer
imaging tool
to screen for preeclampsia
. The pregnancy complication is known to cause high blood pressure, even in women who have no history of blood pressure issues.
A study in Sweden found a link to autism and depression
with exposure to mom's infections during pregnancy. The
population-based study looked at births
between 1973 and 2014. The findings suggest an increase risk for babies, and researchers stress the importance of avoiding infections during pregnancy.
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SIDS AND SMOKING
Previous research has claimed that smoking is considered one of the risk factors
for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Sudden Unexplained Infant Death. A recent study, however, has accumulated more data to attempt a statistical analysis of the risk.
CNN highlighted the study
, which was published in the American Journal of Pediatrics.
Approximately 3,500 children die suddenly and unexpectedly in the U.S. each year before their first birthday. The
Kern County Public Health website
has more information about SIDS and SUID.
First 5 Kern is a member of the Safe Sleep Coalition, a group of county agencies, community members and hospitals, which meets monthly to discuss issues related to Safe Sleep.
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"BABY SHARK" IS TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO SAVE LIVES; MIGHT BE GREATEST SONG OF ALL TIME
In a movement that appears to trace back to a Central Valley CPR instructor, the song is being used nationwide to teach young kids - and even adults - the rhythm needed to properly administer the life-saving technique. Instructor Chris Pietroforte, who operates his own training facility in Tulare, would bring his 2-year old to classes and tell students if they can't do it better than her, they fail.
Now
that's
pressure.
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ADDITIONAL READING
It was a busy week for stories on children's issues. Here are some other great reads:
With a little help from President Trump's daughter, Ivanka
, it appears that the impending White House budget is expected to call for
more spending on child care as well as propose an initiative
to address shortages. It reportedly includes $1 billion in funding that would be available for states and the private sector to apply for, to increase supply in under-served communities.
It was recently announced that the U.S. is one of only three countries that will feature 5-year olds
participating in the Program for International Assessment (also known as the PISA). The PISA doesn't usually assess children that young, and as Education Dive explains,
reaction to being included has been mixed
. The U.S. is typically ranked in the middle range for the study of industrialized nations.
The city of Duluth, Minnesota
, is
going so far to address the child care needs
in their community that they are proposing changes to zoning in business districts and encouraging companies to pool resources to help fund centers.
If you're looking for a good excuse to get kids outside
, let them
help you plant a garden,
says Gardner/Author Robyn Jasko. They can choose what to plant, understand how plants grow healthy, and introduce them to more veggies. Plus, they get to play in the dirt.
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First 5 Kern was established in 1998 when California voters passed Proposition 10, which levied a 50-cent tax on tobacco products. Revenues generated from the tobacco tax are used to fund local programs in the areas of health and wellness, early childcare and education, and parent education and support services that promote early childhood development for children ages zero to five.
For more information on First 5 Kern and the agencies we support, please visit
www.First5Kern.org
and follow us on social media.
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Special thanks to
Vecteezy
for assistance on graphics
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