CHANDRA, ET.AL, HEALTH AFFAIRS

The pandemic has forced concerns about children’s health to the front and center: Is enough attention being paid to their well-being, including education and mental health? Have reopening plans taken children’s needs into consideration and have their potential losses been adequately measured? Could better preparation be put in place to help prepare children for the next pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic is just another example of a stress that is forming today’s youngest cohort of children and challenging how well children are supported to manage overlapping disasters and maintain relationships. They are “Gen C,” a generation growing up amid extraordinary challenges that could shape their health, development, and well-being for years to come.

Discussions of a “human infrastructure” bill to invest more in children and families could represent a shift in the social contract, with significant health implications. New investments and expansions in paid family leave, preschool, and a child allowance suggest a recognition that early childhood is critical for healthy development. Investing in children can promote national well-being in the long term. And at a time when the nation is recognizing how unprepared its data systems are to track pandemic impacts, greater attention and scrutiny about what is measured and how it informs real action may be even more resonant. This may provide an opportunity to revisit national indicators of progress and improve measures of developmental potential.

There are two options: Continuing to use gross domestic product (GDP) to guide economic policy or expanding that to include a measure of the future potential of US society. GDP does not reveal anything about social inequities or the next generation’s creativity, innovation, and agility—all essential issues revealed during the pandemic. This blog post briefly describes the importance of pivoting to human potential and why a developmental approach matters.

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BRENE BROWN, UNLOCKING US PODCAST

This week I’m talking to Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry about their new book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. We define trauma and talk about why big and small traumas activate our stress response systems and create emotional, physical, and social consequences, and how we can find the path to healing.

Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the book, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves. It’s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it’s one that allows us to understand our pasts in order to clear a path to our future―opening the door to resilience and healing in a proven, powerful way.

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FACT SHEET, READY NATION

ReadyNation commissioned the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center to conduct two focus groups with ReadyNation members. The purpose was to determine key messages that resonate with business leaders regarding the importance of investing in early childhood, particularly infants and toddlers.

ReadyNation members identified two major challenges that the business community faces–remaining globally competitive and retaining skilled workers–and discussed how early childhood investments, particularly those focused on infants and toddlers, can help to resolve these challenges. Each challenge and the respective messages regarding solutions are outlined in the fact sheet and report linked below.

Read the Factsheet

• Investing in Infants and Toddlers: Effective Messaging for Business Leaders (PDF 98.3 KB)

A full research brief with further information is available upon request. Please contact Nancy Fishman (nfishman@readynation.org).

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COUNCIL FOR A STRONG AMERICA

ReadyNation’s study examining the economic impacts of the nation’s infant-and-toddler child care crisis on working parents, employers, and taxpayers found an annual cost of $57 billion in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.

Using data on the proportion of the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and population each state represents, ReadyNation derived an estimate of the economic impact of the infant-and-toddler child care crisis in each state.

See the map below for the estimate for your state. For more information or media inquiries, contact communications@councilforastrongamerica.org.

DUNLAP, LAKE, ET.AL, J INVESTIG MED

Oklahoma established the first health services initiative (HSI) to expand Reach Out and Read (ROR), increase developmental screening and improve the quality of well-child visits (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT)). ROR uses a book in the exam room to assess development and parent-child interaction, however, little is known about the relationship between this training and using a formal developmental screening tool. 

The purpose of this study is to see if using federal funding would facilitate ROR expansion and if this expansion would improve developmental screening and EPSDT visits in Oklahoma. Medicaid billing data for state fiscal year (SFY) 2018 and 2019 were analyzed. Standard statistical methods were used to analyze the data descriptively to determine the proportion of developmental screenings performed and EPSDT visits. Comparisons were made between ROR and non-ROR sites. Nine new ROR sites were added with 26 new providers/staff and 130 providers/staff at existing sites trained in ROR from Novenber 2018 to June 2019. In SFY 2018, the developmental screening percentage at non-ROR sites was 33% vs 47% at ROR sites (p<0.0001), in SFY 2019 non-ROR sites were 36% vs 48% at ROR sites (p<0.0001). The EPSDT visit percentage in SFY 2018 was 50% at non-ROR sites vs 69% at ROR sites and in SFY 2019 was 51% at non-ROR sites vs 72% at ROR sites. 

HSIs are an effective way to fund ROR. Additional funding allowed for increased ROR sites and training. ROR sites are more likely to perform developmental screenings and EPSDT visits.

LINDA TURNER, POTTS FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Potts Family Foundation announces the names of its 2021 Oklahoma Family Positive Workplace recipients. The 32 businesses and organizations across Oklahoma recognized in this fourth year of the program are: American Fidelity Assurance Company, Collins, Butler, & Co., P.C., Community Health Centers of Oklahoma, CompSource Mutual Insurance Company, EMBARK, Enid Public Schools, Explorer Pipeline, Garfield County Criminal Justice Authority, Great Plains Youth & Family Services, Inc., Homeless Alliance, IMMY, Key Personnel, Mary Abbott Children's House, Medefy, Neighborhood Services Organization, Nextep, Inc., Oklahoma Child Care Resource & Referral Association, Paycom, Pivot, Inc., Rainbow Fleet, Inc., Ray of Hope Advocacy Center, Inc., Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Smart Start Central Oklahoma, Southeastern Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, Switchgear Search & Recruiting, Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust, United Way of NW Oklahoma, Variety Care, Inc., Western Plains Youth & Family Services, Inc., Youth and Family Services of North Central OK, and Yukon Public Schools.

Family Positive Workplace (FPW) is one of Potts Family Foundation’s programs under the OK25by25 Early Childhood Coalition. The goal of the program, which supports the Foundation’s focus on families with children pre-birth through five, is to recognize companies that have implemented family positive policies that better support their employee base.

A Family Positive Workplace employer is one whose policies make it possible for employees to more easily balance family and work. Research shows that employers gain in employee recruitment, retention, loyalty and productivity, all of which contribute to the bottom line. Families gain in the ability to balance work and family obligations, reduced stress, and better quality of family life and life in general. The society gains because family-positive policies lead to more stable families with time to contribute to their communities, and better outcomes for children.

“Congratulations to each of the companies being recognized for their family positive policies.  Their employees are fortunate to work for a company that recognizes the value to workplace productivity,” said Paula Koos, Chair of the FPW Advisory Committee and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral Association.

In lieu of an in-person ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards – plaques and certificates – will be hand-delivered over the next several weeks. In its fourth year, a total of 94 companies have received this hard-earned recognition.

The 2022 application process will open next month. Businesses interested in participating in this free recognition process are encouraged to review FPW certification criteria at http://ok25by25. For additional information, contact Linda Turner at the Potts Family Foundation at 405-208-1340.

ASHRAF KHALIL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN DIEGO (AP) — It’s a hidden crisis that has existed for years inside one of the most well-funded institutions on the planet and has only worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. As many as 160,000 active-duty military members are having trouble feeding their families.

That estimate by Feeding America, which coordinates the work of more than 200 food banks around the country, underscores how long-term food insecurity has extended into every aspect of American life, including the military.

The exact scope of the problem is a topic of debate, due to a lack of formal study. But activists say it has existed for years and primarily affects junior-level enlisted service members — ranks E1 to E4 in military parlance — with children.

“It’s a shocking truth that’s known to many food banks across the United States,” said Vince Hall, Feeding America’s government relations officer. “This should be the cause of deep embarrassment.”

The group estimates that 29% of troops in the most junior enlisted ranks faced food insecurity during the previous year.