Background: South Africa has migrated the responsibility for early childhood development (ECD) centres from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Basic Education. This functional shift has ushered in consultations and discussions on how best to implement ECD, including opportunities the change may bring. Aim: By anchoring the…

Lead is a naturally occurring element that is extremely toxic to human beings. When children inadvertently ingest lead, their bodies confuse it with calcium, iron, and other nutritional essential metals, causing toxicity. School psychologists more than ever are in perfect positions, with the proper training, to possibly identify children who are…

This study aims at checking the effects of an early intervention program (EIP) on the neuropsychomotor development (NPMD) and quality of life (QoL) of 4-18 months old babies attending daycare, following the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of health and the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF). It was a…

The Shaping Futures Together agenda highlights policies and investments that families and practitioners say will ensure all children thrive. This playbook provides recommended policy and research strategies that Start Early believes will help to realize those priorities. Each section includes legislative and administrative policy recommendations…

The first issue of "Childhood Education," published in 1924, included an article by the eminent physician, Arnold Gesell. In the article, "The Significance of the Nursery School" he advocated for early childhood education, indicating its importance for both promoting the development of young children and supporting and…

To equitably and effectively serve children, families, schools, and communities, school psychologists must appreciate the dynamic interaction that exists between many variables. Using Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory as an example, this comprehensive conceptual framework provides a model for understanding how interconnected…

In 2014, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) distributed 250 grants across states and localities in the United States and its territories to establish Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCPs) to expand access to high-quality child care. A cornerstone of Early Head Start (EHS) is the provision of comprehensive services.…

School psychology and children's rights have great potential, well beyond what has been realized, for advancing the best interests of children, their communities, and societies. A child rights approach infused into school psychology can significantly contribute to the fulfillment of this potential. To respect and illuminate these factors and…

Approximately 30,000 people in the United States have cystic fibrosis (CF), and each year around 1,000 new cases are diagnosed. About one half of this population consists of school-age youth. With an understanding of the psychosocial and mental health factors surrounding CF, school psychologists are well positioned to support children and…

This article is an excerpt from "Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis" (2011), by Sandra Steingraber. As a scientist, mother, and concerned citizen, Steingraber explores herein the damaging effects of the myriad and ubiquitous environmental pollutants--in homes, schools, and communities--on the lives…

In the past few years, people have come to realize that family and child well-being are public health issues. Helping families and children be happy, healthy and resilient helps the larger community. This report will discuss various aspects of family life including the systems that exist to support them, ways families can have more positive…

During the first years of life, children progress through a number of developmental stages related to feeding. By the age of five, a child typically has the skills, behaviors and habits that will be used throughout their lives. However, data indicates that 60 to 70% of children with disabilities have one or more feeding difficulties. Importantly,…

Much public attention and many resources are focused on medical research to identify risk factors and mitigate symptoms of disability for individual children. But this focus will inevitably fail to "prevent" disabilities. Stephen Rauch and Bruce Lanphear argue for a broader focus on environmental influences that put entire populations at risk.…

Throughout history, the advance of civilization has been closely tied to the idea that all people have rights: universal, inalienable entitlements to freedom, dignity and security, to be treated fairly and to live free from oppression. The health and soul of all societies depend on how these human rights are recognized--and acted upon. Until the…

In 2012, nearly 16 million U.S. children, or over one in five, lived in households that were food-insecure, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines as "a household-level economic and social condition of limited access to food." Even when we control for the effects of other factors correlated with poverty, these children are more…