Exposure to adversity in childhood, including domestic violence, parental mental illness, loss, and poverty, is a known risk factor for long-term physical and mental health problems. This secondary data analysis uses the National Survey of Children's Health 2011/12 to examine the association between exposure to family adversity and academic…

This annual report summarizes Colorado Children's Campaign's advocacy, research, development, and outreach efforts in 2015. The report is comprised of the following sections: (1) 30 Years BOLD; (2) 2015 Impacts; (3) Colorado Children's Campaign by the Numbers; (4) 2015 Financial Snapshot; (5) 2015 Board of Directors; and (6) 2015 Staff. The…

In this paper, we analyze a two-level latent variable model for longitudinal data from the National Growth of Health Study where surrogate outcomes or biomarkers and covariates are subject to missingness at any of the levels. A conventional method for efficient handling of missing data is to reexpress the desired model as a joint distribution of…

Beginning in 2011, Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) started publishing the Paterson Kids Count Data Book, a one-stop source for child well-being data on the state's third largest city. Paterson Kids Count includes the latest statistics, along with five-year trend data, in the following areas: demographics, family economic security,…

School counselors (SCs) are tasked with addressing the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students. As mental health issues experienced by school-aged children have increased, SCs have been unable to provide adequate mental health services. Because of barriers to receiving community-based mental health services, school-based…

Jennifer Johnson discusses her work with the American College Educators-Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACE-DHH) group to address maltreatment of children with communicative disabilities and deafness. The ACE-DHH Child Maltreatment Work Group has targeted two documents in which the inclusion of safety statements could protect deaf and hard of hearing…

Recommendations for the prevention of childhood obesity encourage providers to counsel parents and their children on healthy diet and activity behaviors. This study evaluated the feasibility of a theory-based, tailored communication intervention for obesity prevention ("Team Up for Health") delivered during a well-child visit. A…

Children's obesity rates have increased substantially over the past several decades, due in part to unhealthy eating habits. About 75% of preschool-aged children consume fewer fruits and vegetables than recommended for health. Because children begin developing eating habits during early childhood, obesity prevention programs are increasingly…

Nutrition plays an important role in the development of a child, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where malnutrition is often widespread. The relation between diet, hemoglobin, nutritional status, motor development, stimulation and mental development was examined in a cross-sectional sample of 1,079 children 12-18 months of age…

The link between literacy and health has been evidenced quite well, with studies indicating that people who struggle with literacy are also more likely to have poor physical health. However, what we know about the relationship between mental wellbeing and literacy is much more meagre. There is some evidence to suggest that higher levels of mental…

Many states are building systems and structures to integrate their early care and education data. Combining data from different programs and agencies that serve young children allows policymakers and program decision makers to better answer critical questions about the needs of families in their communities, as well as questions about services and…

This summary of the "UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2018-2021" highlights the organization's key goals and activities, setting out the concrete results that UNICEF aims to achieve for children with its partners over a four-year period. The summary also outlines the organizational change strategies and enablers envisioned by the Strategic Plan to…

Obesity rates, mental illnesses, and emotional health and well being pose a significant problem for today's youth. Family and community involvement have been shown to improve school readiness, academic achievement, and graduation rates. The Whole School Whole Community Whole Child (WSCC) is a ten-component model designed to work synergistically to…

This paper explores a volunteer teaching project that set out to meet a school's need for English instruction and instead encountered other more profound needs. This case study investigates these needs as they emerged in the written and oral reflections of the four volunteer teachers. In tandem with the teaching project, the study found that the…

The COVID-19 pandemic has widely affected existing academia-sponsored community service initiatives. Little is known about the strategies to sustain these initiatives during a public health crisis and the potential effects on community well-being and education. In this case study, we describe the impact of the pandemic on service partnerships…