Posts Tagged: children

Opinion

A case for high-quality early learning in California

A young girl looks examines the illustrations in a book. (Photo: Tatiana Bobkova, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom is exactly right when he states that “early childhood education and affordable high-quality child care pays dividends for that child’s growth, and for our state’s economic growth.” He eloquently made the case during the campaign and we concur: Early learning opportunities for infants, toddlers and preschoolers are crucial for their development.

Opinion

Hunger and the ‘public charge’ rule

A 3-year-old child with a cardboard sign. (Photo: Discha-AS, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Blanca was seven months pregnant when her husband’s sciatica rendered him unable to work. The pain in his back was so intense he couldn’t stand upright. They had no medical insurance and could not qualify for unemployment or disability. For months they survived off savings until there was nothing left. Their food budget dwindled to $2, “maybe $3, or sometimes nothing at all,”

News

The invisible children of California

Children at a "Day Without an Immigrant" rally in Los Angeles. (Photo: Krista Kennell, via Shutterstock)

California has hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children that cannot be accounted for. They are among the estimated 45,704 unaccompanied undocumented minors who were apprehended by federal authorities between Oct. 1, 2017 and Aug. 31, 2018 as they tried to enter California through its southern border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Opinion

Asbestos is putting children at risk

A worker removes asbestos-laden material from a building roof. (Photo: Bjoern Wylezich)

OPINION: I think it’s fair to say that the health of children should be of the utmost importance to pretty much everyone, but we’ve let them down. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that is still legal in the United States and children are regularly exposed to the toxin.

News

Berkeley vs. wireless industry over safety warnings

Multiple users of wireless devices check their hand-helds. (Photo: Andrey_Popov, via Shutterstock)

Few people know that there are federal safety limits for exposure to the weak radiation emitted by cellphones and other wireless devices. There often is language about this embedded right in our phones, but finding it requires knowing where to look, wading through sometimes five or more steps and then making sense of the technical jargon.

News

A report: California Latinos and higher education

A young Laitno student studies in a college library. (Photo: Manuela Durson)

The number of Latinos in California with two- and four-year degrees has doubled in little more than a decade, a dramatic increase. But compared with the overall, growing Latino population, the proportion of college-trained Latino adults over the same period has remained flat — roughly one in 10 from 2005 to 2015. The figures are from a new study commissioned by Univision’s Political, Advocacy and Government Group — which is separate from the network’s news division — on Latinos’ access to higher education in California and reflect the obstacles facing Latinos seeking a college education.

News

The fight over health coverage for children, pregnant women

A child has her ear inspected by a doctor using an otoscope. (Photo: Andrew_Popov)

Health insurance coverage for 1.3 million California children and pregnant women is at risk because of Congress’ delay in extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program. While the House recently approved a bill to extend the program for five years, the bill still needs approval by the Senate and a fight is expected about how to pay for the extension.

Opinion

The struggle of classified education workers

A janitor mops the floor in a new school building. (Photo: Siyanight, via Shutterstock)

If passion for children were enough to pay the rent, classified education workers would be some of the wealthiest people in the Golden State. Instead, the hard-working teaching assistants, janitors, special education aides and cafeteria workers who keep our K-12 schools running barely scrape by during the school year, only to face hunger in the summer months when their paychecks stop. 

News

Feds give CA poor reviews on tracking foster care

A photo illustration of an abused child. (Photo: Suzanne Tucker, via Shutterstock)

The federal government has given California bad marks on monitoring the well-being of children in foster care. State officials were slow to investigate complaints of abuse or neglect, failed to notify investigators of serious sexual abuse allegations and didn’t follow up to ensure cases were resolved, according to an audit released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.

News

Childhood trauma a crucial public health issue

A fearful child seeks to protect herself. (Photo: 271 EAK MOTO, via Shutterstock)

Preventing childhood trauma should be one of the top goals of California policymakers, a coalition of child advocates say. In California alone, more than 1.5 million children have had two or more adverse childhood experiences, according to advocacy group Children Now, another co-sponsor of the policymaker education day.

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