It’s no surprise that when parents read to their kids, it helps them succeed in school. [Read more…]
When Parents Read to Kids, Everyone Wins
April 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
What’s the Best Way to Treat Mental Health Problems in Kids?
April 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment
No one knows for sure, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between 13 and 20 percent of youth ages 3 to 17 experience a mental health problem each year. This includes diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorders and Tourette syndrome. [Read more…]
What To Do About Cyberbullying
November 9, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Today’s teenagers are growing up with a completely different set of social parameters compared to any other generation before them thanks to advances in technology. [Read more…]
When Grandparents Raise Their Grandchildren
September 26, 2017 By Leave a Comment
More children are living with their grandparents than ever before in contemporary society. This phenomenon leads to a complex set of issues and outcomes for grandparents and the children for whom they care. [Read more…]
The Summer Slump: Do Kids Backslide During Summer Vacation?
July 24, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Kids across the nation are well into summer days of swimming, day camps and – in many cases – extra time in front of TVs. For most children, this also means less time engaged in educational pursuits like reading, math and problem solving. [Read more…]
Playing To Win: Should Youth Specialize in Sports?
June 14, 2017 By Leave a Comment
If you spend any time at a baseball field during this season, you’ll pick up on all sorts of philosophies about kids and sports.
There are the laid back parents who don’t mind that their kid is picking dandelions in the outfield. There are the intense parents who are watching their kids’ every move and critiquing their play. There are coaches working to instill the values of hard work and sportsmanship, and those who are out there simply to win. [Read more…]
What’s the Best Way to Help Low-Income Mothers?
May 10, 2017 By Leave a Comment
For 40 years, an intervention program called the Nurse-Family Partnership has been sending public health nurses to visit first-time, low-income mothers to encourage healthy behaviors and offer advice on child development. [Read more…]
Sex Education: Teens Teaching Teens
April 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment
There is clear evidence that risky sexual behavior harms young people. More than two million people ages 15 to 24 across the globe contract HIV each year, including more than 17,000 American young people. Four million U.S. teens experience a sexually-transmitted infection each year. And between 750,000 and 900,000 teenage women in the U.S. become pregnant each year. [Read more…]
This Is What Happens When Kids Get Enough Exercise
December 19, 2016 By Leave a Comment
The evidence is crystal clear: Physical activity is great for kids. Researchers around the world agree that youth who are active have better brain function, higher self-esteem, more motivation and better school performance. [Read more…]
What Do Early-Learners Need Most? Play!
October 17, 2016 By 2 Comments
Kids across the nation are back to school — and that means also back to completing math worksheets, memorizing spelling words and writing book reports. In fact, there is solid evidence that schools are requiring more formal academic work at younger ages. [Read more…]
Clear evidence: Spanking harms kids
September 5, 2016 By 2 Comments
As a first-time parent, I was completely surprised one day when I was nearly overcome by the urge to spank my two-year-old. After a challenging hour or two at a crowded shopping mall, he purposely pulled a pile of t-shirts off a shelf at a clothing store in a tantrum. Really, I should have known better than to take a tired toddler shopping for clothes. But that was cold comfort as I stood in the middle of a crowded store watching my son throw merchandise on the floor. [Read more…]
How to improve sex education
August 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment
On the whole, public schools in the U.S. are doing a poor job of teaching sex education to American youth.
A report released last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that fewer than half of high schools and only a fifth of middle schools teach all 16 topics the CDC lists as essential components of sex education. Those topics include how to obtain and use condoms, the benefits of condom use, and the kinds of preventative care necessary to maintain sexual health. [Read more…]
