Where you come from plays a key role in predicting where you are going.
For children, the neighborhood in which they grow up significantly affects their healthy development in later years, according to findings from a recent University of Nebraska–Lincoln research project.
When the coronavirus broke out in December 2019, the world changed. Phrases such as “sheltering at home,” “social distancing” and “self-quarantining” entered the lexicon and became part of an everyday, far-reaching “new normal.”
For some, life changed in additional ways. In the spring of 2020, reports of racism, hate crimes and even violence directed at Chinese and Asian Americans surged throughout the United States.
The prevalence of children with developmental delays worldwide is estimated to be up to 18 percent. However, fewer than one-third of these children are identified by their health care provider. This is significant because children whose delays are not addressed early on are at risk for adverse outcomes, including emotional, behavioral and health problems later in life.
In a brightly lit classroom in northeast Brazil, kindergarteners and their teachers gather for their daily circle time on the carpet. However, today is different. The children are joined by a group of visitors from Nebraska, many of whom don’t speak Portuguese.
While there are distinct differences between the U.S. and Brazil, there are even more things the two countries have in common. In particular, a desire to ensure all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential guides the work of early childhood educators, researchers and other professionals in both parts of the world.
In a typical preschool classroom with as many as two-dozen children, there are bound to be times of elevated stress for the teacher — and sometimes the students.
Along with meeting the needs of several children, teachers juggle many emotional and physical demands in their daily work, often with limited resources. Following an early childhood curriculum or philosophy, engaging families, maintaining a safe environment and dealing with interpersonal conflicts are just some of their daily classroom tasks.
For centuries, families have served up good conversation around the dinner table.
Sharing advice, planning events and recounting the day’s highs and lows are key mealtime ingredients to connecting families and building support systems — all while cooking up valuable learning opportunities for the youngest family members.
Interpersonal violence affects an untold number of Nebraskans. Too often, victims of physical, sexual and psychological violence, especially among youth and minority populations, do not have adequate support. And communities may lack appropriate training to safely intervene when those they care about are at risk for intimate partner abuse.
