Parents, family members, and other adults can play critical roles in helping their multilingual preschool-age children confront the stresses and trauma of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. This brief highlights various language practices of multilingual children that deserve to be respected and nurtured through daily conversations and…

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attend rural schools. After a two-year pandemic, issues related to funding, teacher recruitment and retention, and serving disadvantaged students have become more severe in rural school districts. In the five-part report series, "Educational Equity for Rural Students: Out of the Pandemic, but Still Out of the…

This review will explore the importance of play and its impact on the health and well-being of children of all ages. Evidence that supports the importance of play will be highlighted. Additional resources will be provided to assist parents, caregivers, and professionals on how to utilize play strategies in the everyday experiences of children.

Jodi Mindell, PhD, the associate director of the Sleep Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, describes how parents and caregivers can help children develop healthy sleeping habits beginning in infancy. Healthy sleep habits are an essential skill for children's overall health and well-being, and they impact family functioning. Dr.…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Education Debate: Obama and Romney Highlight Education Positions During First Presidential Debate; (2)…

Young children depend on their families and teachers to support their well-being and promote positive development, including eating behaviors. Children's food preferences and willingness to try new foods are influenced by the people around them. The eating behaviors children practice early in life affect their health and nutrition--significant…

The impact of parental mental health difficulties on the developing child is well evidenced and documented. In this article Kate Olliver-Kneafsey, Ev Thornton and Wendy Williamson suggest that despite the difficulties young people face when parental mental illness is a feature of family life, it is not all gloom and doom, and give some important…

The first five years of a child's life are a time of physical, emotional, and cognitive growth. The amount of support children receive during these early years can be strongly connected to the level of success they achieve later in life. Children whose families involve them in activities that allow them to wonder and experiment often take pleasure…

This book, prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is designed to provide parents with the most accurate and up-to-date information about the health and well-being of their young children from birth through age 5. The titles of the book's 30 chapters are: (1) "Preparing for a New Baby"; (2) "Birth and the First Moments…

With its roots in clinical and educational psychology, school psychology is an ever-changing field that encompasses a diversity of topics. "The Oxford Handbook of School Psychology" synthesizes the most vital and relevant literature in all of these areas, producing a state-of-the-art, authoritative resource for practitioners,…

This data book represents a count of children and their well-being in society. It is intended to serve as a reference document, merging into a common format vital records (births and deaths), census information, and administrative data from many sources. The book is also intended to serve as an organized, cohesive and accurate view of how children…

The unexpected loss of a loved one, a car accident, or exposure to a violent experience is familiar to many. Everyone reacts to such events, but the responses vary widely, ranging from numbness and withdrawal, to crying, nervousness, and agitation. Because traumatic events are prevalent, cause profound suffering, and may lead to life altering…

Stressing the importance of collective efforts among families, early childhood care and education programs, communities, and policymakers in supporting the learning and development of children, this resource guide provides a framework for understanding and communicating a common set of developmentally appropriate expectations for young children…