This article brings into relief two "desiderata" in childrearing, the importance of which the pandemic has made clearer than ever. The first is to ensure that, in schools as well as outside them, children have ample opportunities to enjoy goods that are particular to childhood: unstructured time, to be spent playing with other children,…

Children and youth in foster care and their caregivers often experience mental health challenges. Rural settings introduce barriers that prevent these youth from accessing such services. Nevertheless, rural area school personnel, and particularly special educators, are positioned to help improve access to mental health services for foster care…

The purpose of this article is to examine the compelling evidence of childhood obesity across the world and within the United States and the major contributors to this health crisis. Factors contributing to the obesity health crisis and potential interventions are given a preliminary analysis within related research literature.

Dengue virus is the main arboviral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and affects mainly school-aged children and teens. Many methods have been developed for dengue control, including health education strategies for elementary and high school students. The objective of this study is to provide an update on the status of health education on…

Whilst attendance in mainstream school helps encourage inclusivity, these environments are recognised as being particularly challenging for young people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The COVID-19 pandemic brought a novel transition as young people moved from school to home-learning. This study compared the experiences of parents of…

Climate change poses a threat to children, who are increasingly vulnerable, depending on adults to protect them from the impacts of these changes including extreme weather events, poor air and water quality and risk to mental health. Children living in poverty carry additional burdens and risks, living in environments that consistently experience…

Young people's health and welfare is an enduring, and sometimes contested, underpinning rationale for compulsory schooling. However, a contemporary culture of austerity and accountability has challenged the capacity of schools to address health-related agendas. This article reports on how four Australian teachers negotiate the network of…

The Poverty and Education Network of SERA was launched in 2015. Since that date the Network has highlighted new and relevant research on the complex inter-relationships between poverty and education for children and young people, mainly focussed on how poverty impacts on school education. One of the aims has been to showcase new research at the…

Children's mental health services have experienced major cuts since 2010. In parallel, our education system has undergone a period of significant transformation. In this paper, I discuss the implications of these developments for the mental health of children and young people. This includes examination of the differing ways in which mental health…

Physical health is a key component of early childhood development and school readiness. By keeping children healthy and decreasing the chances of disease outbreaks, immunizations help early childhood programs create a safe environment for children. While overall vaccination rates are high nationally for most vaccines routinely recommended for…

This paper advances our understanding of how schools can become change agents capable of transforming local practice to address the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. It presents a novel application of cultural-historical activity theory to reinterpret evidence on widespread learning loss and increasing educational inequities resulting…

In seeking an avenue to save money, an urban city made a choice to alter the drinking water for its residents and created a crisis, which all community stakeholders were unprepared to address. The Flint water crisis has been given national attention by celebrities and politicians, but the long-term issues related to families, children, and…

In this article, we briefly describe the current epidemiology of HIV/AIDS among South African schoolchildren, as well as the neurocognitive, academic and psychosocial difficulties they experience. Cultural factors linked to HIV prevention and treatment are identified, and government and schools' response to HIV/AIDS is outlined. We then evaluate…

Background: Rates of child insurance coverage have increased due to expansions in public programs, but many eligible children remain uninsured. Uninsured children are less likely to receive preventative care, which leads to poorer health and achievement in the long term. This study is an evaluation of a school-based health insurance outreach…

Background: Rates of child insurance coverage have increased due to expansions in public programs, but many eligible children remain uninsured. Uninsured children are less likely to receive preventative care, which leads to poorer health and achievement in the long term. This study is an evaluation of a school-based health insurance outreach…