Professor Neil Humphrey's paper provides a timely, helpful, and compelling opportunity to reflect on the mental wellbeing of children and young people today, in terms of research, policy, and practice. It offers a means of 'taking stock' of what we do and do not know so far in understanding the intersection between education and mental health. In…

In this commentary on Neil Humphrey's "Are the Kids Alright? Examining the Intersection between Education and Mental Health" (EJ1247696), Tamsin Ford agrees with Humphrey's argument that moral panic or not, a significant proportion of children experience difficulties that interfere with their education and outlines the significant…

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 9-12 hours of sleep for children aged 6-12 years and 8-10 hours for those aged 13-18, yet only two-thirds of children meet these recommendations. This report uses 2020 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to describe regular bedtimes, defined as going to sleep at the same time most days or…

Because pre-academic and social-emotional capabilities at kindergarten entry predict later academic and social success, there has been great concern with the level of "readiness" at kindergarten entry. Many states require a kindergarten readiness assessment (KRA). However, how readiness is defined, who or what entity is doing the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of the weight of a backpack as represented in typical Chinese children's songs through a kind of phenomenological approach. Design/Approach/Methods: The core issue pertaining to Chinese children's songs about backpacks is how the weight sense of backpacks is generated and developed in…

Neil Humphrey's intention in writing "Are the Kids Alright? Examining the Intersection between Education and Mental Health" (EJ1247696) was to provoke discussion and debate in relation to six key questions that are central to the intersection between education and mental health. Humphrey received six responses to his article in this…

The vast majority of the islands in the Anglophone Caribbean ratified the Convention of the Rights of the Child shortly after its adoption by the United Nations in 1989. In this piece, we examine how the articulation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in the Caribbean has shaped early childhood care and education. We note that though…

The highly publicized imposition and retraction of the "family separation" border policy by the current U.S. Administration was not an anomaly in U.S. history. In this manuscript, we place these troubling recent events in the context of decades of U.S. immigration policies and politics. We then describe the consequences of family…

The international classification of functioning, disability, and health for children and youth (ICF-CY) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a framework for understanding concepts of disability specific to children and youth. This framework has been used in countries around the world to support the education of children with…

The recent more-than-human turn has increased interest in writing about relations between humans and other animals. In addition, scholars have called for a need to complement the animal turn with a turn to microbes. Microbes entangle all life in relations and participate in processes of living and dying, but thus far, they have been largely absent…

Parents' behaviors--particularly their emotion socialization behaviors (ESBs)--drive children's emotion socialization (Eisenberg, Cumberland, & Spinrad, 1998). We propose that a major next step in the effort to promote healthy emotional development is to improve the field's understanding of the most proximal contributor to parent ESBs:…

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.

In contemporary times, corporate philanthropy is positioned as an effective means to 'solve' a variety of social problems. Childhood obesity is one such 'problem' that has captured the interests of schools, corporations, industry groups and a number of 'not-for-profit' players. In this paper, I critically examine how the private sector uses the…

Experiencing hunger can negatively impact a child's health, behavior and overall performance in school. Though substantial progress has been made to increase access to school foods, ensuring adequate time to eat remains to be a challenge for students and schools. We know there are some Colorado schools and districts promoting best practices around…

The global childhood trend towards obesity and unhealthy lifestyles is a growing concern. Childcare settings have been identified as the most influential factors for children's physical activity, and physical activity habits are better formed and maintained if started in early childhood. As a result, early childhood education environments are in…