Ready for school? Effects on school starters of establishing school psychology offices in Norway

The Great Recession had severe consequences for K-12 education. However, little research documents its effects on early childhood education. We use nationally representative data to investigate how the recession affected public and private preschool enrollment. We also examine how impacts differed for children in higher and lower-income families. Finally, we consider whether features of states’ public preschool programs may have mitigated consequences of the recession. Findings suggest the recession led to a decline in public preschool enrollment and an increase in private preschool enrollment. Impacts were largely driven by children in lower-income families, who experienced larger decreases in public preschool enrollment relative to children in higher-income families. Finally, findings suggest states’ use of school funding formulas may have helped mitigate the impact of the recession on public preschool enrollment for children in lower-income families. Findings highlight the vulnerability of preschool systems to economic downturns and highlight a potential policy tool to mitigate adverse consequences.

Child morbidity and mortality rates in Makassar are generally high, especially in low-income families. One of the suspected cause factors is low child survival. This study aims to assess the multiple roles of mothers, the amount of husband's income, maternal education and levels mother's knowledge of health efforts for the survival of children in low-income families. The research method used was observational with cross-sectional study design. The samples studied are housewives in low income families (under UMP / UMK) who have children under five. The sample size was 92 people selected by purposive sampling. Data analysis is done with the help of computer. Hypothesis testing was performed by using independent T test, correlation test and Anova. The determinants of child survival were assessed on the basis of regression analysis double. The statistical test used the significance level of 0.05. It can be concluded that the survival of children in low-income families in Makassar is influenced by two factors: maternal education and knowledge about MCH, but the dominant is mother's knowledge. The result of the study explains that there is no significant influence of mother / woman involvement in working to find additional income of household while taking care of anak.Disulkan related institution (especially health department) more to increase promotion effort and quality of health service mother and child in low income family.

Low income correlates with increased health risks. The well-being of low-income families has received only limited attention in nursing research and most of the work has focused on unearthing their problems rather than on identifying their strengths. This article describes the well-being of mothers with children in Finnish low-income families, from a family health point of view. The aim of this study was to generate description of the well-being of mothers with children in low-income families in their everyday life and interpret and understand it from the perspectives of low-incomes mothers. This study is based on the phenomenological method and the informants consisted of 15 mothers of low-income families with children. The data were collected in 2004-2005. The mothers were recruited from three municipalities by means of purposive sampling from amongst families in receipt of income support. Ethical approval was obtained. Well-being appears as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon which, in addition to health, is understood as the opposite of illness and experienced health involves dimensions related to the family's everyday life and situation. Mothers' well-being is described in terms of the flow of everyday life, meaningful family activities, everyday health, the existence of a network of significant others, internal family functioning, the strength received from motherhood and being in the position to influence the well-being of one's family. The results suggest that for purposes of supporting family well-being on the family's own terms, it is important to have a clear understanding of the everyday life of families in different situations and understand the meanings that grow out of their everyday life. This information helps nurses to take into account the social aspect of family health and understand low-income mothers' point of health, in different health situations in nursing practice where they meet one another.

In the United States, enrollments in preschool center-based programs have leveled off at about 75 percent of four-year-olds and 50 percent of three year olds. Nearly all government programs restrict eligibility to children in low-income families, and these families have substantially increased preschool participation rates as a result. However, in the last decade little progress was made toward increasing enrollments, despite increases in government spending, and less than half of children in poverty attend public programs even at age four. The average educational quality of private programs is quite low, and public programs are only modestly better. As a result, the educational effectiveness of preschool programs in the United States tends to be much weaker than that of the well-known programs research has shown be cost-effective. This paper considers whether publicly funded preschool education for all children would alleviate these problems. Universal public preschool education would reach many more children in poor and low-income families. For means-tested programs constantly changing incomes present a moving target, while the stigma associated with programs for the poor also limits participation. Program effectiveness would be at least as good in a universal program as in targeted program, and effectiveness might actually improve. One source of increased effectiveness is peer effects on learning. In addition, parents from higher-income families may be better advocates for quality, and political support for quality may be higher. Children from middle- and higher-income families also will benefit from high-quality publicly-subsidized preschool programs. A universal approach will cost more than current targeted programs, but moving from targeted to universal public preschool education is likely to produce benefits that far exceed the additional cost.

Objectives: This study examined alcohol drinking, smoking, and health behaviors among children in low income families in the after-school program. Methods: Data were collected from 443 children in the 23 free after-school programs which had a network in Gangneung city in South Korea. The items of the questionnaire were selected from the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey (K-NHANS), and the same age group were examined as K-NHANS. Results: The results showed that children in the after-school program had significantly high rate of suicidal ideation, smoking and alcohol drinking, compared to children in general in Korea. The results also showed that participation in physical activities and subjective health status in the children enrolling the free after-school programs were significantly lower than those of general children in Korea. Conclusion: These findings implied that special consideration should be given to the health status and health behaviors of children in low income families who enrolled in the free after-school programs. Based on the findings, we discussed the issue of health inequality of this population and policy implications to alleviate disparities in health status and improve health outcome in this population.

This study examines whether patient-reported indicators of a quality medical home are associated with measures of health among Latino children in low-income families. Data on 3,258 children ages 2-18 years are from a cross-sectional survey of parents of children affiliated with California's Healthy Kids insurance. Medical home quality was assessed using the Parents' Perception of Primary Care and was associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) overall and in four domains (physical, emotional, social, and school/daycare) and four measures of school engagement. A higher total medical home score was associated with a higher total Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory score and scores in four subdomains (total beta [B]=1.77, physical B=1.71, social B=1.36, emotional B=2.22, and school/daycare B=1.69, all p<0.001). It was also associated with missing fewer than three school days due to illness (odds ratio [OR]=1.12, 95 percent confidence intervals [CI]: 1.05, 1.19), excellent/above average school performance overall (OR=1.10, 95 percent CI: 1.03, 1.17) and performance in reading (OR=1.13, 95 percent CI: 1.06, 1.20) and math (OR=1.10, 95 percent CI: 1.03, 1.16). Patient-reported medical home quality indicators are favorably associated with HRQOL and measures of school engagement among Latino children in low-income families.

A critical shortage of affordable housing for low-income families continues in the United States. Children in households that are food insecure are at high risk for adverse nutritional and health outcomes and thus may be more vulnerable to the economic pressures exerted by high housing costs. Only about one fourth of eligible families receive a federally financed housing subsidy. Few studies have examined the effects of such housing subsidies on the health and nutritional status of low-income children. To examine the relationship between receiving housing subsidies and nutritional and health status among young children in low-income families, especially those that are food insecure. Cross-sectional observational study. From August 1998 to June 2003, the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program interviewed caregivers of children younger than 3 years in pediatric clinics and emergency departments in 6 sites (Arkansas, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington, DC). Interviews included demographics, perceived child health, the US Household Food Security Scale, and public assistance program participation. Children's weight at the time of the visit was documented. The study sample consisted of all renter households identified as low income by their participation in at least 1 means-tested program. Weight for age, self-reported child health status, and history of hospitalization. Data were available for 11 723 low-income renter families; 27% were receiving a public housing subsidy, and 24% were food insecure. In multivariable analyses, stratified by household food security status and adjusted for potential confounding variables, children of food-insecure families not receiving housing subsidies had lower weight for age (adjusted mean z score, -0.025 vs 0.205; P<.001) compared with children of food-insecure families receiving housing subsidies. Compared with children in food-insecure, subsidized families, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for weight-for-age z score more than 2 SDs below the mean was 2.11 (1.34-3.32) for children in food-insecure, nonsubsidized families. In a large convenience sentinel sample, the children of low-income renter families who receive public housing subsidies are less likely to have anthropometric indications of undernutrition than those of comparable families not receiving housing subsidies, especially if the family is not only low income but also food insecure.

The aim of this study was to examine the existence of racial/ethnic and language disparities in asthma-related emergency department (ED) initial and return visits among young children in low-income families in California. Children younger than 6 years with at least 1 asthma-related ED visit recorded in the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development data set between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013, and on Medicaid (Medi-Cal) were assessed. Primary outcomes were hospitalization at the first asthma-related ED visit and a return asthma-related ED visit within 12 months. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Among 47,657 children, approximately 55% were Hispanic, 20% were black, and 2.7% were Asian/Pacific Islander. For non-English-speaking families, 82% were Hispanic. Among English-speaking families, blacks were less likely to be hospitalized at the first ED visit (odds ratio [OR], 0.787; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.715-0.866) but more likely to return to the ED (OR, 1.291; 95% CI, 1.205-1.383) compared with whites. Conversely, Asian/Pacific Islanders whose primary language was English were more likely to be hospitalized (OR, 2.150; 95% CI, 1.827-2.530) compared with whites. Among families whose primary language was not English, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islanders are more likely to be hospitalized at the first ED visit and all groups are less likely to return to the ED compared with English-speaking whites. The findings suggest that racial/ethnic and language disparities exist in eventual asthma-related hospitalizations and repeat ED visits. Continued research is needed to understand the existence of these differences and to inform future comprehensive and linguistically appropriate asthma interventions for children in low-income families.

The purpose of the study was to determine the level of physical activity and basic movement skills in low-income families. The method used in this study is a quantitative descriptive method through surveys. The study sample included 32 children aged ± 9 years, consisting of 19 boys and 13 girls from low-income families. Sampling techniques use purposive sampling. The instruments used in the study were the population income category, the 2nd Edition Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD), and the Instrument Physical Activities Questionnaire (IPAQ). The results showed that children in low-income families tend to have a body mass index underweight (thin), and basic movement skills are lacking. But in physical activity, boys tend to be moderate, and children tend to be low (low). This study is expected to be data on physical activity and basic movement skills in children from low-income families to be followed up through various activity programs in schools.

Food insufficiency is not related to the overall variety of foods consumed by young children in low-income families

The problem of poverty for a modern Russian family with children is one of the most acute social issues of Russia nowadays. The low level of income of a significant part of families causes social tension and provokes crisis processes in the family and society. Practice shows that children in low-income families often face problems that neither they themselves nor their family members, friends, or neighbors can solve. The purpose of the research is to study the features of the implementation of the technology of social service for children in low-income families in the conditions of the Comprehensive Center for Social Services to the Population of the Pravoberezhny District of Magnitogorsk.

Sensing the invisible: Understanding the perception of indoor air quality among children in low-income families

Play is a primary context for fostering young children's positive peer interactions. Through play, children develop the social, emotional, cognitive and language skills that contribute to the ability to establish effective relationships with peers. The Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS) was first developed by Fantuzzo to assess the quality of peer interactions among low-income preschoolers in the USA. The present study invited 1622 children aged three to six and 152 teachers in 10 kindergartens in districts with high child poverty rates in Hong Kong to participate in the study (a) to validate the psychometric properties of a culturally, developmentally and linguistically appropriate version of the PIPPS using confirmatory factor analysis, (b) to investigate gender and (c) age differences in peer play, and (d) to inform early childhood intervention for children in low-income families. Translation and back-translation – a commonly used procedure in the translation of cross-cultural research instruments – was adopted. Results indicated that the three-factor model of the PIPPS (play interaction, play disruption and play disconnection) statistically fit the results in the Hong Kong sample. Girls exhibited greater play interaction and less play disruption and play disconnection. Peer interactive play behaviour increased with age. The cultural and linguistic contexts of scale development should receive attention in future research. Recommendations are made regarding lexical access in non-alphabetical language systems like Chinese; cultural understandings of shyness, withdrawal and social disinterest as they relate to the interpretation of play behaviour; and establishing the concurrent validity of the Hong Kong version of the PIPPS.

Robert E Cooke

America's public health insurance programs reflect a deeply rooted commitment to caring for low-income families and children. This article chronicles the evolution of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), two public programs designed to provide free or low-cost health coverage to low-income children who do not have access to private health insurance. Such a historical overview is key to understanding where the programs come from and the challenges that policymakers must grapple with in order to effectively provide health coverage to children. Depression-era maternal and child health programs created the foundation for Medicaid. Expansions of the program during the 1980s and 1990s made Medicaid the largest single insurance provider for children in the United States. In 1997, SCHIP boosted these efforts by filling the gap between Medicaid and employment-based coverage. In addition to expanding coverage, SCHIP also motivated efforts to address obstacles to coverage such as application and enrollment procedures. Together, SCHIP and Medicaid have made significant progress in providing health coverage to children in low-income families. They are the primary sources of coverage for children in low-income families. In a discussion of major challenges to providing public health coverage to children, the authors highlight some important issues that threaten current progress, such as rising health care costs and falling state revenues, gaps in coverage, and remaining barriers to enrollment and retention.