News

October 2, 2023

Center on the Developing Child Releases Report on Role of Racism in Child Development

Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child recently released a report on the harmful effects of racism on child development, and possible policy solutions which address the source of structural, cultural, and interpersonal forms of hate.

Entitled, “Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children’s Potential,” the report reveals unique and significant stressors for families raising young children of color and looks at the link between racist interactions and future success.

About the Report

This report shares a portion of current knowledge on the effects of racism on child development and is based on studies from the social and biological sciences. It is not an complete review of all related research. Report authors took and adapted content from “Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health,” by Jack P. Shonkoff, Natalie Slopen, and David R. Williams.

Additional research findings, particularly in the biological sciences, are currently the subject of an ongoing inquiry by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and will be reported in future Center publications.

Key Findings

How Racism Affects the Body

Please note: There is no evidence that the groups we commonly call “races” have unique, unifying genetic identities. Distinctions by race are empty social creations that change over time with societal influences. Therefore, well-documented “racial disparities”
in health outcomes undoubtedly have multiple causes that are not genetically determined.

Stress & Allostatic Load
  • The body responds to adverse experiences and exposures by activating the stress response, popularly known as “fight or flight.” When activated at high levels for long periods, it can become what is known as toxic stress or allostatic load, which can have a significant effect on children’s brains and other biological systems. The need to cope continuously with the burdens of structural racism and everyday discrimination can be a potent activator of that kind of regular stress response, which builds up over time.
  • When the stress response is triggered, the immune system responds by sending immune cells to fight off potential infections. This
    process is called inflammation. Persistently elevated inflammation puts highly activated substances in constant contact with multiple organs, which can disrupt their function over time. For some individuals, this can produce lasting changes in biological systems that increase the risk of later impairments, such as:

    • obesity,
    • diabetes,
    • heart disease,
    • depression, and
    • preterm births.
  • Both Black men and women have higher mean allostatic load scores than do White men and women at all ages, equivalent to as much as 10 years of aging.
Environmental Threats
  • Additionally, toxic environmental exposures—including air pollution, heavy metals (e.g., cadmium, arsenic, lead), contaminated water, and pesticides—are more prevalent —in neighborhoods populated mostly by people of color with low incomes. As a result, these exposures are experienced at disproportionately higher levels by Black populations. They are associated with increased risk of:
    • poor pregnancy outcomes,
    • poor nutrition,
    • higher rates of obesity and diabetes, and
    • decreased physical activity.

How Racism Creates Conditions That Harm the Well-Being of Children and Families

Race-based discrimination is deeply embedded within social, political, and economic systems and institutions, such as housing, labor markets, the justice system, immigration policies, education, health care, and the media, among others. This complex web of economic policies, zoning regulations, social misconceptions, and historical legacies results in regular barriers and unequal opportunities that affect the healthy development of children in multiple ways.

Segregated Neighborhoods

  • Residential segregation by race—whether through historical housing policies or economic inequalities—continues throughout the United States, with significant differences in:
    • neighborhood quality,
    • living conditions,
    • exposure to environmental toxins, and
    • access to opportunities.
  • Longstanding institutional neglect and disinvestment in poor, segregated communities contribute to low-quality housing, underfunded schools, and weakened community and neighborhood infrastructures that harm interpersonal relationships and trust among neighbors.
  • In the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, almost two-thirds of all White and Asian-American children live in high or very high opportunity neighborhoods, compared to 19% of Black, 23% of Hispanic, and 29% of Native American children.
  • Segregation makes it harder for families to improve their circumstances (and life prospects for their children) by decreasing access to:
    • quality early childhood services,
    • elementary and high school education,
    • after-school services,
    • preparation for higher education, and
    • employment opportunities.
  • Segregation adversely affects both access to medical care and the quality of care received. Medical facilities in largely segregated, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods are more likely to have:
    • less financial stability,
    • less access to diagnostic imaging equipment, and
    • higher barriers to finding and keeping specialty doctors.

Interpersonal Discrimination

  • Experiencing racial bias or animosity is often connected to:
    • lower self-esteem,
    • diminished psychological well-being,
    • increased problems related to pregnancy outcomes, and
    • higher levels of alcohol consumption, depressive symptoms, and obesity.
  • Increased reports of discrimination have been connected with higher rates of preterm delivery and babies with very low birth weight.
  • A study of Black and Latina urban, teen mothers found that everyday discrimination reported during pregnancy predicted greater separation problems and negative emotions in their children at 6 months and one year of age.
  • Discrimination experienced by mothers is connected with increased indicators of inflammation in their children aged 4-9 years.

Financial Stress and Loss

  • Among the most common items on typical lists of stressful life events are financial difficulties and the loss of a loved one. The financial strain of poverty is significantly more common among Black (31%), Hispanic (23%), and American Indian (30%) children relative to non-Hispanic, White children (10% ).
  • Relationship losses—and the resulting financial challenges—due to imprisonment are disproportionately felt by families of color compared to White families (see below), as is the death of a loved one due to poorer living and working conditions, earlier onset of disease, and higher rates of early death.

Incarceration

  • Significant disparities in surveillance, prosecution, and sentencing have driven a tenfold increase in the risk of incarceration for Black men compared to White men. Considerable evidence shows that adult incarceration affects the health and well-being of children and their families, including:
    • economic instability and adverse influences on prenatal health,
    • infant and child death,
    • obesity,
    • poor self-reported health in childhood and young adulthood,
    • unhealthy behaviors and mental health problems, and
    • poorer school outcomes
  • Mass incarceration of adults has increased racial disparities in children’s behavioral and mental health problems by 15-25% for externalizing problems and 24-46% for internalizing problems.
  • Exposure to high levels of police incidents, which are much higher in neighborhoods with mostly Black families, is also connected with higher rates of preterm births.

Cultural Racism & Immigration Policy

  • Negative stereotypes and images of racial groups normalize and support the idea of racial inferiority, and can spark and sustain both institutional and individual discrimination.
  • Cultural racism contributes to bias in how students of color are treated in school, beginning in the early childhood years.
  • Black preschoolers are 3.6 times more likely than their White peers to receive one or more suspensions. Accordingly, although Black children make up 19% of the preschool population, they make up almost half (47%) of the preschoolers suspended one or more times.
  • Anti-immigrant initiatives trigger hostility that can lead to a feeling of vulnerability, threat, and psychological distress among individuals who get targeted directly, as well as those who get affected indirectly, including children.
  • A study of Latinos in 38 U.S. states found higher rates of mental health illnesses in areas with more exclusionary policies.

Policy Recommendations

  • Strengthen policies that provide economic support.
  • Invest in place-based interventions.
  • Take steps to reduce cultural racism.

Learn More

To learn more, read the full report or visit the Center on the Developing Child website.

Source

Information for this post was taken directly from the Center on the Developing Child’s “Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children’s Potential.” Some text may have been added, paraphrased, or adapted for readability and comprehension.

Resources and Related Content

News

April 7, 2023

Innovative Approaches to Improve Maternal Health Hybrid Workshop

In the United States, pregnancy-related deaths and complications, or maternal mortality and morbidity (MMM) rates, are among the highest in the developed world. For Black women and American Indian/Alaska Native women, they are especially high, regardless of their income or education levels. Collaboration among researchers, small businesses, and the community could lead to new ways to improve maternal health and reduce U.S. MMM rates.

Hosted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this event brings together those groups to address health disparities.

Session Details

Date & Time:

Monday, May 8 – Tuesday, May 9 | 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Location:

Participants have the option to attend virtually in in-person.

Watch the event live via NIH videocast:

May 8: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=49193
May 9: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=49196

Attend the in-person event at:

Natcher Conference Center, NIH Campus
Bethesda, MD 20894

Cost:

Free

Register:

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. In person space is limited, so be sure to register early.

To register, complete the online registration form.

Learn More

During the workshop, participants will:

  • explore key scientific discoveries in diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy-associated conditions and the areas ready for translation
  • participate in how-to training sessions focused on best-practices in translation, education, funding, technology development, and dissemination
  • review implementation science and community-engaged methods to ensure maternal health technologies reach those most affected and address health equity

This workshop is sponsored by:

  • NIH IMPROVE Initiative
  • NHLBI
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
  • Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)

To learn more, visit the National Institutes of Health website.

News

November 3, 2021

Antibias Education and Beyond: Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Join P.R.I.D.E (Positive Racial Identity Development In Early Education) for a documentary screening of Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years and a discussion with the filmmakers. Individuals may register via the P.R.I.D.E. website.

About the Film

Produced by Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo, this powerful documentary  features vignettes of anti-bias strategies in early childhood classrooms interspersed with teachers reflecting on their practice.  By taking viewers into diverse early childhood classrooms, and focusing on the voices of teachers, the film seeks to demonstrate the importance of teacher reflection on identity, context, and practice in anti-bias education and provides a much-needed resource for teacher education and professional development.

About P.R.I.D.E

P.R.I.D.E. is a program within the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. Our goals are to help young African American children develop a positive racial identity, support teachers and parents by building their racial knowledge, and raise awareness of the impact of race on young children. We provide them with various learning opportunities, including educator trainings, Parent Village sessions for Black children and their families, Speaker Series events to educate the community and art festivals created to immerse young Black children in a space designed to celebrate them.

News

October 12, 2021

New Resources for Parents and Caregivers

New resources have been added to the Trying Together website for families and caregivers. These resources further Trying Together’s mission to supports high-quality care and education for young children by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them.

New Resources

DAP Series Parts VII, VIII, and IX

As an early childhood nonprofit, Trying Together recognizes that a child’s parent is their first and most important caregiver. That’s why we created the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series to assist parents and caregivers in creating high-quality learning experiences at the earliest stages of their child’s life. The series features digital and print content that provides information on critical early childhood topics.

New topics in the DAP Series include Part VII: Childhood Mental Health; Part VIII: Race and Equity; and Part IX: Transitions & Routines. Families and caregivers may also access previous parts of the DAP Series: Part I: Developmentally Appropriate Practice; Part II: Childhood Physical Health; Part III: Child Care; Part IV: Early Intervention and InclusionPart V: Safety and Emergencies; and Part VI: Social-Emotional Development.  Resources will continue to be added through 2022 as additional Parts are finalized.

Additionally, families and caregivers may now request a set of cards in the mail at no cost. These cards provide an overview of each part of the DAP series with a quick reference to local and regional organizations.

Parenting Together Pathway

The Parenting Together Pathway is a video-based learning series to provide high-quality information on early childhood development to parents and caregivers in Allegheny County and surrounding areas. Launched in April 2021, the Parenting Together Pathway provides families the opportunity to learn more about: brain development; play; interactions and relationships; technology; child care; and advocacy to better support their children’s healthy growth.

Two additional videos have been added to the Parenting Together Pathway: Early Intervention and Safety and Emergencies.

News

October 6, 2021

Action Conversations on Race: Male Allies and White Accomplices

Join YWCA Pittsburgh for the next Action Conversation on Race which observes YWCA USA’s Week Without Violence. Rhonda L. Fleming, Chief of Prevention, Intervention, and Outreach at Women’s Center & Shelter Greater Pittsburgh, will moderate a discussion focused on how men and white people can contribute to the elimination of racial and gender-based violence.

Additional Information

Every third Wednesday of the month 12-1pm EST, YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s Center for Race and Gender Equity presents  Action Conversations on Race, a panel discussion dedicated to racial justice. Featuring local experts and leaders in fields such as equity and diversity, policy change, and advocacy, these conversations are designed to build community and create change.

Participants can register for upcoming Action Conversations on Zoom or join us through Facebook Live. Scroll down to view our upcoming themes for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 season, as well as links to recordings and resources from previous conversations.

News

December 28, 2020

New Study on Racial Socialization and Young Children

Point Park University Doctoral Candidate Sherlyn Harrison recently launched a new research study to learn how parents’ racial socialization practices can be integrated into early childhood classrooms.

About

Like adults, young African American children experience racism. To protect and prepare their children for the harsh reality of living in a racist society, African American parents have historically conveyed racial socialization practices. Racial socialization practices build resilience and promote positive racial identity development among young African American children.

To explore how parents’ racial socialization practices can be integrated into early childhood classroom settings, Point Park University Doctoral Candidate Sherlyn Harrison launched a new research study entitled, “Racial Socialization and Young Children.”

If you are interested in participating in the study, complete this online survey.

Survey Expectations

Survey participants will be asked six questions, including a list of demographic items that best describe you. By completing the survey and clicking submit, survey respondents consent to participate in the study. The study should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.

Following the survey, participants will be invited to talk with the researcher further about the topic. To be invited, survey participants must provide their contact information in the space provided in the survey. Within a week, the researcher will contact you to schedule an interview on Zoom. The interview will consist of open-ended questions to gain more information about how the survey respondent communicates and engages with young African American children regarding race.

More Information

Participation in this study and all personal information provided will be kept confidential at all times. Participants’ names will never appear on any survey or research instruments. If you have any questions, please contact 412.583.3658 or semichi@pointpark.edu.

News

December 21, 2020

MLK Day 2021: Celebrate With Service

Join United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania (SWPA) in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. by participating in their “Book Drive for Diversity” and “Family Forum on Equality and Kindness.”

About

To celebrate the work and teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr., United Way created two meaningful opportunities for families to celebrate one of MLK’s most relevant messages for their work today: Everyone can be great… because everyone can serve.

Book Drive for Diversity

United Way has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development to increase access to books promoting a positive equity message for young readers. Because of public health concerns, the Book Drive for Diversity will be completely virtual. Help United Wat put books championing people of all abilities, genders, races, ethnicities, and economic statuses into the hands of eager readers.

To register and receive a list of thoughtfully chosen titles to purchase on behalf of the drive, complete the online form.

Family Forum on Equality and Kindness

In the teaching spirit of Dr. King, United Way has joined with YWCA Greater Pittsburgh to host a virtual forum for families to engage in meaningful discussions about social justice, learn practical skills, and encourage a more inclusive culture.

Sign up for this lively, positive online event to bring greater significance of MLK Day to your family. Participants can choose from two breakout sessions. Both sessions are led by highly experienced, engaging experts in the field. Breakout sessions include the following:

More Information

For more information, view the full event flyer.

News

December 18, 2020

Foundations of Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed, and Health

Join the Creative Learning Network on Wednesday, January 6 for their Lunch Break session, “Foundations of Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed, and Health.”

About

During this session, participants will gain an understanding of foundational principles related to the intersection of anti-racism, trauma-informed, and holistic health in out-of-school (OST) programs for the purpose of supporting young people of color.

Registration

To register, visit the online registration page.

News

December 2, 2020

Simple Interactions + Anti-Racism and Equity

Are you interested in learning how to encourage, enrich, and empower human relationships in your work with young children? Join Simple Interactions on January 28 for “Simple Interactions + Anti-Racism and Equity.”

About

During this session, participants will brainstorm ways to advocate for equity and social justice and empower marginalized communities with the work on human relationships. The Simple Interactions Team will share their reflections briefly, then will go into break-out rooms with participants to discuss and listen.

This will be a facilitated conversation with the Simple Interactions Team, including Dr. Dana Winters, Emma Lee, and Dr. Annie White of the Fred Rogers Center, Dr. Junlei Li of Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Tom Akiva of the University of Pittsburgh.

Available Times

This session is available at the following times:

    • Thursday, January 28  |  12 – 1: 15 p.m.  | Register
    • Thursday, January 28  |  7:30 – 8:45 p.m.  |  Register

More Information

To learn more, visit the Simple Interactions website.

News

November 25, 2020

Parent Like A Boss: Virtual PLAY DAY

Join ATL Parent Like A Boss, Inc. (Parent LAB) on Saturday, December 5 for their free virtual PLAY DAY session.

About

ATL Parent LAB’s PLAY DAY Series engages participants in physically interactive games designed to connect the active body to brain development, and thus enhance cognitive learning experiences. During their sessions, ATL Parent Lab celebrates Black cultural traditions and invites everyone to reflect and share the traditions that have sustained their own diverse familial and ethnic traditions.

Registration

To register for this event, complete the online form. All are welcome.