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By Maryann Mason, Suzanne McLone, Michael C. Monuteaux, et al., Photo: Unsplash, BMJ Open, January 24, 2022 Abstract Objective To identify contributing factors associated with rapid spikes and declines in Chicago youth homicide from 2009 to 2018. Setting City of Chicago, Illinois, US 2009–2018. Participants Homicide count data come from the National Violent Death Reporting System. The study included information on 2271 homicide decedents between the ages of 15 and 24 who died between 1...

By Maggie Angst, Photo: Unsplash, The Mercury News, January 26, 2022 San Jose firearm owners will soon be subject to new gun control laws that no U.S. citizen has faced before — that is, if the divisive regulations hold up in court. In two separate votes, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday night passed a first-of-its-kind ordinance requiring residents who own a gun to carry liability insurance and pay an annual fee aimed at reducing gun violence. Proponents like Mayor Sam Liccardo...

By Christopher Rowland, Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post, The Washington Post, January 25, 2022 A pair of Democratic House members asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a letter Tuesday to release data on the number of Americans who suffer lingering symptoms of coronavirus infection, including breakdowns along race, gender and age. The National Institutes of Health and the CDC have launched detailed studies of long-term covid, often shortened to “long covid,” but...

By Rick Rojas, Photo: William Widmer/The New York Times, The New York Times, January 25, 2022 Isaiah Holt passes his days sequestered in a home that was not touched by the tornado. Still, he cannot escape the storm. He sustained nerve damage while trapped in the rubble of the candle factory where he worked and fears it will be permanent. His skin is etched with cuts and chemical burns. A strong gust of wind or an exploding building in an action movie can unleash in him a rush of terror.

During the last two years, a devastating pandemic has exacerbated longstanding inequalities and disrupted vital services, while a groundswell of social activism has brought broader public attention to the deeply embedded inequities of institutional and systemic racism. These converging challenges have intensified the demand for fresh thinking about the future of the early childhood field.

I am sharing great news! Collaboration is a benefit for many stakeholders. In 2022, we have confirmed support for the 23rd Annual Families and Fathers Conference, as of yesterday, from the following: The Annie E. Casey Foundation First 5 California Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving Nurturing Fathers Program The support allows giving a LIMITED amount of discounts for NEW registrations. FFCA will discount 50% off in-person attendees, going from $299 early to $149.50. We will also give a 35%...

Please join us today at noon for our WCCI Wednesday Conversation. We will be talking about working with veterans ~ invisible injuries and family dynamics. The presentation will introduce three major invisible injuries that veterans face on the battlefield and how invisible injuries have an impact on family members. In addition to discussing Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Moral Injury Condition, the facilitators will also address how pain impacts those injuries and offer...

The Summer Peacebuilding Institute is offering the following courses online in February and March for professional development (no academic credit available). Click the course title below for course description, days of the week, and times of courses. Introduction to Restorative Justice Designing Powerful Solutions With(in) Community Circle Processes Economics for Emancipation To apply for SPI Online courses, click here . Partial Scholarships and Organizational Discounts Partial and matching...

By Kate Cray, Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images, The Atlantic, January 25, 2022 When the CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccines for 5-to-11-year-olds in early November, adult publications rushed to explain what the move meant for families, schools, and the pandemic at large. While most of the media competed for grown-up attention, a different network of sources targeted the group most affected by the news—but first, it had to explain what a vaccine is. The children’s-news landscape...

By Adam Gabbat, Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters, The Guardian, January 24, 2022 Conservative groups across the US, often linked to deep-pocketed rightwing donors, are carrying out a campaign to ban books from school libraries, often focused on works that address race, LGBTQ issues or marginalized communities. Literature has already been removed from schools in Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. Librarians and teachers warn the trend is on the increase, as groups backed by...

By Andee Tagle and Audrey Nguyen, Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty Images, National Public Radio, January 21, 2022 If I (Andee Tagle) called you ordinary, how would that make you feel? If I told you I had an average day at my ordinary job, and then went home to my ordinary family, would you think of me as unsatisfied? Unambitious? Unhappy even? As author Rainesford Stauffer says, it's time to reevaluate the power of an ordinary life. "The concept of the best life serves as a social script," she...

By Carolyn Jones, Photo: Alison Yin/EdSource, EdSource, January 25, 2022 N early everyone has experienced a degree of anxiety or depression due to the pandemic. But for young Black people also confronting persistent racism and ever-widening inequities, the current moment has led to an acute crisis in mental health. The suicide rate among Black youth, which for years trailed that of Asian and white students, has doubled since 2014 is now twice the statewide average, far exceeding all other...