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Community health workers are improving outcomes in early childhood care.
Indiana exits federal summer food aid, raising concerns for rural families.
Cleveland drops year-round school after 15 years of mixed academic results.
Research & Practice
The 74: Community Health Workers Can Play a Key Role in Keeping Families Healthy
The Pediatric Academic Societies released a report on the importance of community health workers in early childhood care spaces. According to the report, community health workers serve as health advocates or patient navigators. They provide vital services, including culturally appropriate health education, social support, and cognitive development checks. The program started in response to asthma diagnoses in the 1990s to understand how environmental factors impact youth health. Research indicates that community health workers contribute to preventative care and reduced emergency room visits, which decreases medical costs. The report shares that more medical organizations are employing these practitioners, and they have benefitted families in low-income communities. Employing this community health model provides additional financial and societal advantages to local communities.
American Psychological Association: U.S. Teens Need Far More Emotional and Social Support
Across the U.S., two in five teens report a lack of social and emotional support. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed teens and parents in 2021 and 2022 and found that students are not getting the support they need, while the majority of parents believe otherwise. Lack of social support is linked to worse mental and physical health, and teens with low support report high anxiety and depression and low life satisfaction. Additional research confirms these findings; the U.S. Surgeon General called youth mental health a national “epidemic.” Adolescents are facing new challenges, including school shootings, climate change threats, the pandemic, and social media. Children of color, girls, and LGBTQ+ youth are most at risk for low support. Research indicates the importance of caring adults, and how – in addition to parents – teachers, coaches, and mentors can play this role to boost children’s self-esteem and mental health.
National Institute for Early Education Research: State of Preschool 2024 Yearbook
Early childhood education programs in the U.S. have recovered from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the progress has varied by state. In the past academic year, costs of state-funded preschools increased by 17%, and enrollment was at an all-time high across the country. Differences across states are due to disparities in funding and program quality. For example, Washington D.C. spends the most money per child for early childhood education programs at $23,785 per year, while thirteen states spend less than $5,000 per child per year. Standards for quality of education are diminishing, as states continue to increase student to teacher ratios and decrease degree requirements for classroom teachers. This 22nd State of Preschool highlights the importance of federal funding for pre-K access for children from low-income families. Federal and state investments in quality preschool programs would create better outcomes for students in a cost-effective way.
Policy
The 74: ‘A Giant Leap Backwards’: Indiana Opts Out of Summer Program for Hungry Schoolchildren
In the 2025-2026 school year, Indiana will cease participating in a federal summer food program called SUN Bucks. The state has chosen to opt out of the program, awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, after one year without disclosing a reason why. Last year, 669,000 children received SUN Bucks, which provides money towards grocery assistance and can be combined with community meal programs. It is highly customizable according to families’ needs, as some would prefer receiving fresh meals while others want groceries. Without the program, students in low-income areas will still be able to receive free meals at schools and community organizations over the summer. However, these sites are clustered around communities with larger populations, creating more difficulty for students from rural areas to get food.
Chalkbeat: NYC Faces Child Care Voucher Crisis as State Funding Stalls
Low-income families are no longer able to be enrolled in New York City’s voucher initiative because of a lack of funding in the state’s budget for the Child Care Assistance Program. The voucher program provides an average of $300 a week to families to help with rising child care costs. Last year, 80,000 children received vouchers, and 56,000 of those families made 85% under the state median income. Current families enrolled in the plan, as well as families who qualify for cash assistance or are legally required to receive it, will continue to receive funding. However, city officials may need to remove 4,000 to 7,000 participants each month from the program if they do not receive more funding. State and city officials disagree whose responsibility it is to provide the funding, leading to a lack of accountability for improvements to the program.
The Washington Post: Their School Can Censor the Student Press. They are Trying to Change that.
Students at Alexandria City High School are pushing back as a 2014 policy, which requires their principal to review stories before they are published in the school newspaper, is now being enforced. This change occurred after students wrote an investigative series on the school’s unreliable transportation on its multiple campuses. Questions of student journalist independence have been pervasive across the country, including in cases seen by the Supreme Court. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988) ruled that school officials have editorial control over student speech in school-sponsored activities, including the school newspaper. In recent years, many states have passed the New Voices law, which requires schools to protect student journalists’ First Amendment rights. However, the legislation failed to pass in Virginia in 2019 and 2020. Attention to student journalists is growing in a heightened political climate and attempts to increase censorship.
Around the Nation
The 74: Cleveland Ends Year-Round Schooling Citing No Meaningful Gains After 15 Years
After 15 years, the Cleveland school district is ending its year-round class model, currently implemented in six high schools. Year-round schooling gained popularity in the 1970s to reduce summer learning loss. District leaders thought implementing this model in Cleveland would help the struggling school district. Now, the district is moving to a standard academic year model to help students stay on track with other schools if they transfer, as well as lessen costly salaries for year-round employees. Recent research on the school district has indicated that even though the city’s year-round students have better math and English scores compared to other high schools, it may be because students who are attending those schools already have higher academic abilities. Research nationally has mixed results on the efficacy of the year-round model. This decision comes amidst other school districts switching to a year-long model to lessen the impacts of the pandemic on student learning.
KSL News: Sandy Elementary School Becomes Steward of NASA Moon Tree
Out of 1,300 applicants, NASA awarded Sprucewood Elementary School in Sandy, Utah with the opportunity to plant a “moon tree.” The seed was grown by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and given to “tree stewards” aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft in 2022. School librarian Sara Lee heard of the opportunity through connecting with the author of Moon Tree: The Story of One Extraordinary Tree. Lee applied for NASA’s program in their STEM and conservation education department, which began after the 1971 Apollo 14 mission to plant seeds that traveled in space for the U.S. bicentennial. The elementary school dedicated the moon tree with members of the local Forest Service and a surprise appearance from Smokey Bear. School members planted the tree in a spot near the playground that was previously designated as a memorial to a student. During the event, educators instructed children to take care of the tree and be environmental stewards
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