How Racism Can Affect Child Development

Yale Study: Child Care Providers Show “No Elevated Risk” for Contracting COVID-19

Anational study by Yale University of more than 57,000 child care programs (Covid-19 Transmission in U.S. Child Care Programs, Pediatrics) found that providers who continued working in the first three months of the pandemic had no increased risk of contracting COVID-19 in their facilities. This is the first major study of its kind in the nation and shows that child care’s virus “mitigation efforts” kept providers safer. “This study tells us that as long as there are strong on-site measures to prevent infection providing care for young children doesn’t seem to add to the provider’s risk of getting sick,” said lead researcher, Dr. Walter Gilliam of Yale.1 This is a reassuring report for families who depend on child care as well as the child care workforce whose programs are suffering from the pandemic. With more families working from home during the virus many licensed child care programs are often unable to keep their doors open. Lynnette Fraga of Child Care Aware of America, a partner in the study said, “This study shows that to be open safely, child care providers will need to practice mitigation and prevention strategies which cost money. And, at times, it may not be safe for child care to be open if community transmission rates are high. To stabilize an industry facing additional costs and ongoing, public health-related closures, significant funding is needed.”2 Results do not pertain to school age care because groups do not remain consistent throughout the day and move throughout buildings.

Child care facilities in North Carolina were proactive combating the virus through preventative measures such as symptom-screening at the door, mask-wearing, smaller group sizes, handwashing, frequent sanitizing, no outsider entrance to facilities, and social distancing. Information on North Carolina’s child care response to COVID-19 may be found here.

More information on the report can be found here.

Harvard Study:

How RACISM How RACISM can affect child development How RACISM can affect child development Can Affect Child Development

Years of scientific study have shown us that, Years of scientific study when children’s stress have shown us that, response systems when children’s stress remain activated at high response systems levels for long periods, remain activated at highit can have a significant levels for long periods, wear-and-tear effect on it can have a significant their developing brains wear-and-tear effect on and other biological their developing brains systems. This can and other biological have lifelong effects systems. This canon learning, behavior, have lifelong effects and both physical and on learning, behavior, mental health.1 and both physical and mental health.1 A growing body of evidence from both the biological and A growing body of evidence social sciences connects from both the biological and this concept of chronic social sciences connects wear and tear to racism.2 this concept of chronic This research suggests wear and tear to racism.2 that constant coping with This research suggestssystemic racism and that constant coping with everyday discrimination is systemic racism and a potent activator of the everyday discrimination is stress response. This may a potent activator of the help us understand the early stress response. This mayorigins of racial disparities help us understand the early in chronic illness across the origins of racial lifespan. disparities in chronic illness across the lifespan.

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People of color receive unequal treatment when they engage in People of color receive unequal systems like health care and treatment when they engage in education, and also have less access systems like health care and to high-quality education and health education, and also have less access services, economic opportunities, and to high-quality education and health pathways to wealth accumulation.4 services, economic opportunities, and All of these reflect ways in which pathways to wealth accumulation.4the legacy of structural racism in All of these reflect ways in which the U.S. has created conditions that the legacy of structural racism in disproportionately undermine the the U.S. has created conditions that health and development of children disproportionately undermine the and families of color. health and development of children and families of color. The evidence is overwhelming: Black, indigenous, and other The evidence is overwhelming: people of color in the U.S. have, Black, indigenous, and other on average, more chronic health people of color in the U.S. have, problems and shorter lifespans on average, more chronic health than whites at all income levels.3 problems and shorter lifespans than whites at all income levels.3

Black 267

Black White 199 267

White

0 50 100 150 199200 250 300

0Deaths from 50 100 150 200 250 300heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease (combined) per 100,000 — United States, 2015 Deaths from heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease (combined) Source: CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6617e1.htm per 100,000 — United States, 2015

Source: CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6617e1.htm

Multiple studies have documented how the stresses of everyday discrimination Multiple studies have documented howon parents or other caregivers, such the stresses of everyday discriminationas being associated with negative on parents or other caregivers, suchstereotypes, can have harmful effects as being associated with negative on caregiving behaviors and adult stereotypes, can have harmful effects mental health.5 And when caregivers' on caregiving behaviors and adult mental health is affected, the mental health.5 And when caregivers' challenges of coping with it can cause mental health is affected, the an excessive stress response in their challenges of coping with it can cause children. But we can prevent lasting an excessive stress response in their harm if we work together. children. But we can prevent lasting harm if we work together.

This means actively searching for and reducing unseen, This means actively searching restrictive biases in ourselves for and reducing unseen, and in economic and social restrictive biases in ourselves policies through initiatives and in economic and social such as fair hiring and lending policies through initiatives practices, housing and home such as fair hiring and lending ownership programs, antipractices, housing and home bias training, and community ownership programs, anti-policing initiatives.7 bias training, and community policing initiatives.7 To address these challenges, we must not only provide To address these challenges, needed services for all young we must not only provide children and families, but needed services for all young also create new strategies to children and families, but address “upstream” inequities also create new strategies tothat systematically threaten address “upstream” inequities the health and well-being of that systematically threatenyoung children of color and the health and well-being of the adults who care for young children of colorthem.6 and the adults who care for them.6

It’s clear that science cannot address these challenges alone. But science-informed thinking combined with expertise in changing entrenched systems and the lived experiences of families It’s clear that science cannot address these challenges alone. But science-informed thinking raising young children under a wide variety of conditions can be a powerful catalyst of more combined with expertise in changing entrenched systems effective strategies.8 and the lived experiences of families raising young children under a wide variety of conditions can be a powerful catalyst of more effective strategies.8

For sources and more information: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/racism-and-ecd