Key takeaways for caregivers Preschool lays a foundation for elementary school students to succeed. In the United States, as children approach kindergarten entry, it is increasingly common for 4-year-olds to be in non-parental group care and education, often in a center- or school-based setting where they can learn alongside peers. For children from low-income communities, free public preschool is more affordable than private care, which can be very expensive. Research has revealed benefits of preschool attendance in certain areas of literacy and math, especially for children from low-income ..read more

Key takeaways for caregivers Fathers often want to be present for their children and contribute to household tasks, but they can lack opportunities and confidence; they may see themselves as “helpers” instead of parents. Australian fathers in our small study reported that they spent more time with their children during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and they saw the resulting benefits for themselves and their children. Despite parental leave policies and opportunities for more flexible working arrangements, fathers still experience an unspoken stigma in the workplace about taking leave or leaving wo ..read more

Key Takeaways for caregivers Children tend to have better health and well-being when they have a strong ethnic identity (affinity and adoption of ethnicity-based self-concept). A traditional Latine cultural value (familismo) that emphasizes family bonds is also associated with better developmental outcomes. Caregivers can support the development of U.S. Latine children (and possibly other children of immigrant/cultural/racial/ethnic groups) by using ethnic socialization practices that foster ethnic identity and cultural values such as familismo. Communities can further support these children ..read more

Key takeaways for caregivers Interparental conflict after divorce escalates the risk of mental health problems in children and adolescents. Elevated levels of conflict between parents can also induce fear and worry in children about their future and whether they will be adequately taken care of. In turn, a greater fear of abandonment puts children at greater risk of mental health problems. Parents can protect their children’s mental health by adopting strategies that shield them from conflict and that assure them that they will be well cared for no matter what happens. Developing programs to ..read more

Key takeaways for caregivers: It is good for children to identify the emotions of others in conversations with caregivers because it scaffolds their ability to identify others’ emotions on their own. Children who use more emotion talk in parent-child conversations about emotions are more likely to have higher emotion knowledge one year later. Parents can help younger preschoolers use more emotion talk by modelling it themselves. For example, a parent might say, “She is sad because she dropped her ice cream.” Parents can help younger and older preschoolers use more emotion talk by asking quest ..read more

Key takeaways for caregivers Ask your children to remember what they did at school, other times they were away from you, or when you went on a special outing. If children cannot think of anything to say, ask more specific questions. Listen to what your children tell you. Ask follow-up questions, including how they felt about what happened. Avoid correcting your children about their impressions. These conversations can happen anytime there are moments to spare – for example, at a bus stop or in a waiting room. Elaborative reminiscing can support children’s developing language and lit ..read more

Key takeaways for caregivers Young teenagers were more likely to use some drugs (e-cigs, prescription drugs, inhalants) during the first year of the pandemic than before the pandemic. Teens with more pre-existing difficulties or in families with fewer resources used the most substances. Parents can support teens in avoiding drug use by modeling healthy coping behaviors and keeping connected to their children. Teenagers and the COVID-19 pandemic Teens’ lives changed a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many were attending school online, social distancing from friends and neighbors, and spendin ..read more

This post is part of our series on Infant Sleep and its Impacts on Development, published in collaboration with the journal Infant Behavior and Development. The featured research appeared in a special issue on how infant sleep affects cognitive, social, and physical development and how parents and practitioners can help promote healthy sleep and development in infancy.  Key takeaways for caregivers Co-sleeping, typically defined as infants sharing a room or a bed with parents, is common worldwide but varies in acceptability across cultures. It is practiced less in U.S. culture and parent ..read more

This post is part of our series on Infant Sleep and its Impacts on Development, published in collaboration with the journal Infant Behavior and Development. The featured research appeared in a special issue on how infant sleep affects cognitive, social, and physical development and how parents and practitioners can help promote healthy sleep and development in infancy. Key takeaways for caregivers Babies’ intake of new information that is emotionally relevant might vary depending on when they last slept. After being awake for an extended period, babies become attuned to negative emotional inf ..read more

This post is part of our series on Infant Sleep and its Impacts on Development, published in collaboration with the journal Infant Behavior and Development. The featured research appeared in a special issue on how infant sleep affects cognitive, social, and physical development and how parents and practitioners can help promote healthy sleep and development in infancy.  Key takeaways for caregivers Naps help learning in early childhood. Infant sleep is typically distributed across multiple bouts of sleep (morning and afternoon naps) until around 12 to 18 months. Multiple naps benefit inf ..read more