The statement above may not be new to anyone, but it is a good reminder of how critical a role that a primary caregiver has with a small child.  Now, think about if you ARE the primary caregiver, but you are a single parent or a couple that is underemployed and not making much money or a parent who has been laid off while yourself or your spouse was pregnant.  Think about the stress that was already present because of the pregnancy, and now think about MUCH  MORE stress is present because of job loss or lack of money available.

In a study done by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), 43.6 children per 1000 children received preventative services.  Preventative services are aimed at increasing the understanding of child development for the primary caregiver. This number has dropped since 2007, and the victimization rate in 2008 was the lowest it had been since 2003.  At first thought, it may seem alright that preventative services are declining; however, prevention is the key to the success of a lower victimization rate!

Help HealthNet’s Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families programs continue to keep preventative services steady for at-risk families.  You can help ease the stress of a caregiver by simply spreading awareness about the need for prevention or by donating a quick $25 to HealthNet.

It is always a challenge for parents to not only get their child ready for the cognitive portion of the classroom but also the social and emotional challenges that come with the environmental change of a new school.  But, watching a child succeed in the classroom is one of the most rewarding things to witness.

Child Trends is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to improve outcomes for children by providing research, data, and analysis to the people and institutions whose decisions and actions affect children.”  A study was done in 2003 that focused on the children in kindergarten and whether or not they lagged behind the average student in the following three areas: health, cognitive skills, and social and emotional skills.  There were trending factors in what made children lag behind in one, two, or all three of these areas.

This report gives an insight into what ENVIRONMENTAL factors might come into play and prevent a child from being on par with his/her peers.  The results showed the following:

1. 63% of all children who lagged behind in all three areas had parents with a relatively low education (a high school diploma, GED, or less).
2. 55% of all children who lagged behind in all three areas lived in households with an income less than $25,000.
3. 33% of all children who lagged behind in all three areas lived in a single parent household.

Healthy Familes America targets these types of families and offers them support in the form of links to community resources and education materials to help with child development.  A case worker sticks with each participating family until the child reaches age 5.  You can help HealthNet’s Healthy Families program by learning more here or donating directly by clicking here.

–Check out the full research publication from Child Trends here [http://www.childtrends.org/Files/AttendingKindergartenRB.pdf]