Securing A Promising Future: Shelby County Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care

The first 36 months of a child's life are a period of incredible brain development. What happens during these first months and years sets a child on their developmental pathway toward school and adulthood.

What do we know about children in foster care during these early years of life? Infants and toddlers in foster care are at increased risk of poor developmental outcomes as a result of increased uncertainty in their lives, and they are at increased risk of abuse, neglect and residential transience. The lasting implications of maltreatment and toxic stress on the cognitive, social and emotional growth of young children can have permanent ramifications if not suitably addressed.

Fast Facts:

- Approximately 20% of Shelby County children in state custody are less than five years of age (TN Department of Children Services, 2007).

- Almost 3 out 4 Shelby County child victim reports state that the child was neglected or physically abused (fosteringcourtimprovement.org). Abuse and neglect interferes with the positive growth of the synaptic links in the brain that are crucial to cognitive functioning and social well-being.

- In Shelby County, the median length of stay for children in foster care (March, 2007) is 22.8 months, almost eleven months longer than the state of Tennessee median length of stay of 12.1 months. Once they have been removed from their homes and placed in foster care, infants and toddlers are more likely than older children to stay in foster care longer (Wulczyn & Hislop, Zero to Three).

Policy Recommendations (From Zero to Three):

- Make sure that lawmakers and judges are knowledgeable about child growth and use that information to regulate security and permanence.

- Evaluate the psychological health needs of our youngest children in state custody and administer treatment as required.

- Increase and allocate solid funding to boost preventive services that safeguard and assist families.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org; and The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County, available at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/DatabookProcessor.php.

References:
Fostering Court Improvement. (2007). Statistics for Shelby County. Chicago, IL. Available at
http://fosteringcourtimprovement.org/tn/County/Shelby.

TN Department of Children’s Services. (2007). Annual Report FY 2007. Nashville, TN. Available at http://www.tn.gov/youth/dcsguide/annualreport2007.pdf.

Wulczyn & Hislop, “Babies in Foster Care: The Numbers Call for Attention.” ZERO TO THREE Journal 22, no. 4, 14-15.

Zero to Three. (2009). Early Experiences Matter Policy Guide. Washington, DC: Zero to Three.

Essential Principles for Improving the Odds for Children at Risk

In a new book, Changing the Odds for Children at Risk Dr. Susan B. Neuman lays out "seven essential principles of educational programs that break the cycle of poverty."

The book uses extensive research on child development and effective programs to make the case for responsible, substantive investment in areas such as early care and education, comprehensive family supports, and after-school programs. Dr. Neuman offers constructive suggestions for moving toward a policy agenda that would improve the well-being and life outcomes of the poorest children in American society. These children are at greatest risk of poor social, emotional and cognitive brain development, with lasting implications not only for their lifetime well-being but also for the welfare of their communities.

In a December 2008 interview, Dr. Neuman spoke about the book, and about the importance of understanding that children live and learn in an environment of relationships.

“Many mothers and fathers want to do the right thing for their children. They may not have the opportunity to do that. But these parents also live in communities. I think what we have underestimated very often is the surround--the environment that these families are often in. The communities need to be revitalized."

In order to build the public will to move toward this agenda, Neuman argues that we need to:

"… make government more transparent. Very often, the American public sees policy as something done to them, rather than engaging in policy discussions. So I think a more public accounting of where our programs are and what they are doing to change the odds begins to engage the public in a public discussion."

Embracing the Capability: First-rate Infant/Toddler Child Care

First-rate child care presents the hope of a satisfying outlook by providing our youngest citizens nuturance, support for cognitive growth, preparation for the educational system, and the chance for all infants and toddlers to achieve at their maximum ability. Child care is not seen as merely a primary service for families, but a stimulating occasion to foster the early development of young children. Science suggests that the strongest outcomes of first-rate child care are found with at-risk children- children from families with limited assets and under extensive strain. Policymakers can respond now to guarantee that parents are able to embrace the capability of first-rate child care for their infants and toddlers.

Fast Facts (The Urban Child Institute [TUCI], 2008):

- Approximately 20,000 improverished children under age five live in Shelby County.

- In our community, about 45% of 3- and 4- year- olds spend part of each day in non-parental care.

- Only about 30% of child-care centers in Shelby County hold a 3-star rating through the Tennessee quality star system. Three stars identify the highest rank and validate that a center meets or exceeds Tennessee's standards for child-adult ratios, curriculum, safety and teacher qualifications.

Policy Suggestions (Zero to Three, 2009):

- Increase wages for educators working with young children.

- Allot satisfactory financing so that rates can be set at the levels needed for centers to administer first-rate infant and toddler care.

- Support studies and evaluations that examine infant and toddler child care sources and conditions.

References:

The Urban Child Institute. (2008). The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County: Data Book. Memphis, TN: The Urban Child Institute.

Zero to Three. (2009). Early Experiences Matter Policy Guide. Washington, DC: Zero to Three.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org.

Shelby County's new Child Impact Reporting System is good news for children and families

In a ceremony today at the University of Memphis, Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton and Shelby County Commissioner Mike Carpenter announced the launch of a new Child Impact Reporting System. This is good news for our children and families.

In many ways, the community we will be in twenty years depends on the children born today. These children will enter kindergarten in five years. They will graduate from high school in eighteen years. They should be members of the University of Memphis Class of '31.

What do we know about these children?

In the last year, approximately 15,000 children were born in Shelby County. More than half of these children were born into poverty. The majority of children born into poverty in Shelby County (approximately 6,600 each year) are actually living in "dire poverty" (meaning that a family of three earns less than $9,000 income in a year).

This means that every year, more than half of the children born in Shelby County are born into families that lack access to the fundamental resources and opportunities that promote optimal social, emotional and cognitive development and that protect children from exposure to harmful factors, such as sickness, crime and toxic stress.

Impoverishment is particularly dangerous during the earliest years of life. As much as 80 percent of a child's brain develops between birth and age three, laying the foundation for that child's later success in school and life. The quality of a child's earliest developmental experiences links directly to the type of parent, employee and citizen they will become.

It is in our shared interest as a community to reduce the number of children born into economic and social impoverishment each year. By age three, children in the poorest families have vocabularies a third as large as children from affluent families (Hart and Risley 1995). By kindergarten, children from poor families have cognitive scores 40 percent below children from affluent families (Lee and Burkham 2002). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the greatest public health threat to children and families does not come from disease. It comes from social environments that lack healthy food, safe housing, living-wage jobs, decent schools, supportive social networks, and access to health care (CDC 2003). This describes the lives of too many of our children and families.

In the classroom, children from poor families are more likely to exhibit behavior problems, and they are more likely to be held back. More than half of all children in Shelby County born into poverty drop out before they finish high school.

When they become adults, children who grow up in poverty have a harder time finding decent jobs. They are less likely to have the skills they will need in tomorrow's workplace; and they are more likely to live in poverty as adults. Child poverty reduces the GDP of the Memphis metro area by hundreds of millions of dollars each year (CUCP 2009).

We cannot afford to let current trends continue when it comes to the lifetime development of infants, children and youth in our community.

The good news is that we understand a great deal about how to improve the well-being of our children. 40 years of careful scientific research tells us that:

• Children grow up in an environment of relationships,
• The strength and stability of those relationships strongly influences the adult that a child will become,
• The earlier we intervene to strengthen those relationships the better (Ziegler 2009).

In developing a Child Impact Reporting System, Shelby County is exhibiting tremendous foresight: First, by using the best available information on the condition of children to inform policy decisions and, second, by recognizing that the health and stability of our community both now and in the future is intertwined with the well-being of all our children.

Ultimately, the Child Impact Reporting System is an opportunity to place children on a preferred pathway through school and life. In turn, this initiative offers an opportunity to reduce the costs associated with crime, increase tax revenue, develop an educated, productive workforce, and strengthen the odds that successive generations of children are born into stable families able to draw upon a rich fund of family, neighborhood, business and governmental supports built around the central place of children in our community.

Shelby County is taking a step in the right direction through its efforts to make research-informed public policy to improve the well-being of all our children.

For related policy briefs on the developmental importance of early childhood and the conditions in which children are growing up in Shelby County, visit the Center for Urban Child Policy, The Urban Child Institute, and The Urban Child Institute Databook .

To learn more about the Shelby County Child Impact Reporting System, visit the Shelby County Office of Early Childhood and Youth.

Improving Child Health Outcomes in Shelby County

For the youngest citizens in Shelby County, periodic health care can signify the distinction between a robust start and a weak beginning. This is particularly undeniable for impoverished infants and toddlers due to their elevated risk of exposure to situational toxins and insubstantial accommodations and diet. The first years of life present an extraordinary occasion to advance the brain development of young children, and repress and evaluate many of the physical and cognitive afflictions that our children could encounter in their lifetimes.

Fast Facts (The Urban Child Institute [TUCI], 2008):

- In Shelby County in 2006, about 1 in 2 infants was born to a mother who received inadequate prenatal care, which is associated with poor birth outcomes such as low birth weight and prematurity.

- In 2005, almost 15% of Shelby County infants were born to women who gained 50 pounds or more during pregnancy. Obesity increases the risk of adverse outcomes for babies and mothers, including neural tube defects and labor and delivery complications.

Policy Suggestions (Zero to Three, 2009):

- Extend contact with health professionals in widespread early childhood programs reaching infants and toddlers, including child care settings and foster care homes.

- Advance government contributions to children’s nutrition programs and promote greater emphasis on obesity prevention and physical exercise.

- Provide access to prenatal health services to all pregnant women.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org; and The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County, available at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/DatabookProcessor.php.

References:
The Urban Child Institute. (2009). The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County: Data Book. Memphis, TN: The Urban Child Institute.

Zero to Three. (2009). Early Experiences Matter Policy Guide. Washington, DC: Zero to Three.

Laying the Groundwork for Our Youngest Citizens and Their Families

A primary step in constructing a sturdy building is laying a stable foundation. With our youngest citizens, constructing the formation of the mind operates in a similar way: the groundwork assembled in the earliest years must be firm in order for that child to flourish.

Infants and toddlers are disproportionately touched by the rising poverty in our community, and such financial distress can endanger their healthy cognitive, social and emotional development, as well as impede their ability to prosper in the classroom and in life.

Fast Facts:

- Compared to children of all ages, the proportion of young children living in poverty is increasing more quickly. From 2006 to 2007, the number of impoverished Memphis children of all ages increased by 13% while the number of impoverished children under age 5 increased by 32% (American Community Survey, 2006-2007).

- Child poverty is expected to reduce the GDP of the Memphis metro. area by about $230 million per year, primarily due to lost productivity in the labor force later in life (CUCP, 2009).

Policy Suggestions (Zero to Three, 2009):

- Increase investment in child nutrition programs that reduce food insecurity for young children.
- Provide adequate housing and energy assistance to low-income families.
- Eliminate administrative barriers to participation in benefit programs for low-income families.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org; and The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County, available at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/DatabookProcessor.php.

How Much Would Marriage Improve the Financial Well-being of Young Children in Shelby County?

Dear Friends,

For many years, social scientists have examined the benefits of marriage for young children and families. The principal finding of that research is clear: strong and secure marriages bring real advantages to young children and families, certainly including higher incomes and greater family stability. The research also indicates that among single-parented families, first-time, unmarried parents have the best capacity to form stable marriages that provide both financial and emotional security to their children. To what extent would marriage improve the financial well-being of families in Shelby County, where the majority of children are born to unmarried parents?

Our most recent policy brief addresses this question by examining the cohort of unmarried mothers in Shelby County who gave birth for the first time in 2006. You can access the brief at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/PublicPolicy .

Some highlights of the brief:

In 2006, the largest cohort of newborns were born to single-mothers with older children at home. More than half of these families lived in poverty.

The second largest cohort of newborns were born to first-time single-mothers.

If we combine the incomes of first-time single-mothers and their partners it is possible to estimate the number of families that would be lifted out of poverty by marriage.

Sixty percent of first-time single-mothers and their children would be lifted out of poverty through marriage to their child's father. At the same time, most of these same families would remain financially vulnerable, with a median annual income of $27,040 (163% of the federal poverty line).

We welcome your suggestions, comments and questions.

Sincerely,

Doug Imig, Ph.D.
Frances Breland, M.A.
Katie Devlin, M.S.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org; and The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County, available at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/DatabookProcessor.php.

Details Emerge on Stimulus Spending for Early Childhood

Education Week published a report this week that details some of the specifics of how the $787 billion stimulus package is likely to benefit early childhood education across the country.

The article, "Stimulus Providing Big Funding Boost for Early Childhood" indicates that the stimulus allocates $1 billion over two years for Head Start, and $1.1 billion for Early Head Start, which provides services to infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. This amount is expected to be in addition to the base budget for Head Start and Early Head Start ($7 billion in fiscal 2008).

Federal child-care and child-development block grants, which are used in combination with state money to provide subsidies for families that need child care, will receive $2 billion in increased funding over two years. The program received about $2 billion in fiscal 2008.

In addition, the article notes that stimulus money for early-childhood programs is also contained in other funding streams. For example, sections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act—serving children with disabilities from infancy to kindergarten age—will receive $900 million.

In addition, the $13 billion in Title I stimulus money, which can be used for schools that have large populations of children from low-income families, can be used to pay for early-childhood programs.

To learn more about spending on early childhood in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, visit the Center for Urban Child Policy.