Covering Early Childhood

Here & Now's coverage of early childhood, from education to child care.

Raena Boston and Dr. Pooja Lakshmin of the Chamber of Mothers. (Courtesy)

How the Chamber of Mothers supports women in their fight for paid leave

Working moms across the country are organizing to support each other — and fight for a social safety net they feel is lacking in this country.

10:59Sep 14, 2023

"Whole Mama Yoga" encourages mothers to lean on the practice throughout every stage of motherhood. (Courtesy of Allie Mullin Photography)

'Whole Mama Yoga' book encourages moms to lean on the practice throughout parenting

The duality of emotions that comes with every stage of motherhood can be tough. Sometimes, it helps to simply breathe in and out.

08:56Sep 11, 2023

Tarrezz Thompson and the child she watches. (Courtesy of Tarrezz Thompson)

Ohio child care providers press Intel to help families thrive

Many families in the area struggle to find reliable, affordable care for their kids.

09:37Aug 22, 2023

Many toddlers are missing final doses of routine vaccine series

A new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that more than one in six toddlers are missing the final doses they need to finish a vaccine series.

05:33Aug 14, 2023

A woman holds a baby at a lush local park. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

How a baby's health is shaped in part by the environment they live in

Researchers who study the importance of a baby's early experiences are also looking into how built and natural environments are critical to health outcomes.

05:27Jul 27, 2023

A neonatal nurse cares for a premature baby. (Hannah McKay/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

New national standards aim to improve transparency in newborn care

Not all hospitals have the staffing and equipment needed to care for the most serious health conditions.

03:49Jun 22, 2023

Families flock to D.C. to protest child care crisis

Protesters are pushing for new federal policies that would guarantee child care, parental leave, and early childhood mental health care, among other things.

05:43Jun 21, 2023

Author Mary Batten's 10-year-old granddaughter reading her latest book, Life in Hot Water: Wildlife at the Bottom of the Ocean, to her 4-year-old brother. (Courtesy of Mary Batten)

Climate change is here, but your child likely isn't learning much about it at school

More than half of adults see climate change as a major threat to the country's well-being. But most states don't require kids to learn about it in school.

10:59May 23, 2023

Researchers are learning more about how relationships with caregivers and sound nutrition can impact a child's immune, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems as they get older. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)

How a baby's early experiences can shape their health later in life

Researchers are learning more about how these early influences can impact a child's immune, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems as they get older.

05:43May 23, 2023

Kids learn to swim at a recent Swim Seattle event. (Courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation)

'A basic human right': Seattle aims to address race disparity in drowning deaths

Children of color face multiple barriers when it comes to learning how to swim — and the impact of those barriers can be fatal.

09:38May 11, 2023

Kayla Doble, her husband Maj. Brandon Doble and their children (left) and Scot Shumski, his wife Capt. Promotable Julia Flores and their children (right). (Courtesy of Kayla Doble and Scot Shumski)

Military spouses often feel overwhelmed and alone. A new pilot program aims to help

These parents face obstacle after obstacle — from struggling to secure a job to finding child care — because they constantly uproot their families as military assignments change.

10:49May 11, 2023

Marcela, who is 4-years-old, with her teacher, Tima, in Seattle. (Courtesy of Mariah Rosenblum)

What makes child care providers awesome: Parents share their appreciation

Preschool teachers, as well as daycare providers and nannies, don't always get the recognition, respect or pay that K-12 educators receive.

05:34May 9, 2023

Latoya Gayle and her family from left to right: husband Troy and children August, 1, and Julian, 8. (Courtesy of Latoya Gayle)

A Day Without Child Care: Daycares plan to close for protests Monday

More than 700 child care providers are shutting down for the day in at least 20 states.

09:40May 8, 2023

Biden's 'historic' child care order: What's in it?

Advocates are calling it historic and a good first step in the absence of Congressional action.

05:03Apr 19, 2023

A doctor uses a hand-held Doppler probe on a pregnant woman to measure the heartbeat of the fetus. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

Black Maternal Health care in 'crisis.' What's the solution?

Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. Experts point to systemic racism and inequities as the cause.

05:28Apr 14, 2023

Andrew Hackney hands his 1-year-old daughter back to the Office of Children, Youth and Families services at the end of one of their twice weekly supervised visits. At 7 months old, Andrew and his wife, Lauren, had difficulty feeding their daughter and brought her to the children's hospital in Pittsburgh. They believe hospital staff alerted the Allegheny County Department of Human Services because the baby was severely dehydrated and malnourished, which resulted in removing the young child from their custody. The Hackneys and their lawyer believe the Allegheny County Family Screening artificial intelligence tool may have flagged the couple as dangerous because of their disabilities. (Jessie Wardarski/AP)

AI may discriminate against parents with disabilities, new investigation shows

The investigation looks into how the child welfare system in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, uses AI to predict which children could be at risk of harm.

08:14Apr 13, 2023

The Friday before Mother’s Day is Provider Appreciation Day. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

Parents and families, we want to know why your child care provider rocks

The workers and teachers who care for children from birth to five have long been essential. But they rarely get the recognition, respect or pay that K-12 educators receive.

Why so many kids with autism get expelled from preschool

A new study finds that about one in six kids with autism are expelled from preschool and daycares.

05:45Apr 11, 2023

(L-R) Angela Aquilizan, Davina Woods and Diane Barsotti are all educators struggling to rebuild their workforces post-COVID. (Courtesy of Angela Aquilizan, Davina Woods and Diane Barsotti)

Child care crisis: Teachers love kids, but ‘need to be able to sustain ourselves’

When families stayed home in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, child care centers faced layoffs. Three years later, the labor force has yet to fully recover.

08:08Mar 23, 2023

Chantal Alison-Konteh, who runs the nonprofit "Her Village Inc," distributes diapers with her children. (Courtesy of Chantal Alison-Konteh)

Another child care crisis: Diaper affordability

Several states are weighing solutions to one factor in the child care crisis: Diapers.

06:01Mar 6, 2023