At what cost? For Baltimore’s poorest families, the child support system exacts a heavy price — and it’s hurting whole communities

By Yvonne Wenger. Baltimore Sun. March 5, 2020 Maryland’s child support system, intended to sustain children, is actually hurting some of the state’s neediest families — especially in Baltimore, an investigation by The Baltimore Sun has found. Under the dysfunctional system, parents in struggling city neighborhoods owe tens of millions of dollars in back child … Continue reading At what cost? For Baltimore’s poorest families, the child support system exacts a heavy price — and it’s hurting whole communities →

The good news? Fewer kids are living in poverty. The bad news? STD rates are way up.

By J. Dale Shoemaker | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Children in New Jersey generally are better off than they were six years ago, new data shows: Fewer are living in poverty. Fewer live with families receiving benefits such as food stamps. And fewer are testing positive for high levels of lead in their blood. … Continue reading The good news? Fewer kids are living in poverty. The bad news? STD rates are way up. →

As coronavirus anxiety builds, N.J. schools prepare for an outbreak

By Spencer Kent | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com NJ.com Posted Feb 28, 6:45 AM Tele-schooling. Hand sanitizers. Warning posters and enhanced disinfectant cleanings. School districts across New Jersey are gearing up for a coronavirus outbreak, sending letters to parents and staff about their preventative measures and mitigation plans. While the tone of the letters … Continue reading As coronavirus anxiety builds, N.J. schools prepare for an outbreak →

‘I brainwashed myself with the internet’ Nearly 45 weeks pregnant, she wanted a “freebirth” with no doctors. Online groups convinced her it would be OK.

By Andrew D. Zimbelman / for NBC News Feb. 21, 2020 By February 2019, Judith had become unbearably anxious. The 28-year-old Pacific coast native’s due date had come and gone. Just two days shy of 45 weeks pregnant, her belly was stretched so far that it shined, her body was swollen, and nearly everything — … Continue reading ‘I brainwashed myself with the internet’ Nearly 45 weeks pregnant, she wanted a “freebirth” with no doctors. Online groups convinced her it would be OK. →

Growing Awareness of ”Period Poverty“ in Schools

BY MARY ELLEN FLANNERY. NEA Today. Feb. 20, 2020 With Virginia poised to become the fifth state to require its middle and high schools to provide free tampons and menstrual pads in its bathrooms, the issue of “period poverty” has growing traction in schools and statehouses across the nation. One in five teens said they … Continue reading Growing Awareness of ”Period Poverty“ in Schools →

The New U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Fails to Capture Many Deaths

Since 2007, the government had held off on releasing an official estimate of expectant and new mothers who died from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. It waited for the data to get better. But the new, long-anticipated number falls short. by Nina Martin Feb. 13, 2020. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates … Continue reading The New U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Fails to Capture Many Deaths →

Trump’s words, bullied kids, scarred schools

The president’s rhetoric has changed the way hundreds of children areharassed in American classrooms, The Post found By Hannah Natanson, John Woodrow Cox and Perry Stein Feb. 13, 2020 Two kindergartners in Utah told a Latino boy that President Trump would send him back to Mexico, and teenagers in Maine sneered "Ban Muslims" at a classmate wearing a hijab. In Tennessee, a group … Continue reading Trump’s words, bullied kids, scarred schools →

A child-welfare worker came to pick up a second-grader. The school handed over the wrong student.

Fenit Nirappil and Perry Stein . Feb. 11, 2020 The Washington Post A D.C. elementary school mistakenly turned over the wrong second-grader to a child-welfare worker arranging a visit between a foster child and his father, city officials said Tuesday. The director of the Child and Family Services Agency said the mix-up happened Jan. 31. … Continue reading A child-welfare worker came to pick up a second-grader. The school handed over the wrong student. →

What I Spent to Adopt My Child

Three families share their adoption stories, illuminating the variety of choices — and costs — involved in the process. By David Dodge. Published Feb. 11, 2020. The New York Times This piece is part of “The Price of Modern Parenting.” Read about the sandwich generation, caring for aging relatives and out-of-pocket expenses for preterm births. Each adoption process shares the same ultimate purpose: … Continue reading What I Spent to Adopt My Child →

Apopka father made up story about 3-year-old daughter’s abduction after girl’s mother took her, police say

By TESS SHEETS ORLANDO SENTINEL |FEB 11, 2020 The father who claimed his 3-year-old daughter was snatched from their Apopka home Monday — the kidnappers getting away from him only after a highway chase across counties — actually made up the story after learning the girl’s mother had taken her while he was at work, … Continue reading Apopka father made up story about 3-year-old daughter’s abduction after girl’s mother took her, police say →