With Washington State's Barry Anton soon to be assuming the Presidency of APA, our national Association should be very well served. Barry has a long history of being a visionary advocate for addressing the pressing holistic needs of our nation's children and their families. He truly appreciates the "bigger picture" and the critical importance of psychology being actively involved in shaping health policy. Recently, Barry was instrumental in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the APA Congressional Fellowship program at our Washington, DC convention. As the first social science organization to participate in the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships Program, this is an extremely important program for all of psychology. The very first fellow, Pamela Ebert Flattau, who frequently still wears her Walter Mondale button, is prominently involved in shaping national science policy as Director of a new start-up known as The PsySiP Project. In 1994-1995, Libby Street (Central Washington University) served as a Fellow with U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy in his education office. The following year, another Washington State former Fellow, Margie Heldring, was instrumental during her tenure with U.S. Senator Bill Bradley in having the federal government modify private health insurance benefits for the first time in our nation's history; effectively addressing "drive-through baby deliveries." Her efforts were signed into Public Law by President Bill Clinton on September 26, 1996 [the Newborns and Mothers' Health Protection Act (P.L. 104-204)] in a Rose Garden ceremony which she got to attend. Our President-elect has most recently focused upon the importance of psychology learning from international efforts to further integrated care models, pursuant to the proactive vision underlying President Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The Children's Defense Fund (CDF): The CDF Overview of The State of America's Children 2014 reports that in 2012, for the first time the majority of children in the U.S. under the age of two were children of color, as were the majority of all children in 10 states. By 2019, the majority of all children nationwide are expected to be children of color. Child poverty has reached record levels; one in five children (16.1 million) was poor in 2012. More than 7.1 million children (over 40% of poor children) live in extreme poverty at less than half the poverty level (for a family of four, $11,746 annually). Children in single-parent families are nearly four times more likely to be poor than children in married-couple families. Although almost 70% of all children live with two parents, more than half of Black children and nearly one in three Hispanic children live with only one parent, compared to one in five White children. Nearly 1.2 million public school students are homeless, 73% more than before the recession. More than one in nine children lack access to adequate food, a rate 23% higher than before the recession. Guns kill or injure a child or teen every half hour; gun violence disproportionately affects children of color. Child poverty costs the nation at least $500 billion annually in extra education, health, and criminal justice costs and in lost productivity. Child abuse and neglect costs $80.3 billion each year in direct costs and lost productivity.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM): The IOM Board on Children, Youth, and Families, directed by psychologist Kimber Bogard, in conjunction with the IOM Board on Global Health, has recently launched its Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally. This initiative seeks to create and sustain, over three years, an evidence-driven community of stakeholders across northern and southern countries who aim to explore existing, new, and innovative science and research from around the world and translate this evidence into sound and strategic investments in policies and practices that will make a difference in the lives of children and their caregivers. Forum activities will highlight the science and economics of integrated investments in young children living in low resourced regions of the world across the areas of health, nutrition, education, and social protection. The Forum will promote a holistic view of children and caregivers by integrating analyses and disciplines – e.g., from the microbiome to culture. It will support an integrative vision linking human capital of individuals with the economic sustainability of nations.
A concerted effort will be made to build bridges across sectors and partner with other organizations, including other science academies and coalitions working toward improving investments in young children globally. Activities and products will be used to inform practices from local communities to government systems; policies at the country, state, and local levels; and research agendas. Inter-generational approaches to investing in young children globally will be an important lens for developing future activities, with a particular emphasis on empowering women and girls. Another lens to be used to view the science, implementation, and policies under consideration is the cultural contexts, including belief systems and visions of optimal child development from the familial and community perspective.
Forum goals include identifying an integrated science on children's health, nutrition, education, and social protection and working with policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to raise awareness of integrated approaches to improve the lives of children and their caregivers. Objectives include: * To shape a global vision of healthy child development across cultures and contexts, extending from pre-conception through age eight, and across current "silo" areas of health, nutrition, education, and social protection. * To identify opportunities for inter-sectorial coordination among researchers, policymakers, implementers/practitioners, and advocates to implement quality practices and bring these practices to scale, in the context of the economics of strategic, integrated investing in young children, spanning health, education, nutrition, and social protection. * To inform ongoing conversations and activities of groups working on issues related to young children globally. And, * To identify current models of program and policy financing across health, education, nutrition, and social protection, within the framework of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health that aim to improve children's developmental potential. This information could be used to illuminate opportunities for new financing structures and forms of investments that may be more effective in improving child outcomes and potentially drive economic development. Aspirational goals to be sure, and exactly where APA's next President has been engaged for decades. On a personal note, my fondest memory of WSPA was having the honor of presenting Colleen Hacker with an APA Presidential citation in 2000 for her years of dedication to our nation's female athletes, including those on the U.S. Women's Olympic teams -- my very last APA Presidential event. Barry's soccer playing daughter attended that event. These are indeed exciting times. Do What You Want. Aloha,
Pat DeLeon, former APA President – WSPA – November, 2014
