An important new report based on data from the National Survey of Children's Health identifies significant economic and racial disparities in the frequency of adversity among children ages 0-3. Adversity in Early Childhood: The Role of Policy in Creating and Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences from the Center for American Progress underlines the importance of social policy initiatives to advance primary prevention and racial and economic justice. See https://www.pacesconnection.com...americanprogress-org
"Key findings from the report include:
- Most (71 percent) children ages 3 and younger have experienced no ACEs, 20 percent have experienced one ACE, and 8 percent have experienced two or more ACEs.
- Economic hardship is the most common form of adversity; about 1 in 5 young children live in a family that has struggled to cover basic needs such as food or housing.
- Even at this early age, there are wide racial disparities in exposure to adversity. Compared with young white children—of whom 7 percent experience multiple adversities—the percentage of children experiencing multiple adversities is approximately twice as high for Black and non-Hispanic other children, at 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
- Racial and ethnic disparities are found across several forms of adversity: economic hardship; parents’ divorce or separation; living with someone experiencing mental illness or severe depression; parental incarceration; and experiencing bias or discrimination.
Policymakers should implement policies that reduce the prevalence of adverse events and mitigate their negative effects and develop resources for practitioners and communities to effectively embed adversity screening within a broader system of culturally informed support. Understanding the roots of adversity in unjust systems is crucial throughout this process."
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