By Jenn Beideman, Brookings Institution, June 10, 2021
Over the last year, the intersecting crises of COVID-19, economic insecurity, and systemic police brutality have compounded toxic stress for children across the country and inflicted a disproportionate toll on Black and Latino or Hispanic youth. Research shows that toxic stress in childhood caused by poverty, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and racism significantly alters overall brain structure and function in children, undermining their health and well-being later in life. National advocates are raising alarm bells about the lasting impact COVID-19 will have on children’s health—particularly, their ability to rebound from yet another trauma without adequate support.
As vaccinations gradually bring us closer to normal, children will need support to mitigate the impact of this toxic stress. Whether it’s adults at home, school, church, after-school programs, or others in the child’s village, we all have a role to play in mitigating these impacts. The center director of Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, Dr. Jack Shonkoff, and other national organizations agree: Play is one of the best ways to promote resilience following periods of trauma, and can be a key strategy to reducing the consequences of toxic stress experienced throughout the pandemic. Play ultimately supports healing.
But what is a city’s role in mitigating toxic stress, supporting play, and prioritizing kids? Rochester, N.Y. is showing how cities can support kids and families by advancing policy, systems, and environmental changes that prioritize the power of play.
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