Australia Gets a B Minus on Report Card - Health and Wellbeing of Young Australians
This morning at Parliament House Canberra, Ms Elaine Henry OAM, Chairperson of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) launched ARACY's second Report Card on the Wellbeing of Young Australians. Describing Australia as "middle of the road" when it comes to children's health and wellbeing in Australia, the Report Card identifies areas of concern in areas such as child poverty, infant mortality, and youth participation in education and employment. Speaking at the launch, Dr Norman Swan, also a board member of ARACY highglighted income inequality and early childhood education as significant areas of deficit in Australia's policy and practice. Read full article
Creating Room to Read
The inspirational story of a former Microsoft executive's quest to build libraries around the world and share the love of books. What's happened since John Wood left Microsoft to change the world? Just ask six million kids in the poorest regions of Asia and Africa. In 1999, at the age of thirty-five, Wood quit a lucrative career to found the nonprofit Room to Read. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "the Andrew Carnegie of the developing world," he strived to bring the lessons of the corporate world to the nonprofit sector-and succeeded spectacularly. Read full article
Do Children Know that Seeking Asylum in Australia is Legal?
This is a story about reading aloud to our 11 year old. I guess it's also a story reflecting my family's history; I'm acutely aware from my Nana's stories, of the terror of escaping from a country in which you are persecuted. And it's a story about helping children digest media...Last week, I was reading this beautifully illustrated book to our Mr 11 Read full article
BPA and Babies’ Developing Brains - New Research
New research about the effect of bisephenol A (BPA) on humans finds a link between BPA and the developing central nervous systems of human embryos. This new study from Duke University Medical Centre claims to have uncovered the process by which BPA effects developing brains of babies. However, other scientists disagree, saying the science is flawed. Read full article
Here's a Downside of Honesty with Children
...Reading new research results from the University of Illinois about the downside of parents honestly revealing their experiences with drugs and alcohol made me realise that my views on honesty and openness come with ... qualification...Results of the new study involving over 550 young teens indicated that children whose parents had shared details of their own drinking, smoking and marijuana use were less likely to think drugs were bad. Read full article
Reducing Aggression by Teaching Teens that People Can Change
When adults see media coverage of teens reacting aggressively to minor provocation, they often assume this behaviour is influenced by a teenager’s family background and experiences. And although a hostile family and school environment can contribute to aggressive behaviour, new research shows that the tendency of teens to act aggressively also depends on their belief about people’s ability or inability to change. This finding may help adults create education programs aimed at reducing violence and aggressive behaviour, and give parents important ideas on how to talk to children about people’s potential for change. Three key ideas for parents and teachers are included in this article. Read full article
Win 4 Tickets to a Play about Resilience, Tolerance and Understanding
Win one family pass for 4 people - 2 adults and 2 children - to the Wong Side of Life on 25th March 2013 at Chatswood's Concourse Theatre. Set in 2101 it combines comedy with drama and blends puppet characters with live actors to tell the story of young lovers, Lin Wong and Reece Hart, who are drawn together from widely divergent social and ethnic backgrounds. Read full article
HPV Vaccination Program is Vital for Boys - a Cancer Story
This year in Australia the cervical cancer vaccine is being given to young teenage boys in Australian high schools. The vaccine has been available for girls since the program began in 2007 and the aim has been to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. Even if you are aware of the expansion of the HPV Vaccination Program to include boys, you may be wondering why. After all, boys don’t have a cervix, right? Read full article
Win a Manual Breast Pump from Closer to Nature
Closer to Nature® is offering 2 lucky happychild readers the chance to win one manual breast pump each, valued at $90. Good luck with your entries! Read full article
Violent Toys for Kids - Surely There are Boundaries?
This was one of those segments where I was genuinely shocked - a toy maker selling a toy for a young child to "play" at robbing a bank. MSN reports "The toy features a bank manager, armed shooter, gold bars and a cash machine. In case kids can’t envision how to use the pieces, photos accompanying the set show the robber pointing a gun at the manager and forcing a blonde woman to empty the machine. Way to get those young, creative minds flowing." Read full article
