As the new school year starts, extreme heat is affecting children in classrooms across the country. Our Chief Science Officer, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, talked with CBS News Chicago about heat in schools and the importance of reducing children's exposure to extreme heat:
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Research
Cambridge, MA 30,119 followers
Our mission is to drive science-based innovation that achieves breakthrough outcomes for children facing adversity.
About us
We believe that advances in science provide a powerful source of new ideas focused on the early years of life. Founded in 2006, the Center catalyzes local, national, and international innovation in policy and practice focused on children and families. We design, test, and implement these ideas in collaboration with a broad network of research, practice, policy, community, and philanthropic leaders. Together, we seek transformational impacts on lifelong learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health.
- Website
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https://developingchild.harvard.edu/
External link for Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
- Industry
- Research
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Cambridge, MA
- Type
- Educational
- Founded
- 2006
Locations
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Primary
50 Church Street
4th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138, US
Employees at Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
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Rebecca Hansen
Director of Communications, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
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Marianna Klebanov
Attorney, Therapist, Writer
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Lisa A. Haidar
Project Manager @ Harvard University | M.S. in Mass Communication
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Arielle Black-Foley
Project Coordinator at Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Updates
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Last December, we hosted “Understanding Racism’s Impact on Child Development: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States.” During this webinar, our panel of experts explored how racism gets “under the skin” to impact children’s development and how it contributes to unequal access to opportunity in the places where children live, grow, play, and learn. Panelists explored ways to dismantle systemic barriers and work toward solutions that promote healthy child development. Check out the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3S3NIXj And the podcast adaption of the webinar here: https://bit.ly/42UT3FJ
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Contaminants in drinking water can affect early childhood development. Exposure to lead in early childhood, for example, is associated with behavioral and cognitive impairments. Enriched educational opportunities and supportive relationships may help reduce harm to children already exposed to lead, but it is critical that we prevent future exposure and ensure all children have access to clean, affordable water. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gi9bKdSJ
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Structural inequities – created by historic discrimination and current practices – impose substantial hardships on families of color raising young children. To improve environmental conditions around children and their caregivers, we need a coordinated, community-informed strategy that goes beyond the traditional boundaries of early childhood policy. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3ZtjEWK
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Our Chief Science Officer, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, sat down with Data-Smart City Solutions to discuss how we can collectively provide caregiving for children by implementing policies that improve their developmental environments, including policies that reduce and prevent exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy and early childhood. 🎧 Listen here: https://bit.ly/3WS4Pht
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By working across sectors to create healthy environments around young children and their caregivers, we can help children lay a strong foundation for their lifelong mental health. This includes increasing access to safe green space and protecting children and their caregivers from the impacts of climate change, including extreme heat.
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Exposure to PFAS during pregnancy and early childhood can affect a child’s development and lifelong health. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is the acronym for a large class of contaminants. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not degrade easily and accumulate in the blood for years. Drinking water is likely the largest source of PFAS exposure in the US. 💡 Learn more about how PFAS in water supplies can affect early childhood development and find strategies to address disparities in access to clean water in our latest working paper: https://bit.ly/4eQQUAv
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Exposure to extreme heat can affect early childhood development in many ways, including by impacting long-term mental health. Many communities are already implementing solutions to prevent or reduce children's exposure to extreme heat, including adding more green space in schools and increasing affordable access to air conditioning and heat pumps. 💡 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4aP5B4P