Children and Youth
The term “child” can refer to anyone below the age of 18, which is the age of legal adulthood in the U.S. In some cases, a child is defined as someone below the age of 13, and those between 13 and 18 are referred to as adolescents or teenagers, though different definitions of age classifications exist and vary in scope. For example, some definitions extend adolescence to age 19. “Childhood” and “youth” are other general terms for the period of life between the ages of 1 and 18 and are usually defined by certain developmental and transitional events, like rapid growth and beginning schooling. Referring to people by their age group or educational level (teens, elementary school age children, etc.) is one way to be more specific when discussing or referring to children and youth. Terminology is an individual preference and should be treated as such.
Children and adolescents account for an estimated 22% of the U.S. population. Childhood is a crucial time of development in the human lifespan. From birth to age five, children’s brains are developing rapidly, producing up to 40,000 neural connections per second. The connections made during this period of growth enable movement, language acquisition and emotional expression, and form the building blocks for skills developed later in life, like self-regulation, problem-solving, and motivation . Childhood experiences have lifelong effects on behavior, learning, physical and mental health, and overall well-being. Today, children and youth are growing up in uncertain and dangerous times—in 2020, gun violence surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted almost every aspect of childhood, including education, social and emotional development, and access to routine medical care. Caring for these aspects of children’s health and well-being is vital, not only for their sake today, but for the sake of the adults they will become in the future.
Historically, children have been a particularly vulnerable population. It was not until the mid-19th century that children were recognized as a distinct and unique population as opposed to just smaller versions of adults. Programs specifically for children, like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the National School Lunch Program, and Head Start and Early Head Start, have improved the health and well-being of American children, in addition to raising awareness of the importance of children’s health.
Though awareness about and understanding of the factors contributing to childhood health and well-being has improved in the last century, not all of America’s children and youth have reaped the benefits. Racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States are pervasive and extend to America’s children, including in mortality, access to and quality of care, use of services, and prevention, among other areas. From 2018-2019, the proportion of children who were reported as not in excellent or very good health was 10% overall, but was 13% for Hispanic or Latino children and 15% for Black children. Children of color are also disproportionately affected by lack of insurance: 14% of Native American and 9% of Hispanic/Latinx children did not have health insurance coverage in 2019, when the average for all children in the U.S. was only 6%. Additionally, children and youth that are economically poor, disabled, LGBTQ+, and/or of color experience compounding marginalizations and are overall more likely to struggle to thrive.
Achieving health equity and justice for children and youth requires continued dedication to their well-being and acknowledgement of their vulnerability—many negative health outcomes that children face are preventable. Special attention should be paid to marginalized groups, especially children of color, in order to improve their access to opportunities, care, and health equity. Institutionalizing and operationalizing equity and justice throughout the education, child care, child welfare, and health care sectors will require organizations, allies, and systems to deeply center and follow the leadership of people with lived experience. Community-led processes, self-representation, and centering the perspectives and voices of children and youth are a few effective tactics communities can leverage to advance equity and well-being.
Resources & Tools
The Time to Act Is Now: Investing in LGBTQIA2S+ Student Mental Health in K-12 Schools With a Youth-Centered Approach
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Society for Public Health Education
Cyberbullying in Children and Youth: Implications for Health and Clinical Practice
Resource - Journal Article
2017 Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children
Resource - Report
Published on 10/24/2017
Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Protective and Therapeutic Potential of Nature
Resource - Journal Article
The State of America's Children 2017: State Factsheets
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by Children's Defense Fund
Bright Spot: Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Bright Spot: OSNAP Initiative: Strategies to Increase Drinking Water Access
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
National Clearinghouse on Homeless Youth and Families
Resource
Brought to you by Family and Youth Services Bureau
Increased Respiratory Virus Activity, Especially Among Children, Early in the 2022-2023 Fall and Winter
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by CDC
“My Body, Whose Choice?” A Call to Advance Reproductive Justice in Pediatric Training
Resource - Journal Article
Bright Spot: Community Mobilization with Additional Interventions to Restrict Minors' Access to Tobacco Products
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Operation Youth Success: Developmental Evaluation Final Report
Resource - Report
Brought to you by NCJR
In Common Newsletter: Creating Virtual Resources to Amplify Public Health Equity
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 11/10/2022
Elementary and Middle School Success
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Brought to you by Results for America
Bright Spot: Children's Power Play! - California Department of Public Health
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
America's Moment: Investing in Positive Youth Development to Transform Youth and Society
Resource - Journal Article
Deeper Dives for Schools: Practical Strategies to Serve Young Children Experiencing Homelessness
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by SchoolHouse Connection
Children Without Health Insurance by Race and Ethnicity in the United States
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Bright Spot: Motivating Adolescents with Technology to Choose Health (MATCH)
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Policies, Practices, and Resources for Child Care and Early Education Providers Amid the Coronavirus Crisis
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Urban Institute
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Life Opportunities: Shifting the Narrative
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by CDC
Crosswalk of Key Federally-funded Child and Youth Homeless Contacts
Resource
Brought to you by US HUD
Children Who Are Not in Excellent or Very Good Health by Race and Ethnicity in the United States
Resource - Data Bank/repository
A Time Like No Other: 4-H Youth Development and COVID-19
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by 4-H
Bright Spot: Reduce Youth and Adult Exposure to Retail Tobacco Marketing and Displays
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
The State of America's Children 2017 Report
Resource - Report
Brought to you by Children's Defense Fund
Adverse Childhood Experiences: Preventing Early Trauma to Improve Adult Health
Resource - Website/webpage
The Science of Early Childhood Development
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
Building a Culture for Community Resilience: Safe Spaces and Small Acts to Increase Youth Mattering
Story - Written
Published on 05/06/2021
The First Data On COVID-19 And Teens' Mental Health Is Here — And It's Not Good
Story - Written
Brought to you by HuffPost
Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights Bring Leaders, Residents Together
Story - Written
Brought to you by Children and Nature Network
Migrant Kids Survive Hardship To Reunite With Parents. Then What?
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
Taking Action to End Gun Violence: Our Top Tools, Resources, Stories, and Data
Story
-
Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
As Months Pass in Chicago Shelters, Immigrant Children Contemplate Escape, Even Suicide
Story - Written
Brought to you by ProPublica
'You Can't Teach a Child Without Family': It's the Magic Ingredient at One Preschool
Story - Written
Brought to you by WaPo
MRI Scans Reveal Disparate Impact of Poverty and Other ‘Toxic Stress’ on Brains of Black Children
Story - Written
Brought to you by STAT
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