Many immigrants are now afraid to leave their homes for work or school for fear of being arrested and deported. This climate of fear has made children in these familes newly vulnerable to what psychologists call "toxic stress."
It's those first 1,000 days — from conception until a child's second birthday — that the brain most needs the right mix of nutrients to fully form. But programs that focus on such developmental goals are now at risk.
Boston-based nonprofit EMPath combines personal mentoring with brain science to equip low-income families with tools to deal with the economic and social stress that comes with poverty.
Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child floats a two-generation pronged theory for improving childhood development.
There's a vigorous debate underway in Massachusetts about how to control rising health care costs. This is pretty dense stuff that the public does not, for the most part, understand or have the stamina to take in. But it's really important.
