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Parenting

Commentary

Use It or Lose It—Why Taking Parental Leave Is So Important for Fathers

The active involvement of both a mother and a father in the upbringing of a child has great social and psychological benefits. Yet, despite legal provisions allowing parents to take time off to look after children, such as parental leave, many men are still reluctant to take it.

Mar 4, 2019
Commentary

Work vs. Family: How Some Countries Lead the Way in Flexible Working

Many families in the European Union struggle to balance their professional and domestic responsibilities. Harmony between work and home could be an important way to help children and adults and promote a more prosperous society at large. More action could be taken to support work-life balance for working parents.

Jan 31, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Workfare and Infant Health: Evidence From India's Public Works Program

India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which prioritizes female participation, increased newborn mortality among women eligible to participate. Work-related stresses adversely affect fetal health; however maternal work participation may have positive income effects for older children.

Jan 29, 2019
Research Brief

Advancing Investments in Evidence-Based Early Childhood Programs in New Hampshire

There is tremendous variability across New Hampshire communities in the extent to which the state's youngest children and their families face risks and stressors that can compromise healthy child development.

Jan 24, 2019
Commentary

Potential Changes to Paternity and Parental Leave in Europe

Fathers' involvement in child care has considerable benefits for their children, mothers, employers, and themselves. Paternity and parental leave are important, but pay, flexibility, and eligibility remain significant barriers to uptake by fathers across Europe.

Jun 25, 2018
Essay

How the Child-Welfare System Could Protect More Kids and Save Billions of Dollars

It costs billions of dollars each year to investigate child abuse reports, counsel and support families, and provide foster homes for kids at risk. A greater focus on preventing abuse and neglect, and on placing children with relatives rather than strangers, could improve thousands of young lives.

Apr 25, 2018
Essay

High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Can Change Lives

The most comprehensive look to date at the benefits of early childhood education found that 102 of 115 programs improved at least one outcome for children beyond a statistical doubt. And the economic and social benefits continue to pay dividends, sometimes well into adulthood.

Jan 3, 2018
Research Brief

Decades of Evidence Demonstrate That Early Childhood Programs Can Benefit Children and Provide Economic Returns

An updated comprehensive review of rigorous evaluations of early childhood programs confirms and strengthens RAND researchers' findings from previous syntheses showing that many early childhood programs can improve a range of outcomes for children.

Nov 16, 2017
Report

Early Childhood Programs Can Improve Outcomes and Outweigh Costs

A review of 115 early childhood interventions — including preschool, home visiting, parent education, and other approaches — finds that most programs have favorable effects on at least one child outcome. And most of the programs with benefit–cost analyses show positive returns.

Nov 16, 2017
Commentary

Parental Leave Would Cause a Boom in Breastfeeding

Doctors recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby's life. This provides health benefits to both mother and child and saves health care costs. Paid maternity leave can boost breastfeeding rates, but few U.S. firms offer it.

Apr 17, 2017
Commentary

School Choice: How Parents Can Find Out What They Need to Know

To make an informed choice about schools, parents need to know about the quality of instruction, services, and the overall school climate. Schools need a better system of measuring and collecting data on performance, and a way to make it accessible to families.

Feb 21, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Parental Deployment, Adolescent Academic and Social-Behavioral Maladjustment, and Parental Psychological Well-Being in Military Families

Long deployments can increase the risk for negative adolescent and parental outcomes, relative to short or no deployment; military fathers and adolescent boys may be more strongly affected than military mothers and adolescent girls.

Feb 7, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Generational Status and Social Factors Predicting Initiation of Partnered Sexual Activity Among Latino/a Youth

Social factors such as generational status, parental monitoring, and peer norms affected the timing of initial sexual activity differently in Latinas and Latinos in the Healthy Passages study.

Dec 9, 2016
Multimedia

Sleepy Teens: A Public Health Epidemic

RAND's Wendy Troxel discusses how early school start times contribute to an epidemic of sleep deprivation among teens.

Dec 4, 2016
Report

Do Family Leave Policies in Europe Encourage Paternity Leave?

A number of interlocking factors affect uptake of leave by fathers, including compensation, the availability of affordable childcare, the flexibility of leave arrangements, gender norms, and cultural expectations.

Oct 20, 2016
Commentary

How Can Europe Encourage Fathers to Take Parental Leave?

Whether fathers take parental leave depends on economic factors, but flexibility of timing and workplace culture also seem to make a difference. The link between fathers taking parental leave and improvements in child development makes it an important area for European policymakers to consider.

Oct 14, 2016
Report

Maternity leave policies: Trade-offs between labour market demands and health benefits for children

This brief examines maternity and parental leave provision across European Union countries and its potential impact on the breastfeeding of very young babies (up to 6-months).

Oct 12, 2016
Commentary

What Your Kids Need to Know About Marijuana, Legalized or Not

If you are a parent, no matter how you feel about legalizing marijuana, you need to be prepared to talk about the drug with your kids.

Sep 21, 2016
Commentary

Is It Time to Extend Maternity Leave Across Europe?

Any policy solution for extending maternity leave must strike a balance between protecting infant health through extended breastfeeding and mitigating any potentially negative impact on the mother's career progression or increased costs to business.

Sep 13, 2016
Commentary

Countering Extremism: Early Childhood Education Forgotten

Global attention has turned to education as a way to counter extremism. But what has been missing from the conversation is a focus on learning in children's first years, when much brain development occurs. In the Middle East and North Africa, government underinvestment in formal programs for young children is the norm.

Jun 8, 2016

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RAND Topic:
Parenting

Topic Synonyms:
Child-Rearing

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