DFPM-RED’s Dr. Nikki Edge and other colleagues from around the state are featured in this new video from The Children’s Division – a project of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Children’s Social-Emotional Development and Mental Health: Why Does It Matter?

Early childhood experiences can strengthen or disrupt a young child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, with consequences that can last a lifetime. This video spotlights the importance of integrating support for the social-emotional development of young children and the well-being of their caregivers into all child- and family-serving programs.

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DFPM-RED’s Kanna Lewis, Ph.D., along with members of the CDC have published a report regarding the impact of mask-mandates in schools during COVID. The report was recently highlighted by the CDC and has drawn the attention of both local and national media outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

The study found that in Arkansas during August–October 2021, districts with universal mask requirements had a 23% lower incidence of COVID-19 among staff members and students compared with districts without mask requirements. The study concluded that masks remain an important part of a multicomponent approach to prevent COVID-19 in K–12 settings, especially in communities with high levels of COVID-19.

UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Research and Evaluation Division (DFPM-RED) team member Elizabeth Waldrum was recently appointed to the Arkansas Early Childhood Commission/Early Head Start Governing Board. The board advises the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education in supporting the optimal and ongoing development of young children in Arkansas by:

• Providing technical assistance in the design of programs for early childhood professionals
• Assisting in long-range planning
• Promoting coordination among state agencies and advising state agencies on the development of early childhood standards;
• Reviewing and approving proposed rules for minimum licensing standards governing the granting, revocation, refusal, and suspension of child care licenses.

Ms. Waldrum will serve as Social-Emotional/Clinical Commissioner. Board members are appointed by the Arkansas Governor to 3-Year terms of service. Ms. Waldrum replaces former board member Kimberly Whitman, also of DFPM-RED.

DFPM-RED’s Dr. Nicola Edge, Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, and Dr. Sufna John, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, were appointed by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Blue Ribbon Task Force to End Child Abuse. Created during last year’s regular session of the Arkansas General Assembly, the task force will pursue a systematic and holistic approach to eliminating child abuse in the state. Dr. Edge and Dr. John are Co-Directors of the ARBEST (Arkansas Building Effective Services for Trauma) program, which works to improve outcomes for children and families who have experienced trauma through activities promoting excellence in child care, advocacy, training and evaluation.

More on ARBEST.

As part of a nationwide study, The HBCD study: HEALthy Brain and Child Development, DFPM-RED’s Dr. Lorraine McKelvey’s team (along with Dr. Leanne Whiteside-Mansell) have been studying new techniques in assessing family life using virtual assessments.  Preliminary results suggest that using zoom to interview families is useful and will likely be used in the new national study funded and starting data collection in 2022. Her team has a presentation accepted to the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) National Research Conference on Early Childhood 2022 titled Home Observation Measurement of the Environment: Shifting to Virtual Assessments.

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Four RED faculty members will speak at Dr. Ward’s invitation to present on Team Science in January: How Faculty Work Together to Stay Funded and Keep Trained Research Staff. 

https://calendar.uams.edu/tri/view/event/event_id/1069125

DFPM-RED faculty member Taren Swindle, Ph.D. leads a major new effort to reduce cancer by addressing eating habits in early childcare and education settings.

The project, led by UAMS’ Taren Swindle, Ph.D., will reach about 5,000 children and 500 teachers across Arkansas and Louisiana. It is supported by a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NCI upgraded the grant to an R37 MERIT Award, giving Swindle the option to extend the project another two years.

Read the full article here.

DFPM-RED Assistant Director Nikki Edge, Ph.D., discussed the mental health consequences of COVID among young children with local ABC affiliate KATV-7.

“We had no idea we would be, 18 months later, still talking about potential disruptions to school life and to the other kids’ normal everyday life”

“If you’re seeing changes in mood and behavior, if there’s changes starting to impact their ability to succeed in school and their other activities, then it’s time to think about talking to a professional”

Nikki Edge, Ph.D

Read the full article and watch the video on the KATV site.

A recent article in The 19th discusses the links between mental health support and the lowering of expulsion rates in schools. The article features the work of DFPM-RED’s Project PLAY and highlights the great work of DFPM-RED team member Elizabeth Waldrum.

Read the full article.

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Blue & You Foundation has awarded a $1.2 million grant to UAMS Arkansas Trauma Resource Initiative for Schools (TRIS), a program in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Education and multiple statewide partners designed to build trauma-informed schools in which all staff, students, families and community members recognize and respond to traumatic stress. TRIS is led by DFPM-RED’s Dr. Nikki Edge.

Read the full story.