How are the kids doing

How are the Kids Doing? How do We Know?

Recent Trends in Child and Youth Well-Being in the United States and Some International Comparisons

Abstract

With a focus on the United States, this paper addresses the basic social indicators question: How are we doing? More specifically, with respect to children, how are our kids (including adolescents and youths) doing? These questions can be addressed by comparisons: (1) to past historical values, (2) to other contemporaneous units (e.g., comparisons among subpopulations, states, regions, countries), or (3) to goals or other externally established standards. The Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI), which we have developed over the past decade, uses all three of these points of comparison. The CWI is a composite index based on 28 social indicator time series of various aspects of the well-being of children and youth in American society that date back to 1975, which is used as a base year for measuring changes (improvements or deterioration) in subsequent years. The CWI is evidence—based not only in the sense that it uses time series of empirical data for its construction, but also because the 28 indicators are grouped into seven domains of well-being or areas of social life that have been found to define the conceptual space of the quality of life in numerous studies of subjective well-being. Findings from research using the CWI reported in the paper include: (1) trends in child and youth well-being in the United States over time, (2) international comparisons, and (3) best-practice analyses.

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How Are the Kids Doing? The Well-Being of Children and the Nation’s Potential

(Health Affairs Blog)

Teacher Emma Rossi works with her first grade students at the Sokolowski School in Chelsea, Massachusetts, September 15, 2021

Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

by Anita Chandra, Neal Halfon, Jill S. Cannon, William Gardner, Christopher Forrest

October 22, 2021

The pandemic has forced concerns about children’s health to the front and center: Is enough attention being paid to their well-being, including education and mental health? Have reopening plans taken children’s needs into consideration and have their potential losses been adequately measured? Could better preparation be put in place to help prepare children for the next pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic is just another example of a stress that is forming today’s youngest cohort of children and challenging how well children are supported to manage overlapping disasters and maintain relationships. They are “Gen C,” a generation growing up amid extraordinary challenges that could shape their health, development, and well-being for years to come.

Discussions of a “human infrastructure” bill to invest more in children and families could represent a shift in the social contract, with significant health implications. New investments and expansions in paid family leave, preschool, and a child allowance suggest a recognition that early childhood is critical for healthy development. Investing in children can promote national well-being in the long term. And at a time when the nation is recognizing how unprepared its data systems are to track pandemic impacts, greater attention and scrutiny about what is measured and how it informs real action may be even more resonant. This may provide an opportunity to revisit national indicators of progress and improve measures of developmental potential.

There are two options: Continuing to use gross domestic product (GDP) to guide economic policy or expanding that to include a measure of the future potential of U.S. society. GDP does not reveal anything about social inequities or the next generation’s creativity, innovation, and agility—all essential issues revealed during the pandemic. This blog post briefly describes the importance of pivoting to human potential and why a developmental approach matters.

Why Focus on a Measure of Human Potential?

By not measuring the capabilities they need to succeed and thrive, children may be undervalued. Various national and local data sets exist to measure child mortality and morbidity, educational outcomes, and a few social and emotional indicators. However, there is no coherent and comprehensive system for measuring children’s health, mental health, and social and cognitive development: in short, their potential to flourish as children and mature into healthy and capable adults. There could be a need for these indicators to gauge whether enough is being invested in developing the capabilities that Gen C will need to stay healthy and advance the economy and society overall in future decades.

Our goal was to develop a framework for sentinel indicators of human potential that could assist communities in helping children thrive and flourish.

Over the past three years, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, the RAND Corporation, and the University of Pennsylvania have worked to develop the initial conceptual framework for a new measure—the GDP2 or “Gross Developmental Potential.” Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this work is motivated by the concern that both the nation and individual communities have limited information to guide investments in capabilities necessary for a healthy future. Our goal was to develop a framework for sentinel indicators of human potential that could assist communities in helping children thrive and flourish.

Intended as a companion measure to the GDP, the GDP2 aims to measure the development of human potential in communities, rather than focusing solely on economic production. The GDP2 employs the innovative Developmental Capabilities Framework to describe those capabilities needed to thrive in the U.S. both today and in the future. GDP2, when fully implemented, could be a sentinel measure to capture the potential of a nation by assessing the promise of its youngest cohort.

The GDP2 framework was co-developed with a set of pilot communities and national experts and includes indicators for seven core human capabilities that develop over the life course and are centered in concepts of equity and dignity. These include the capability for meeting basic needs, living a healthy life, communicating thoughts and feelings, lifelong learning, adapting to change, connecting with others (including the natural environment), and engaging in the community. This approach to human potential goes beyond measuring traditional basic needs (for example, food and housing quality) and inputs such as education, employment, and income. It also reframes what basic needs are by considering social and emotional development factors, sense of purpose, social connections, and belonging that create a meaningful life and way of contributing to a consequentially fulfilling future.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that these kinds of capabilities and skills matter, requiring individuals to continuously adapt and flourish in an increasingly interdependent world. For instance, determining ways to learn in new settings (for example, from a home computer) is an example of the new requirements testing resilience. Existing limited measures of health or educational outcomes may not be satisfactory to measure this effect. Novel developmental indicators of human potential are needed to pinpoint where these challenges are likely to be more acute.

Why Add a Developmental Approach?

The GDP2 acknowledges that well-being is not a fixed entity but develops over time in response to a range of risk and protective factors operating over the lifespan.

The Developmental Capabilities Framework makes the GDP2 distinct from the many other indices and measures of well-being and happiness that have emerged recently. The GDP2 acknowledges that well-being is not a fixed entity but develops over time in response to a range of risk and protective factors operating over the lifespan. During human development, some stages, such as early childhood, are particularly sensitive to environmental effects. This developmental orientation distinguishes the GDP2, making it particularly useful as a measure of human potential and as a guide to human capital development.

In addition to the possibility of providing an essential measure of national well-being, the GDP2 could provide motivating and actionable data. Low scores on capabilities point to areas of development that need to be addressed. Widespread adoption of the GDP2 could also advance the goal of “Equity from the Start” with capability inequalities across communities, pointing to changes that could support individual and community resilience and well-being. While investments in early childhood hold perhaps the greatest potential for improving America’s profile of health and well-being, there are many opportunities for investments to enhance developmental capabilities in later childhood and adolescence.

The pandemic and accompanying economic hardships have revealed the inadequacies of some social measures. While more work is needed to develop and test the GDP2, we offer the Gross Developmental Potential as an approach for charting a new way forward, by concentrating attention on the developmental capabilities that enable everyone to thrive.

Anita Chandra is vice president and director of RAND Social and Economic Well-Being and a senior policy researcher at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. Neal Halfon is founding director of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities. Jill Cannon is a senior policy researcher at RAND and a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. William Gardner is a child psychologist and mental health services researcher at University of Waterloo in Canada. Christopher Forrest is the director of the Center for Applied Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

This commentary was first published on October 22, 2021 on Health Affairs Blog. Copyright ©2021 Health Affairs by Project HOPE — The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.

«How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?» Meme

Popular:

«How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?»

About

«How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?» is a reaction image commonly used to respond to users pretending to be part of a community that they are clearly unfamiliar with. The image features the actor Steve Buscemi dressed youthfully and holding a skateboard, and is usually subtitled with the tag line. The image is often photoshopped to adapt to a particular subculture, and the phrase is often used in conversation without the image.

Origin

On February 16th, 2012, the 30 Rock episode «The Tuxedo Begins» (season six, episode 8). In the show, actor Steve Buscemi plays Lenny Wosniak, a private detective hired as a strike buster. [1]

In a scene where Wosniak is describing his prior investigations, he flashes back to a scene where he believes he successfully masqueraded as a high school student, parodying the TV show 21 Jump Street. [12] Buscemi, a 55-year-old at the time the episode aired, approaches a group of high school teens dress as a «one of them.» However, his grizzled appearance in contrast with his silly approximation of high school attire, which includes a backwards hat, a skateboard worn over his shoulder and a t-shirt that reads «Music Band» in the style of the classic AC/DC logo, is indicative of his poor and obvious disguise. As he approaches, he says, «How do you do, fellow kids?» The catchphrase has since come to represent all egregious attempts at appealing to subcultures.

Spread

A subtitled screen capture first began to appear online in spring of 2012, just as 30 Rock was about to air its last episode, because the moment was featured on many viewer’s lists of best jokes from the show. [2] From there, it spread as a reaction image.

On October 11th, 2012, We Know Memes posted the image, where it has since been shared more than 22,000 times.[]

The phrase is in frequent use on 4chan, where, for example it has 57 uses on the /v/, or video games, board. [4] The gif is more popular on Tumblr, and there are four separate blogs titled «How do you do, fellow kids.» [5] Several versions of the gif and image have more than 100,000 views on Imgur. [6]

On several web sites, including RedBubble and Skreened, the t-shirt Buscemi wears in the scene is available for sale. [7]

On August 2nd, 2014, Redditors three_am, dillonfbecker and Urplescurple [8] launched the subreddit /r/FellowKids. The subreddit is used to share examples of people or corporations trying to «be cool» and «blend in» with youth culture, often expressed through overuse of internet slang or emoji (examples below). [3] Within three years, the subreddit has garnered more than 194,000 subscribers.

On May 26th, 2016, Redditor bosoxdanc [10] posted a Bagel Bites-sponsored Facebook post to /r/FellowKids featuring an elderly man dressed as Steve Buscemi from the 30 Rock episode (shown below). The post, which read «God, this is really meta… and I like it,» received more than 27,000 points (90% upvoted) and 200 comments. On Imgur, the post received more than 6,000 points and 1.6 million views.

One year later, on June 13th, 2017, the Verge [11] published an article on the meme, asserting that it had become the very thing it originally mocked, a ploy for people posturing in subcultures. Writer Kaitlyn Tiffany says:

«According to my life experience, and to Google’s data, ‘How do you do, fellow kids?’ is more popular now than it was when the show it referenced was still a Thursday night staple for a national television audience that had so far seen only two Netflix original series and had never heard the phrase ‘peak TV.’ It is out of touch, out of date, and totally out of place in its current context. A meme of a meme, a monster that will kill me.

‘How do you do, fellow kids’ has become the ‘how do you do, fellow kids’ of memes

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How did we get here? And by “here,” I don’t mean “Barb from Stranger Things nominated for an Emmy” or “another bad haircut for me,” because I know the answers to the questions in both of those cases. I mean to the point where the “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme has maintained an inexplicable popularity for so long as to achieve the rare double-meta (memes are already meta) status, a height from which it is capable of breaking my brain.

This meme, taken from a 30 Rock scene in which Steve Buscemi wears a T-shirt reading “Music Band” and a backwards baseball cap, imagining that he is passing as a teenager, is most often used by people trying to make the self-deprecating joke that they are old and do not understand something current or hip. (Or to accuse someone else of the same.) The meme, however, and the poster’s knowledge of it, is supposed to subtly remind the viewer “But actually, I am hip enough to at least know of a meme to use in this situation.” You don’t really need me to explain it, as you’ve seen it likely every day of the last five years, but just in case this ends up in a time capsule or something.

Feel free to debate with me at another time whether this image qualifies as a meme or is merely a reaction GIF, but the people who are still using it in this day and age definitely don’t care.

They have used it so many times — and I am sorry to say that this “they” includes basically all of my co-workers at The Verge — that its use has actually evolved to have the same effect as wearing a hoodie and carrying a skateboard into a high school. “How do you do, fellow kids?” this meme asks literally, and then asks again. It is about being uncool, and also using it is uncool.

Once this rather banal thought occurred to me (about three months ago), people only started using the meme more. Freud did not believe that women could experience paranoia, as they do not feel the same unceasing fear that men do of having their sexual organs cut off. And so, I know that I am not imagining this.

exclusive sneak peek of me arriving at a college today for a story assignment pic.twitter.com/j0Oxnk0S70

— Megan Farokhmanesh (@Megan_Nicolett) July 10, 2017

Oddly the GIF has had many peaks, according to Google Trends, including October 2012, the summer of 2013, the summer of 2015, December 2015, July 2016, December 2016, April 2017, and June 2017. Know Your Meme explains the GIF’s initial popularity as the by-product of online articles rounding up the best episodes and jokes of 30 Rock before it went off the air, and they are likely correct. The final season of the show premiered in October 2012. Sure, makes sense to me. But what about all those other peaks? They all happened long after the show stopped airing, and given the almost senseless flexibility of this image, it’s very hard to imagine specific events that would prompt any individual spike. I can only guess at explanations for a few of these.

May 2013

My best guess here is the publication of TIME magazine’s notorious cover story “Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation.” The article starts out with an eager self-defense: “I am about to do what old people have done throughout history: call those younger than me lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow. But I have studies! I have statistics! I have quotes from respected academics!” This is a bad example of confident journalism, but a good example of the unconvincing “I’m self-aware” message conveyed by posting one specific short moving image of Steve Buscemi.

August 2015

This is the birthdate of the subreddit r/fellowkids, which is a forum for mocking media and brands. Here are the rules for submissions: “Ads / media where ‘the man’ tries to appeal to young people using their vernacular in a lame, pandering way. The community has decided that self-aware ads / media are also welcome, but the non-aware kind is preferred.” It appears this group has moved on from referencing their namesake — the GIF does not appear anywhere on the first several pages of results — which is nice and everyone else should do it, too.

Please note that the moderators specifically called out “self-aware” submissions as acceptable, presumably because true self-awareness is admirable no matter where it’s found. Even in brands. Try it today!

July 2016

In the final months of the 2016 election cycle, Hillary Clinton was regularly mocked for attempting to understand memes and pandering to younger voters. Hmm, not sure that was worth it.

December 2016

Each year, the month of December is capitalized by the media as an opportunity to recap the 11 months preceding it, and I suppose 2016 was a big year for people trying and failing to understand memes and youth culture in general. Memes hit the mainstream more powerfully than ever. Ordinary people with healthy, fulfilling lives were suddenly expected to understand 4chan, and the way misinformation moves through social networks like Facebook and Twitter. A reality TV personality became president of the United States and the whole world became what felt like a particularly heinous reality TV program.

People were looking around a lot and saying “What is going on?” and having a hard time coming up with answers. So maybe it was just easier to go into the meme bank and pull out the simplest, most familiar icon of cluelessness and smash that “post” button than it was to process even more information. This is my best and most sympathetic guess as to the enduring popularity of “How do you do, fellow kids?” — a popularity sustained for many, many years after it stopped being a funny or original joke.

June 2017

how do you do fellow kids is such a good meme i think it’s in my top 5

As I noted above, this is still happening. This is the reason for the post, and for my plea of “please stop.” I don’t want to be reminded of a joke that has its context five years ago in a TV show firmly grounded in Obama-era assumptions about what was funny and “happening” in the United States.

To further complicate my experience of the world, Know Your Meme’s entry for “How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?” lists the wrong episode of 30 Rock and the wrong story context for the meme. It comes from a February 2012 episode of the show in which Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) hopes to send private investigator Lenny Wozniak (Buscemi) undercover to find a man who mugged him. The error in the timeline published by what is inarguably the Paper of Record for memes might work as an overly complicated meta Easter egg — this meme about being out of touch is so powerful that it actually scrambles the brains of the most in-touch people on the face of the Earth. Wow!

And for good measure: Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon spends most of this episode in a purposefully gross approximation of Heath Ledger’s Joker makeup. The episode, called “The Tuxedo Begins,” is a Dark Knight parody dreamed up nearly four years after that film’s release. How? And why? I suppose, and assume, to give even more weight to this moment in which I feel confused and tired.

According to my life experience, and to Google’s data, “How do you do, fellow kids?” is more popular now than it was when the show it referenced was still a Thursday night staple for a national television audience that had so far seen only two Netflix original series and had never heard the phrase “peak TV.” It is out of touch, out of date, and totally out of place in its current context. A meme of a meme, a monster that will kill me.

Happy Toddler Playtime

PLaY CReaTivEly WitH YoUr LiTtLe OnE

How to Start Doing Kid Activities!

IT’S HERE. A guide to help you start doing activities with your kids!

It includes all the things you should save & buy. Plus activities to do once you get set up and answers to common questions and concerns parents have when doing activities with their kids!

Have you seen all the fun kids activities on Instagram and Facebook groups and want to start doing some with your kids? Well, here is your guide to starting to do fun sensory, learning, fine motor and so many other activities with your baby, toddler, preschooler and kindergartner!

(This list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

I love my followers on Instagram!

Not only are they a positive bunch of people they also have such great ideas for blog posts! A follower recently asked me where I got all my supplies and then she said what she really needed was a “How to Start” post that outlined her activities shopping list!

And I thought to myself: YES! That would be such a helpful resource. One place you can go to find everything you need to get started doing all the fun ideas you see on Instagram and Pinterest. One post that will help you entertain your child for years from baby to toddler to preschooler and beyond!

Well, wait no further the “How to” for kids activities has arrived. So without further ado lets get you STARTED!

Scroll down to the end of this post to see the Full Shopping List!

The Best Kids Activities Supplies are “Free”

I have some good news! The best supplies that you will need to start doing activities with your kids are FREE! And you probably already have a ton of them in your recycling box right now!

I wrote a blog post where I highlighted all the recyclable items that can be saved and used for kids activities. Things such as cardboard boxes, squeeze pouch caps, toilet and paper towel tubes and more. For the full list of things you should save click this link: Recyclable Items to Collect for Kids Crafts and Activities.

Sensory Bins

We all know how amazing sensory activities are and how beneficial they are to the brain and language development of young children. Setting up a sensory bin activity is very easy. All you need is a container large enough to hold the sensory bin filler and one large enough for your little one to play in.

Generally, for sensory activities I use a large 41 Quart plastic storage container or a sensory table. You can get yours at Walmart or Target or Amazon, IKEA and similar retailers. If you can, find one with a lid. This will allow you to store the contents of the sensory bin when your child isn’t playing with it.

You can also make a sensory bin out of any container that will hold the filler and give your child room to play. A few other sensory bin container ideas include a sensory table, a variety of plastic storage containers (such as Tupperware); a baking pan, a disposable aluminum foil pan, a deep tray, a cardboard box, a water table, a kiddie pool, a deep wooden tray, a large bowl and a kitchen or bathroom sink or bathtub.

Check out these great Sensory Bin round-ups!

I also recently wrote a book of new and unique sensory bins called EXCITING SENSORY BINS FOR CURIOUS KIDS. It comes out October 27, 2020 but you can pre-order it now for a discounted price on Amazon.

Pom Poms

Pom Poms are the next thing you need. They can be a choking hazard so wait to use them until your little one has stopped mouthing things. My twins are 12 months and I’m still waiting to use them!

Check out 50+ Pom Pom Crafts & Activities for a great list of crafts and kids activities you can do with Pom Poms:

Dot Stickers

I first was introduced to dot stickers by the amazing Susie from Busy Toddler she has so many fabulous for Dot Stickers activities so definitely go check out her blog. I promise you they will become your new best friend especially if you have a toddler.

But dot stickers aren’t just for toddlers and preschoolers. My 4.5 year old still loves doing activities using dot stickers.

Check out this fun dot sticker activities:

Sharpies

This supply is for you!! Oh Sharpies! How I love you so!! These are my best friend when trying to create simple and fun learning activities. Sure you could use your child’s markers but life is short so spoil yourself!!

Contact Paper

Here is another favorite material of mine that I use on a regular basis. Contact Paper or Con-Tact Paper is great for creative, quick and easy activities for babies all the way up to kindergartners. Contact paper is a clear sticky film that normally is used to protect shelves and drawers. For kids activities you can use it to create what I call sticky walls as well as crafts.

Check out these great ways to use Contact Paper Kids Activities!

Magnetic Wands

These Magnetic Wands are just the best! Think back to when you were a kid and how fun it was to play with magnets. Magnetic Wands can be used for so many fun activities or just exploring and experimenting around the house. They are a great tool for STEM learning and activities!

Check out these fun activities using Magnetic Wands:

White Paper Roll

Having a White Paper Roll is essential to doing activities with my kids. It is a great resources to have just about any activity. I always make sure that I have a roll of Roll of White Paper handy. In fact, our craft table is always covered in white paper with crayons, paint and markers close by so that my kids cab create, draw or paint whenever they want!

IKEA Colourful Bowls

IKEA Colourful Bowls are super convenient to have when we are doing painting activities or any activity that requires lots of different parts. They are also great for colour sorting activities. IKEA Colourful Bowls are easy to clean, bright and colourful and make any activity more appealing to your little one!

Basic List of Kids Activity Supplies

Additional Art Supplies

Paint Supplies

Paper Supplies

Miscellaneous Items from around the House

Organizing Supplies

I organize all my supplies in two areas. Most of my supplies that I use everyday are on my Raskog Home Kitchen Storage Utility cart. The remainder are stored in an Over The Door Hanging Shoe Organizer. These are great as they can hold a variety of things and they don’t take up a lot of space!

Common Questions when Doing Activities with Kids

Question: How do I get my child to play independently with an activity longer?

Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this. Toddlers and preschoolers have very short attention spans so it isn’t common for them play with one thing uninterrupted for a longer period of time.

The activities that keep my kids entertained the longer are anything with water, sand, kitchen play, painting, washing activities.

Question: How do I contain the mess with sensory bins?

For wet activities place an old towel underneath the sensory bin. For other activities you can use an old sheet, shower curtain liner, picnic blanket, garbage bag. Or take the activity outside!

Question: What do I do if my child doesn’t want to get their hands dirty?

It is important to never force your child to do a sensory activity but to encourage them. As the parent you can be a role model. For instance, you can have your child paint your hands and them wash it off, then you can paint your child’s hands and then have them wash it off.

Acknowledge their feelings by saying, “I understand that you don’t like it when your hands are dirty.” Try to let them regulate the situation and then try to find a solution such as washing hands in a bowl of water or cleaning them with a wipe.

You can give them tools to manipulate the materials if they don’t want to use their hands. Things such as tongs, ladles, whisks, small plastic jars etc.

Question: Do you have any suggestions for excited kids who end up knocking/dumping/splashing/throwing the sensory bin contents all the time?

Playing with sensory bins is a skill we have to teach and toddlers have to learn. Start by placing something under the bin. Mess will happen so save yourself work and have a towel or old sheet, shower curtain liner under the bin to catch things that fly out.

Next, set out clear rules. We can play with the beans but we need to keep them inside the bin. If they start pouring it out gently remind them of the rule. If they continue after one or two gently reminders don’t be afraid to remove the sensory bin and revisit the activity later such as after nap or playing outdoors. You got this. If you start today in a few weeks/months depending on their age they WILL understand the rules and sensory play will get easier. You just need to be consistent with your rules.

Question: What do I do if my child is uncooperative and just wants to destroy the activities I set up for her?

It is important to never force your child to do an activity. If your child is uncooperative or destructive understand that this is their way of processing their emotions and their way of telling you they need something from you.

Set clear boundaries. Gently remove them from the activity by saying “OK, I understand you are upset but mommy isn’t going to let you destroy this activity. We can do it later when you are feeling better. What would you like to do?”

At this point you can do something completely different such as play outside, play with their favourite toy or read their favourite book.

When you revisit the activity try these tips: