Posted by: Richie Bernardo

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/6513/geochart-baby.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2uBlOtY;

 

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	‘Delivery Budget’ Rank	‘Health Care’ Rank	‘Baby-Friendliness’ Rank
50	Louisiana	29.25	16	50	31
51	Mississippi	27.92	1	51	26

 

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• Cassandra Chaney Associate Professor of Child and Family Studies in the School of Social Work, and African & African American Studies Affiliate Faculty Member at Louisiana State University
• Jennie E. Brand Professor of Sociology and Statistics, Co-Director of the Center for Social Statistics and Associate Director of the California Center for Population Research at the University of California Los Angeles

Cassandra Chaney Associate Professor of Child and Family Studies in the School of Social Work, and African & African American Studies Affiliate Faculty Member at Louisiana State University When planning to have a child, what financial considerations should the couple take into account? Having to bring a child into the family, whether the couple has a biological child or adopts one, is a life-changing event. The couple should look at the stability of their union. What I mean by this is that the couple should assess the commitment, financial, and emotional stability of their relationship, which of course, would include their financial standing. This means that both individuals within the couple must want to bring a child or children into their union, and be willing to accept whatever changes that child/children bring to their union over time. This means that couples must be aware of the changes that having a child at a certain developmental point will take on their relationship, before those changes occur. Parents who are mature will examine the stability of their relationship and finances before bringing a child into their already-existing family. What is the biggest financial mistake that prospective parents make? One of the biggest financial mistakes that prospective parents make is that they do not think about how fluctuations in the current economy could affect their child's ability to support himself or herself in adulthood. Many parents do think about the importance of the quality of the daycare that they select, the quality of the elementary school that their child attends, or the quality of the high school that their child attends. These fundamental building blocks of learning greatly influence how well a child will perform later in life, regardless of whether they go to college or pursue some other form of technical training. In this regard, it is important that parents give their children a financially-stable start in life. One of the easiest ways that they can do this is by opening a bank account and adding to this account from birth, allowing their child to assume this responsibility once they are of legal age (18 years old). What can local authorities do to make their cities more baby friendly? There are several things that local authorities can do to make their cities more baby friendly. First, they can ensure that new parents have a car seat before they leave the hospital with their baby. Furthermore, new parents should attend a class where they learn the proper way to secure their infant in a car seat, as well as ensure that their child is of the proper weight for the car seat. If parents (and this is especially the case for poor, single mothers) cannot afford a car seat, local businesses (which can claim these "gifts" on their income taxes) can provide free car seats. Second, local authorities can team up with organizations (i.e., daycare centers, Department of Motor Vehicles) so that parents can have their car seat checked. Such checks can ensure that they child is of the proper weight for the car seat. In addition to this, local authorizes can provide kits that help parents understand the importance of baby-proofing their home before their child comes home. Third, cities can make it clear that they support mothers who choose to breastfeed their children in public. This action will take much of the stigma that many feel regarding breastfeeding, in that it should be a private matter. Fourth, parks and other places of recreation should have seats and even pathways that allows couples/mothers with strollers to safely walk or engage in other forms of exercise with their infants. Finally, local authorities should ensure that places where poor, single-mothers wait for public transportation are covered, shielding them and their infants from extreme weather conditions, such as intense heat or blistering cold. What makes low-income children in some cities do better than those in other cities? Poor children in some cities fare better in other cities due to several factors. One of the most important factors is the number of adults who are providing consistent care for that child. Even though research has consistently shown that children born to two-parents in a committed marital relationship fare better economically, cognitively, academically, and socially than children in a poor, single-parent household, the latter group can off-set some of these discrepancies by creating a strong, supportive network around that child. These are individuals in the child's life who will be there for the child when he or she needs them, throughout their lives. Second, these adults must regularly read to their children. Literacy is extremely important for children because it heightens school readiness (as they transition from daycare to elementary school). In addition, when parents regularly read to their children, it builds a strong bond between the parent and child, or the adults (who provide loving, stable care for the child) and the child. Third, the neighborhood environment makes a difference. Children who grow up in neighborhoods in which there are more homicides, crime, or violence, are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of these homicides, crimes, or violent acts. With that said, it is imperative that parents who cannot afford to move from their unsafe neighborhoods to not give their children to the streets. What I mean by this is that parents must not passively feel that their monitoring of their children will make no difference in their child's life. To help parents that feel this way, they must actively seek strong, positive mentors for their children. These responsible adults (or even youth in the same stage of life) can counteract must of the "negative neighborhood noise" to engage in activities that will diminish the quality of their life. On the other hand, adults in these communities can reach out to parents who feel overwhelmed and worry about their children's future. Will children born today do better economically as adults than their parents? How much does location matter? Each generation is less economically stable than the previous generation. Much of this instability is due to the thousands of factory jobs that were once in the United States, but have now been outsourced to places like China and Mexico. This means that even individuals with a college-education are finding that the job market is an aggressive, competitive place. This means that location will greatly influence the economic realities of children born today, than what was experienced by their parents or grandparents. Given growing economic instability, the children of today will be more likely to factor annual incomes, city populations, median household incomes, median home values, and unemployment rates in where they work, live, and establish their own families. How might recent proposals to repeal and replace Obamacare shape access to prenatal and infant care across states? The majority of Americans are not wealthy. In fact, the average income for individuals younger than 65 years old is about $46,409 per year. Obamacare included tax increases that hit wealthy Americans hardest in order to pay for its coverage expansion. The AHCA would get rid of those taxes -- tax cuts that add up to $883 billion, the majority of them benefiting the wealthy, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Obamacare was one of the biggest redistributions of wealth from the rich to the poor; the AHCA would reverse that. All in all, the replacement plan benefits people who are healthy and high-income, and disadvantages those who are sicker and lower-income. The replacement plan would make several changes to what health insurers can charge enrollees who purchase insurance on the individual market, as well as changing what benefits their plans must cover. In aggregate, these changes could be advantageous to younger and healthier enrollees who want skimpier (and cheaper) benefit packages. But they could be costly for older and sicker Obamacare enrollees, who rely on the law’s current requirements. This means that poor parents and/or parents with an ill child will be hit hardest by a repeal and replacement of Obamacare. Jennie E. Brand Professor of Sociology and Statistics, Co-Director of the Center for Social Statistics and Associate Director of the California Center for Population Research at the University of California Los Angeles I would recommend checking out the results from the Stanford mobility project. What can local authorities do to make their cities more baby friendly? Cities are more baby-friendly if they include affordable child care facilities and lengthy maternity leave, and a culture of job flexibility and inclusion for children in employment. I am not sure how much local authorities can contribute to this climate. Will children born today do better economically as adults than their parents? How much does location matter? Part of the answer to this can also be found in the Stanford project, here through a paper on the Fading American Dream. How might recent proposals to repeal and replace Obamacare shape access to prenatal and infant care across states? The proposals I have seen all will limit access to care.

Methodology

 

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