Racism, Discrimination, and Black Children’s Health and Access to Quality Early Care and Education During COVID-19

• In Event: The role of affirming high quality experiences on children's wellbeing and learning

Abstract

There is a stark reality that barriers to healthy development are differentially patterned across children and families of different racial backgrounds. Black children, families, and communities face a multitude of obstacles, such as poverty, discrimination, and educational and health disparities. Access to quality early care and education (ECE) and health care, provides opportunities for young children to grow and develop in a holistic manner that includes cognitive, social-emotional, and health outcomes. Unfortunately, access to these much-needed resources is often shaped by systemic and structural racism that permeates our society. Systemic racism and discriminatory practices continue to disproportionally expose Black children and families to less than optimal health and ECE opportunities. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic accentuated many of these systemic injustices, and has added untold stress to the lives of Black children and families. As a result of structural racism and inequities, Black children and families experience increased exposure to COVID-19. More than ever, COVID-19 sheds existing light on how these long-standing systemic inequalities affecting Black children and families create racial disparities. The increasing evidence that Black families are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, creates a sense of urgency to better understand the relationship among experiences of racism and discrimination, access to material resources, and Black children’s well-being during the pandemic. Therefore, the goal of this study is to understand how macrosystem influences such as racism and discrimination, influence the microsystem of families and its implication for children’s well-being and learning opportunities. We are particularly interested in demonstrating how the microsystem and macrosystem are uniquely interrelated to Black children's well-being and early learning opportunities, especially in the face of COVID-19. We utilize data from 856 Black families (M(income) = $89,810.7, M(children)=2.0) from the Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development in Early Childhood (RAPID-EC). RAPID-EC is an early childhood family well-being survey designed to gather continuous and essential information about the needs and well-being of children and their families during COVID-19, including questions about perceived racism and discrimination. The research questions guiding our investigation are: What is the link between parent resources (health care, child care, and income) and Black children’s well-being and health during a pandemic? To what extent does experience of discrimination moderate the relationship between parent resources (health care, child care, and income) and Black children’s well-being and health during a pandemic? Multiple regression analysis will be utilized to assess the relationship between access to resources and Black children’s well-being (externalizing and internalizing reported behavior). To assess the moderating role or interactive effects of discrimination, an interaction term will be introduced into the model to assess if the effect of the predictor variables (parent’s access to resources) on the dependent variable (Black children’s well-being) depends on the value of another predictor variable (perceived racism or experiences of discrimination), or if the predictor variables are independent of each other. The findings from this study offer an important contribution to understanding how factors rooted in systemic racism—access to material resources — and experiences of discrimination, affect Black children’s well-being during COVID-19.

Authors

• Nneka Renee Ibekwe-Okafor, University of Pennsylvania
  Presenting Author

• Jacqueline P. Sims, Boston University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie Michelle Curenton, Boston University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Iheoma U. Iruka, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kerry-Ann Escayg, University of Nebraska - Omaha
  Non-Presenting Author

• Philip Andrew Fisher, University of Oregon
  Non-Presenting Author