Environmental Scan Essay

Environmental Scan

Guadalupe Cisneros

Texas Woman's University

HDFS410350 ISSUES & TRENDS IN FS

Dr. Armijo

December 10, 2022​

On the whole, conducting an environmental scan for two weeks on current events and issues concerning the family proved to be quite challenging. Extracting news articles and documenting my findings in a diary, something I have never written before, was a pleasant experience; it was clear to me; unfortunately, that family and children's issues are not at the forefront of the front page news. It has been some time since I have read the newspaper or watched a news report; however, among the obstacles, I have found a few topics worth writing about in this exercise.

For this assignment, I chose ten articles, some from each of these publications; The Dallas Morning News, ABC News, El Día Dallas, MSN, Yahoo News, and Billings Gazette, from November 20, 2022, to December 5, 2022. Healthcare and education are two subjects that are important to any parent at any given time, especially after what we went through with Covid. Immigration and the conservation of my culture and those of any immigrant family are always a concern. Child labor was a subject that I happened to come across while looking for current events.

The first topic I want to address that affects everyone, especially the Hispanic community, is immigration. I was surprised not to find more articles regarding immigration concerning the child, his microsystem, and his exosystemic. What I did find was an agreement that was reached between Thom Tillis (R-N.C) and Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to grant citizenship to about two million Dreamers (Bernal, 2022). The subject of the Dreamers has dived in the last years with the GOP; the article also mentions that talks about the asylum process and border control have been explored (Bernal, 2022). Lawmakers cannot decide on the best way to handle immigration. In the meantime, those people that are waiting either through the proper channels to immigrate to the United States or those already here that decided to cross the border illegally will have to wait. This article offered some hope but not any concrete results; unfortunately, that is something that our children and their families have grown accustomed to. As a legal immigrant, I understand the frustration of the millions of people waiting for visas. Also, migrating to a new country can create difficulties for families and young children.

When we immigrated to Dallas, Texas, fifty-two years ago, there were few Mexican stores, and we were confined to an area back then called Little Mexico. "Little Mexico (El Barrio) was a primarily Mexican neighborhood located in Uptown, Dallas, north of downtown, and originally bordered by Oak Lawn Avenue to the north, McKinney Avenue" (Gomez, 2020). Not seeing anything familiar to my culture was traumatizing. So, it was astounding to me when I found an article in Al Día Dallas by M.R. Pachecho Mural de la Virgen de Guadalupe announcing this mural's painting in the Bishop Arts district. While I am not Catholic, I value the interest in bringing a symbol that can unite the Hispanic community. Pacheco points out several reasons this mural is essential; it allows visibility to the culture, la Virgen de Guadalupe is a vital religious representation, and it will serve as the starting point to an annual procession tradition that is important to the Hispanic community (Pacheco, 2022).

Over the years, a debate has brewed in Texas regarding the voucher program for schools. Naturally, those that advocate for the vouchers want parents to have more choices, and the district offers vouchers for children with special needs and those affected by Covid. However, the opposition Magnum mentions in her article, What does school choices look like in Texas? is that public schools provide alternatives for parents, such as; magnet schools, open enrollment, and charter schools, and there is no need for such vouchers (Magnum, 2022). In education, lawmakers are taking notice and looking into helping young children be better prepared for kindergarten. Meghan Magnum points out that What lawmakers can do to get kids ready for kindergarten is considered Healthcare extended to twelve months after pregnancy and good childcare programs to help children be prepared for school (Magnum, 2022). An article that I found inspiring was that J. Murphy wrote Free books for young children: Dolly Parton's imaginary library expands in Rochester, regarding a program that the famous singer started in 1995. It is a nonprofit organization that sends out books to children via mail under the age of five in the Rochester area. Presently eight hundred children take benefit of said program. The article states that 30% of the children receiving the books have improved their reading (Murphy, 2022).

What do babies need before the age of 3 to thrive-and how can state family policy can help? What I learned from reading this article surprised me. Collins reported that in 2020 3.5 million children were born in the United States, and out of those children, 51% were white, 24% were Hispanic, 14.7% were Black, and 9.4% were of other ethnicities. He goes on to state that the number of children exceeded eleven million. He reported that 41% of the children were born to unwed mothers, and I in 8 children were born to mothers with less than a High School diploma (Colling, 2022). Three goals were mentioned to help parents cope; making sure that parents can access services, parents have adequate income, and that the physical and emotional needs of parents are met (Collins, 2022). The proposals that were made are; to expand revenue to meet eligibility for Healthcare, make the food assistance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program available, paid family leaves for at least six weeks, a state minimum wage of $10.00, and a refundable state-earned income tax credit ( Collins, 2022). José Luis Adriano reported on The Concilio: Hispanos en el Norte de Texas sufren sin Seguro y sin cuenta bancaria that 86% of the surveyed showed that Hispanics do not have adequate healthcare coverage and do not even have a bank account (Adriano, 2022). Naturally, this news is worrisome because it affects children and families at many levels, not only in how the child lives but learns.

How to reduce risks of childhood obesity G. Rose reports that one in every five children in the United States suffers from obesity. What is considered obese? If the child is 20% above its ideal weight, the article highlights that children who are obese run the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pains, sleep apnea, and asthma (Rose, 2022). Unfortunately, other woes that obesity produces in children and teenagers are anxiety and depression. Some options are given so parents can help children have healthier and more active lives. Among those things recommended are that families develop healthier eating habits, exercise more and use electronics less. However, we also have to consider that many children in the area go hungry; some places provide food for those families in need; as reported by Al Día Dallas, these groceries are free to area residents. The only requirements are that people register with the organization they wish to be served by and that the groceries are on a first come, first serve basis. Organizations like Catholic Services do provide delivery (2022).

The last article I would like to share is one that took me by surprise and was written by J. Funk from the Billings Gazette. Judge orders slaughterhouse cleaners not to hire minors in the article's title, stating that fifty children were found working cleaning slaughterhouses and that one was thirteen years old. What was the most chilling was that the managers at these plants were aware that these were underage workers, and one of them was severely burned because of the chemicals used. The company, Packers Sanitation Services, employs more than 17,000 over 700 locations nationwide. The only thing that the company has agreed to was to fire all underage workers (Rose, 2022).

Considering that my major is in Early Childhood Development, I know the need to prepare them for school. One of the articles in this exercise addressed that need, and I believe that more studies need to be conducted to understand better how to help the age group of children. This brings us to quality childcare; Dr. Blatt from State University of New York, Upstate Medical University highlights what care benefits outside the home can provide: "Early exposure to music, books, art, and language stimulates a child's intellectual and creative and creative development" (Blatt, 2022). After Covid, we understand that children are exposed to higher health risks and that the environment in the child lives is essential. Melissa Rohman wrote Children with Chronic Health Problems Face Greater Challenges at Home wrote: "three types of social determinants of health challenges: neighborhood factors, such as rundown housing or vandalism; parent or household factors, including having a single parent, parents with poor mental or physical health, or living in poverty; and adverse childhood experiences, including divorce, incarceration of a parent or child abuse and food insecurity" (Rohman, 2020).

In conclusion, starting this assignment, I was unsure what I would find. Immigration, children's health, and education were subjects that I was interested in and wanted to explore. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory shows that anything that surrounds the child, for the most part, has a significant impact. Dr. Chris Drew states, "Macrosystem examples include the economic conditions of society, laws in society, taboos and customs of society, and cultural beliefs in the society in which a child lives" (Drew, 2022). Regarding immigration, we can understand how the child's environment, microsystem, and macrosystem are affected. Children from immigrant families are affected by the laws passed regarding immigration, and it affects not only them but the family's income and well-being and the community around them. The same goes for Healthcare, any laws passed or any provision given to provide proper assistance to the child and his family affected the child's microsystem and macrosystem. Education is no different; the child is at the mercy of passing laws that will help it have a better chance at success. Research is needed to understand how the child can be helped and politicians can have information on the laws that should serve their constituents—providing information on children's needs by not having a proper meal before the child goes to school.













References


Adriano, J. L. (2022, December 6). The concilio: Hispanos en el norte de texas sufren sin seguro médico y sin cuenta bancaria. Dallas News. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.dallasnews.com/espanol/...fren-sin-seguro-medico-y-sin-cuenta-bancaria/

Bernal, R. (2022, December 5). Immigration advocates cautiously optimistic about Senate immigration deal. Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://news.yahoo.com/immigration-advocates-cautiously-optimistic-senate-233002455.html

Blatt, S. D. (2022, November 19). Child care - children's health issues. MSD Manual Consumer Version. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/chi...ecting-children-and-their-families/child-care

Collins, L. M. (2022, November 28). What do babies need before age 3 to thrive - and how can state family policy help? MSN. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/w...-how-can-state-family-policy-help/ar-AA14ELN4

Despensas gratis del 6 al 12 de diciembre en Dallas y fort worth. Dallas News. (2022, December 6). Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.dallasnews.com/espanol/...ratuitas-comida-gratis-dallas-norte-de-texas/

Drew , C. (2022, November 22). 7 macrosystem examples (from ecological systems theory). 7 Macrosystem Examples (From Ecological Systems Theory). Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://helpfulprofessor.com/macrosystem-examples/

Funk, J. (2022, December 7). Judge orders Slaughterhouse Cleaners not to hire minors. Billings Gazette. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://billingsgazette.com/news/na...cle_82f7eef0-c4f6-5e67-8013-a8c99a768b4c.html

Gomez, M. (2020, April 7). Little Mexico. TSHA. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook...exican,the west, and Maple Avenue to the east.

Mangrum, M. (2022, November 24). What does school choice look like in Texas? Dallas News. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2022/11/22/what-does-school-choice-look-like-in-texas/

Mangrum, M. (2022, November 30). What Texas lawmakers can do to get kids ready for kindergarten. Dallas News. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.dallasnews.com/news/edu...makers-can-do-to-get-kids-kindergarten-ready/

Murphy, J. (2022, December 5). Free books for young kids: Dolly parton imagination library expands in Rochester. Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://news.yahoo.com/free-books-young-kids-dolly-081514561.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Pacheco, M. R. (2022, December 6). Mural de la Virgen de Guadalupe en Bishop Arts Busca representar y unir a la Comunidad. Dallas News. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.dallasnews.com/espanol/...upe-mural-bishop-arts-donde-dallas-oak-cliff/

Rohman, M. (2020, June 11). Children with chronic health problems face greater challenges at home. MSD Manual: Consumer Version . Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://news.feinberg.northwestern....lth-problems-face-greater-challenges-at-home/

Rose, G. (2022, December 5). How to reduce risks of childhood obesity. Billings Gazette. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://billingsgazette.com/lifesty...cle_c9e0f0da-71c4-11ed-a086-879b2950dc53.html

 

Feliz 2023 estimada Guadalupe y felicitaciones por tu logro, que es el primero de muchos más.