Community News
Developmental Disturbance – Kids’ brains were truly affected by the pandemic, but there is still time to steer them back on course
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“We’re in a crisis, I don’t know what to do, because we not only have an effect of a pandemic, but it’s a significant one.” Morgan Firestein, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Columbia University
The start of a new school year. It’s a time filled with excitement, hope, and the promise of new beginnings. You watch your child, with their backpack slung over their shoulder, shoes laced up, ready to take on the world. For them, it’s just the start of a big adventure—their first day of kindergarten.
As you stand there, beaming with pride, there’s something lingering in the back of your mind, something you can’t shake. You see, your child was born during the pandemic—when the world was quieter, slower, and uncertain, and now, as they step into this new world of school, you can’t help but notice… something’s not quite right
They are bright. They are curious. They are more resilient than you could ever have imagined, but there are moments—small things—that you see. The way they struggle with words that seem to come easily to others. The way certain sounds, or textures upset them in ways you can’t understand. You don’t know what it is, but you can tell that things aren’t unfolding the way you expected, and that’s hard. It’s hard because you don’t have answers. It’s hard because no one seems to have answers.
Babies born in 2020 started life in the strange world of lockdowns amongst people with faces hidden behind masks. Social experiences, such as seeing extended family, trips to the playground, or mother and baby groups, could not happen. Although children have generally fared well with the pandemic, there is preliminary research suggesting that pandemic-related stress during pregnancy could be negatively affecting fetal brain development in some children.
Unfortunately, parents and carers were interacting differently, or less with their young children in ways that have affected their child’s physical and mental abilities. Lockdowns isolated many young families, robbing them of playtime and social interactions, and there are hints of a more subtle and insidious trend followed close behind.
Dani Dumitriu and her team at the New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City had over two years of data on infant development starting in late 2017. They had been analyzing the communication and motor skills of babies up to six months old. Dumitriu thought it would be interesting to compare the results from babies born before and during the pandemic. She asked her colleague Morgan Firestein, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University in New York City, to assess whether there were neurodevelopmental differences between the two groups.
A few days later, Morgan called Dani in a panic and with some very disturbing news. “We’re in a crisis, I don’t know what to do, because we not only have an effect of a pandemic, but it’s a significant one,” She had been up most of that night, pouring over the data. The infants born during the pandemic scored lower, on average, on tests of gross motor, fine motor and communication skills compared with those born before it (both groups were assessed by their parents using an established questionnaire). There seemed to be something about the environment of the pandemic itself.
Until now, research assessing the impact of COVID-19 school closures on young children’s development has been limited by the lack of detailed, individual-level data. The prenatal and postnatal growth epochs are critical periods for infant and child development to the extent that: adverse, traumatic, and stressful experiences during these periods produce programming effects on brain, development, and psychopathological risk.
Studies tracking individuals conceived, in utero, infancy and early childhood during pandemics, natural disasters, and famines (e.g., the 1918/19 influenza pandemic, the 1959-61 Chinese famine) demonstrate that those exposed can suffer life-long negative consequences. In the early years, when children’s developing brains are more sensitive to a lack of responsive environments the immediate negative impacts of closing programs that provide some early simulations (such as childcare) were further amplified by diminished future learning which also leads to more pronounced inequalities later on.
Research teams looking into these issues around the world are starting to publish their findings. Firm answers are hard to come by, not least because many child-development research laboratories shut down during the pandemic.
There is recent research that supports the idea that lack of peer interactions could possibly be holding some kids back. In a study published earlier this year, researchers in the United Kingdom surveyed 189 parents of children between the ages of eight months and three years, asking whether their children received daycare, or attended preschool during the pandemic, and assessing language and executive functioning skills. The authors found that the children’s skills were stronger if they had received group care during the pandemic, and that these benefits were more pronounced among children from lower-income backgrounds.
Those most at risk seem to be children of colour, or those from low-income families. For instance, a growing body of research suggests that among school-aged children, remote learning might be widening the already-large learning and development gaps between children from affluent and low-income backgrounds and between White kids and children of colour.
In parts of sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania and Uganda research suggests that some children have lost as much as a full year of learning. In the United States, after the first lockdown, a report by the consultancy firm McKinsey suggested that students of colour began school in autumn three to five months behind in learning, whereas White students were only one to three months behind.
I want to note at this point in the article that research to date has been mixed regarding the effects of the pandemic on early language development. Indeed, one can imagine various plausible mechanisms by which the pandemic may have facilitated, or limited language development.
Research findings provide initial estimates of the short-term effects. More specifically, they report developmental losses in children assessed at the end of 2020 relative to children assessed with the same instruments and identical procedures in 2017. The areas of child development evaluated included: general development, language, social-emotional behavior, and executive function. The results indicate that the boys and girls assessed in 2020 earned lower average scores than their 2017 counterparts in three of these areas. Social isolation, mask wearing, job loss, and other ecological shifts that occurred during the pandemic may have changed the home language environment in important ways with potential implications for infant language development.
Mask‐wearing and social isolation may have hampered the extent to which children could pick up on language inputs in their environment, and pandemic‐related stress may have reduced the quantity, and quality of parent‐child interactions. As a parent, you know how stressful that time was, and increased perceived stress has been linked with the provision of less sensitive parent‐child interaction. Greater parenting stress, perceived stress, and psychological appraisals of stress have each been associated with lower scores on measures of early language development. Some other studies, however, have found no relation between perceived stress and language development.
Some empirical work has found support for the cumulative exposure theory. One cross‐sectional survey suggested that experiencing a single stressful life event due to the pandemic was a risk factor for poorer mental health. Another study of low‐income families found that caregivers who experienced both pandemic‐related job and income loss reported significantly higher depressive symptoms and life stress. This aligns with pre‐pandemic research reporting that negative life events predict higher levels of maternal depression and anxiety.
While declines in maternal mental health are concerning in their own right, an abundance of research has also linked maternal mental health with infant language and behavior. Specifically: maternal depression, anxiety, and perceived stress have each been associated with poorer socioemotional and language outcomes in the first years of life.
Maternal mental health and perceived stress symptoms may shape infant development through impacts on the home language environment and parent‐child interaction, critical factors for scaffolding infant language, and socioemotional development. For example, depressed mothers tend to use less infant‐directed speech and engage in fewer conversational turns with infants, which in turn are associated with a smaller vocabulary size at 18 months. Depressed mothers also tend to demonstrate more withdrawn and intrusive parenting behaviors, which are associated with: greater behavior problems, lower social competence, and lower language skills in offspring.
“Even if kids’ brains are truly being affected by the pandemic, there is still time to steer them back on course,” Dani Dumitriu notes. “We can totally get ahead of this becoming a public-health emergency,” she says. “The brains of six-month-olds are very plastic, and we can get in there, and we can change their trajectory.”
Parents can make headway by playing and talking with their young children regularly and giving them opportunities to play with others in safe settings. Policy changes aimed at supporting families and children could make a difference, too. Overall, researchers maintain that most children will probably be OK — but more than usual might currently be struggling.
If we want to support those who are falling behind, we should ideally intervene soon. Children are certainly very resilient, but at the same time, we also recognize the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life as being the crucial early foundations. The more that we can stimulate them and play with them and read to them and love them — that’s what it’s going to take.
REFERENCES:
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/263395/1/dp15179.pdf
https://www.mondino.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220113_NATURE_p180-183-1-1.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9874599/
Community News
Canada is Sinking – Is there a correlation between the rising economic costs, and the siphoning of funds to other sources in Canada?
BY ADRIAN REECE
At some point Toronto was a city that people enjoyed living in. Recent political leadership at every level of government has caused citizens to consider moving out of the country as a whole. The high cost of living, coupled with the difficulty affording housing, and remote work becoming more regular has made the rest of the world seem much more appealing for Canadians as a whole.
Many countries are offering travel perks and visas to travelers in the west, to encourage them to visit, or to even move into their countries. Costa Rica, Japan, and France currently have travel perks and have opened their borders to make it easier to enter. Specifically for Canadians and even more specifically Torontonians who work remotely, are looking to countries and cities with lower costs of living. The Canadian dollar goes far in other parts of the world.
We owe the struggling economy to a few factors. Political leadership has greatly impacted the state of Canada, immigration policies that have changed over the years have caused stress on Canadian citizens.
In 2023, the federal government released its new Immigration Levels Plan to welcome 485,000 permanent residents in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025 and 2026. This announcement came on the heels of an Environics public opinion survey revealing a significant increase in the number of Canadians who believe the country accepts too many immigrants. That marks a dramatic reversal from a year ago, when support for immigration levels stood at an all-time high.
The Trudeau led government has held true to their commitment to bring in millions of immigrants in a short span of time. Housing policy is draining the income of Canadians, and political debates do not provide any real answers towards understanding what is going on in the country. Consistent political scandals regarding Trudeau overspending, and not adhering to budgets, and using money that was originally allocated for certain things. Trudeau was audited and it was found that $123 million was given to ineligible businesses, or projects that should have never been awarded at all. This is one in a long list of Trudeau scandals that have been a part of Canada political identity for the last nine years.
Trudeau’s government has even siphoned off funds to their personal businesses, after audits by the auditor general, we have seen too many inconsistencies with the funding of the Trudeau government in misusing funds as well as money disappearing into places that it should not be going.
In June of this year, the auditor general (AG) released two reports about: improper contracting practices, conflict of interest, and funding provided for ineligible projects. What these reports brought to light is an unpleasant reality; politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa do not always act in the best interest of Canadians.
According to the first AG report, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), the federal agency responsible for funding green technology projects, demonstrated “significant lapses… in governance and stewardship of public funds.” Nearly 20% of the SDTC projects examined by the AG were in fact ineligible (based on the government’s own rules) for funding, with a total price tag of $59 million. There were also 90 instances where the SDTC ignored conflict of interest provisions while awarding $76 million to various projects. Indeed, the AG found 63 cases where SDTC agency directors voted in favour of payments to companies in which they had declared interest.
The second AG report focused on 97 contracts totaling $209 million awarded by the federal government to the McKinsey & Company consulting firm from 2011 to 2023. According to the AG, the government demonstrated “frequent disregard for procurement policies and guidance and that contracting practices often did not demonstrate value for money.” About 70% of these contracts were awarded non-competitively, meaning no other companies were permitted to bid on the contracts. Interesting!
These findings also follow an earlier report in February that found the federal government “repeatedly failed to follow good management practices in the: contracting, development, and implementation” of the ArriveCAN mobile app, which cost Canadian taxpayers at least $59.5 million.
Is there a correlation between the rising economic costs, and the siphoning of funds to other sources in Canada? Potentially, it will take a lot more investigation to confirm if that is really the case. However, Canadians can see that there has been a drastic change in the economy since the Trudeau government has come into power.
For governments to work there needs to be transparency, and there has been a lack there of in regard to our political leadership in the last few years. There are too many scandals and too many mishaps with money. Too many policies that do not benefit the citizenry, and not enough effort made to rectify the sinking economy.
Canada cannot continue to stay in these dire straits, we are sinking, and leadership plays a big role in the state of the country. We won’t see changes unless we demand it, we can take a page out of France’s method of protest; other countries have set a precedent of what their expectations are, and Canadians need to do the same. They need to demand change and implement strategies to achieve it. Within acceptable methods of protest there exists a strategy and method of changing the nature of Canada’s problems, but it starts with the citizenry. Coming together is the greatest power we have, and we need to utilize it.
REFERENCES:
https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_202402_01_e_44428.html
https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_202406_06_e_44493.html
https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_202406_e_44491.html
Community News
The Jamaica Food and Drink Festival – where every bite tells a story, and every sip celebrates Jamaica’s vibrant soul
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
What if I told you that Visa is offering two amazing opportunities that YOU, our loyal readers have an opportunity to take part in? For one of our lucky readers, you have a chance to:
- Win a trip to Trinidad Carnival 2025
- Win a trip to Jamaica
“What is this all about Simone,” you might be asking? Well, the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival (JFDF) turns 10 this year, and Visa International is thrilled to be part of the celebration once again. Welcome to the heart of Jamaica’s culinary playground – the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival, where flavours, culture, and music blend into one unforgettable celebration.
Step into the lively Craft Market downtown, where the spirit of Jamaica comes alive. Here, they celebrate the island’s rich history and vibrant flavours – an ode to the past. Guests get a chance to immerse themselves in the legacy of festival favourites like: Crisp, Chopstix, Pork Palooza, and Picante – all in one electrifying space.
Taste, sip, and groove your way through the night, reliving fond festival memories while savouring the global influences that have shaped the iconic dishes we love today – no passport required (except to travel of course)!
As the hot days turn into steamy nights, and steamy nights turn into sweltering days, what better way to close out the festivities than with one last delectable event? The finale is not just a celebration, but a reflection of Jamaica’s culinary renaissance. After four unforgettable days, guests get a chance to honour the island’s: finest chefs, mixologists, and artisans who have made this festival a true showcase of creativity and passion.
Naturally, the festival had to find accommodations that match its prestige, and the only hotels of choice this year are: The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel and The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites. At the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, the Caribbean’s most distinguished address, you will experience the perfect blend of elegance and island charm. Nestled in the heart of New Kingston, surrounded by lush gardens and views of the Caribbean Sea, this 17-storey gem is where business meets leisure in true Jamaican style. You also have the option of immersing yourself in the timeless charm of The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites, a true jewel of Jamaica’s capital city. With spacious accommodations, award-winning dining, and all the modern comforts, it is the perfect way to end your festival experience.
Waldemar Cordero, Marketing Senior Director for Visa in the Caribbean and Central America, expressed his excitement about being involved in the festival’s decade-long run. “We’re really excited to be part of the 10th staging of the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival. It’s amazing to see how far this festival has come, and we’re proud to have been part of the journey over the last 6 years. This festival isn’t just about food, it’s about celebrating Jamaica’s rich culture and the incredible talent that drives it.”
Visa’s partnership with JFDF has grown over the years, evolving from a traditional sponsorship into a dynamic collaboration that enhances the festival experience for everyone. “Our relationship with the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival has deepened over time,” said Waldemar. “We’ve moved from simply being a sponsor to becoming the main partner, working closely with the organizers to bring fresh, exciting elements to the event each year. This time around, we’re especially excited about the initiatives we’re rolling out that will make it easier and more enjoyable for attendees to experience all that the festival has to offer.”
Visa is excited to enhance the celebration of the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival’s milestone 10th year by offering an exclusive hospitality package to Trinidad Carnival 2025. One lucky Visa cardholder who purchases festival tickets between October 16th and November 9th, 2024, will win this incredible experience. This offering includes: two economy class tickets from Kingston, Jamaica to Port of Spain, Trinidad; six nights of luxury accommodation at the Hyatt Regency; and comprehensive airport transfers and event transportation. The winner and their guest will enjoy: inclusive meals, stylish Monday Wear and Carnival Tuesday costumes, and access to premier events such as Brian Lara’s Event and PinkNicTT. Additionally, they will be treated to glamour make-up and photos. This package promises to deliver an unforgettable festival experience and celebrate the unified Caribbean culture in style.
In addition, one lucky winner from our Caribbean neighbour Trinidad and Tobago, who uses the First Citizens Bank card in Trinidad, will win a trip for two to the Food and Drink Festival in Jamaica. This is an all-expense paid trip for two with the winners to ensure the festival and enjoy scenic places in Jamaica such as Dunn’s River Falls and Port Royal. Ready for that almost winter getaway? Visit https://jafoodanddrink.com/ for more details. Good luck!
Community News
Welcome to the Black Scholars Institute—where excellence thrives, and liberation is pursued
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
At the heart of the University of Windsor’s campus, centrally located in the lower level of the CAW Student Centre, lies a space dedicated to fostering: African-Caribbean excellence, academic growth, and community empowerment: The Black Scholars Institute, or BSI.
The BSI Lounge is more than just a meeting place. It is a safe and welcoming space for African/-Caribbean faculty, staff, and students—a venue that fosters not only academic engagement, but community connection. Here, important university and local events, aligned with the Institute’s mission and values, take place.
The Black Scholars Institute is a multidisciplinary research institute—a home for African-Caribbean scholars at UWindsor. It is dedicated to advancing Black excellence and liberation through scholarship, research, and community engagement. The Institute’s work enriches teaching, learning, and social justice efforts across the University, with a focus on making an impact nationally and globally.
BSI hosts a range of weekly programs that encourage meaningful dialogue and academic collaboration. Events such as “Think Tank Thursday” provide a platform for African-Caribbean faculty and students to come together, exchange ideas, and discuss relevant research and current events. For those who are deep in their academic work, “Just Write” sessions offer dedicated time for focused writing in a supportive environment. “Coffee and Convo,” a collaboration with Leddy Library, creates space to explore Black literature and hold thought-provoking discussions around important topics.
Graduate students are invited to participate in student saloons, where they present their works-in-progress in a safe, inclusive space, where they can receive valuable feedback from peers and faculty members alike. Additionally, the “Black Research Spotlight” shines a light on the groundbreaking work of African Caribbean scholars, providing them with a platform to showcase their research and innovations.
In recognition of the challenges posed by systemic anti-Black racism, the BSI offers its members a membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, providing on-demand access to a wealth of professional development resources. This is just one of the ways BSI ensures its scholars are well-equipped to thrive and succeed in their academic careers. As a research institute, BSI is committed to supporting Black Studies and promoting excellence in scholarships. One vital aspect of this is the awarding of grants to Black scholars. These grants are instrumental in advancing research that is often overlooked in traditional funding competitions.
While visiting the University earlier this month, I learned more about some of the challenges that have been faced in opening BSI. The establishment of this initiative was approved by the University of Windsor’s Senate on October 7th, 2022. The initiative is in alignment with the University’s commitment to the Scarborough Charter (utoronto.ca) on anti-Black racism and Black inclusion in Canadian higher education. In 2023, the University of Windsor (UWindsor) announced their new academic home that would spotlight: Black excellence, scholarship, research, and community. The inaugural Black Scholars Institute (BSI) at UWindsor, was formally launched in September 2024.
Dr. Clinton Beckford, UWindsor’s Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, envisions that the BSI will be the institutional home for Blackness at the University. “The establishment of a Black Scholars Institute at the University of Windsor is ground-breaking and transformative,” he says. “It positions the University of Windsor as a post-secondary leader in intellectual thought and practice around Blackness and makes real our commitments to Black flourishing and thriving at and beyond the institution.”
The BSI will work closely with UWindsor’s Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies Department within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Building a Black Scholars academic program represents an innovative plan of action intended to meaningfully understand UWindsor’s approach to African-Caribbean ways of knowing in Canadian universities. The expected output will enhance UWindsor’s research profile in Black Studies and feature scholarly work, special events, speakers’ series, mentorship, and more.
Dr. Camisha Sibblis, the Director at BSI, is hopeful that the institute will enrich the experiences of Black faculty at UWindsor. “We believe that the inclusion of Black peoples, ways of learning and knowledge systems are integral to the growth of our community. The establishment of the BSI is a crucial part of fulfilling the University’s Strategic Mandate Agreement (ontario.ca) and purposefully moving the institution into the future. The Institute will enhance the University’s research profile and will also establish the University as a center of excellence in Windsor-Essex and the Detroit area – a region known for its historic importance for Black people in North America.”
Welcome to the Black Scholars Institute—where excellence thrives, and liberation is pursued through scholarship, research, and community engagement.
Canada is Sinking – Is there a correlation between the rising economic costs, and the siphoning of funds to other sources in Canada?
The Jamaica Food and Drink Festival – where every bite tells a story, and every sip celebrates Jamaica’s vibrant soul
Welcome to the Black Scholars Institute—where excellence thrives, and liberation is pursued
Reggae Salutes, the History of All Stars Steel Orchestra, Winterizing Your Home, and Preparing for the Christmas holidays with the Black Joy Holiday Market
“You are not fooling anyone; I know you used ChatGPT!”
Our government must prioritize the well-being of its people and the environment over the interests of chemical manufacturers
YOGA: Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) for sufferers of hypertension or heart disease
Kemtek Development launches new exclusive gated community in Jamaica!
Tourism-Related Live Streaming – The Manifold Ways it Can Create a Buzz for a Destination
Send groceries to Jamaica in a flash, how? GroceryList Jamaica
Ravi’s West Indian Grocery – Fresh Products Weekly Straight from Guyana!
ASA Meats & West Indian Groceries – Serving Freshness & Quality to the Community
Nadine Sutherland – A woman who continues to reinvent herself
Knia Singh – Light Up The Darkness
Spragga Benz – Light Up The Darkness
Kyle Kemper – Light Up The Darkness
David Icke – Light Up The Darkness
Ohio’s Bill 248 and Dr. Sherri Tenpenny’s compelling testimony
-
Community News1 week agoYork Catholic District School Board plans open house for future high school students
-
Community News1 week agoYork Catholic is leading the province in educational achievement
-
Community News1 week agoThe Legacy Awards; Showcasing diverse talent and celebrating the contributions of underrepresented communities
-
Community News1 week agoThere is always more than meets the eye – Cormega is not your average artist
-
Community News1 week agoCelebrating Miss Lou: A life of poetry, music and love
-
Community News2 weeks agoThe Caribbean Children Foundation’s 24th Anniversary Angel Gala; a commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable children
-
Community News1 week agoRecord entries for JCDC FiWi Short Film Competition
-
Junior Contributors4 days agoIt is all about using technology as a tool, not as a crutch