Children's Health

Upset routines, sedentary life and unhealthy parental habits have been a blow to kids' physical fitness.

Health & Safety

How Parents Can Address Kids' Pandemic Weight Gain

8:01am March 21, 2021

Upset routines and unhealthy parental habits have sapped children's fitness, says pediatric nurse practitioner Suzannah Stivison. She offers ways parents can help promote healthier habits.

How The COVID-19 Vaccine Trials In Children Are Going To Work

5:01pm March 19, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, chair of the Committee on Infectious Disease for the American Academy of Pediatrics, about the COVID-19 vaccine trials in children.

The CDC Says A Distance Of 3 Feet Between Students In A Classroom Setting Is Safe

4:32pm March 19, 2021

by Anya Kamenetz

The CDC has updated its guidance for schools, saying it "now recommends that, with universal masking, students should maintain a distance of at least three feet in classroom settings."

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Biden Announced A $12 Billion Plan For COVID-19 Testing In Schools, A Pricey Endeavor

4:28pm March 17, 2021

by Allison Aubrey

The Biden administration announced a $12 billion plan to expand the ability of schools to test students, teachers and staff for COVID-19. Some Massachusetts schools are doing this, but it's expensive.

Nurse manager Lucy Golding draws up doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine March 14 in Stamford, Conn. Moderna has begun enrolling infants and young children into a vaccine trial.

Health & Safety

Vaccinating Children Seen As A Key Step Toward COVID-19 Herd Immunity

1:21pm March 17, 2021

by A Martinez

Moderna has begun testing its vaccine on children as young as 6 months old. A principal investigator in the trial says getting children vaccinated would be "a step getting back to our normal life."

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Moderna is testing its COVID-19 vaccine in young children; its vaccine is currently authorized for people ages 18 and up. Here, third-grade children attend school this month in Berlin, as classes were allowed to meet in person at 50% capacity.

Moderna Gives 1st Vaccine Shots To Young Kids As Part Of COVID-19 Study

3:42pm March 16, 2021

by Bill Chappell

Researchers hope to learn about the effectiveness of the vaccine for kids ages 6 months to less than 12 years old. Moderna plans to enroll roughly 6,750 children in eight U.S. states and Canada.

Two first grade students talk in the back of class at the Green Mountain School last month in Woodland, Wash. The CDC's current guidance for schools recommends seating or desks be "at least 6 feet apart when feasible."

CDC Looks At Whether 3 Feet — Instead Of 6 — Is Safe For Schools' Social Distancing

5:29pm March 15, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

A new study found no difference in infection rates between schools in Massachusetts that required 3 feet of distance and those requiring 6 feet, so long as everyone wore masks.

How 2 Communities Have Approached Reopening Schools

4:26pm March 15, 2021

The CDC has all kinds of recommendations for how to open classrooms. But a year into the pandemic, many schools, including two in Massachusetts and Oklahoma, have found their own way of doing things.

Health & Safety

Professionals See Uptick In Teen Mental Health Issues Aggravated By Pandemic

5:05pm March 14, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin discusses teen menthal health amid the pandemic with NPR's Anya Kamenetz, clincal psychologist and columnist Andrea Bonior, and high school counselor Melisa Hannon.

The Superintendent For Richmond Public Schools Has A Plan For His Students

5:06am March 12, 2021

School districts across the country are looking for ways to fill the gaps from distance learning. The superintendent of Virginia's Richmond Public Schools has a plan that could be approved this month.

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