Lamy uses quotes, specific policies and programs, and statistics involving child development. She discusses how SNAP, WIC, Housing First, EITC, and other programs and policies can be supported in housing, food, health, and jobs.
The new initiative mentioned in the article wants to enhance Environmental Justice, good stewardship, and suistainable economic development by protecting the health of the residents in Newark, minimizing pollution, and by encouraging development that does affects Newark positively.
Newark school's reported that their almost half of buildings have lead in their water. This is creating immense vulnerability in Essex County, and the issue in Newark dates back to about four years ago. This problem also stems from the history of lead-based paint, which was outlawed in 1978, but still can be found in many homes, and poisons children.
Professionals can use this data to place an emphasis on the need to solve blood lead issues in children. This study concluded that a higher proportion of black students had higher blood lead levels; professionals can use this information to decrease the experience gap by working on solving blood lead issues.
The Resilience Action Plan Team got a grant from the Kresge Foundation's Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity Initiative and they have the support of the city of Newark to enable their work and possibly shape their way of thinking about disaster and health.
Many precautions that were taken to reduce blood lead poisoning in New Jersey over the years. In 1978, lead paint was banned in America, and in 1996 New Jersey required children to be screened for blood lead levels. However, Chris Christie vetoed legislation to remove lead paint from old housing in 2016.
Since Newark is a major port for all transportation methods, it indirectly produces a lot of air pollution because of most of these vehicles in result people living in areas close to the ports suffer more from air pollution in terms of health.
There are lots of programs currently to improve low income childrens quality of life and assist them on changing their socioeconomic status:
CCAP (Child Care Assistance Program) - Assistance for low income families working full time, in school or training full-time, or a combination equaling to full-time. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work/school hours.
CCVC (Child Care Voucher Centers) - Assistance for low income families that live in a selected CCVC county with a designated CCVC program. Rutgers Southern Regional CCR&R currently services Atlantic, Cumberland, and Gloucester counties with CCVC funding. The child care must be an approved CCVC center. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work/school hours.
Kinship - Assistance for relatives caring for their relatives' children. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work/school hours.
CPS (Child Protection Services) - Assistance for families referred to our agency through the Department of Children Protection and Permanency (DCP&P). Eligibility is determined through DCP&P who will forward our office your information if child care is needed.
PACC (Post Adoption Child Care) - Assistance for families who have recently adopted a child. Eligibility is based on work hours with approval and referral from Department of Children Protection and Permanency (DCP&P).
PTCC (Post Transitional Child Care) - Assistance for low income families who are ending their second year of Transitional Child care benefits through the County Board of Social Services. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work hours. Please contact us if you are interested in this program.
DOE/WRAP (Department of Education and Wrap Around Care) - Assistance for families who reside in an Abbott school district and whose child is 3 or 4 years old. Eligibility is based on income, family size, work/school hours, age of child needing assistance, and residency. Please contact us if you are interested in this program.
The main argument of the article is about how child poverty is induced by several factors. She discusses the risks of child poverty to child development, some of these factors are parental stress, mental and physical illness, child hunger, and low expectations. Lamy addresses how families can overcome poverty struggle.
In this article, it is comparing how polluted Newark is compared to the country mentioning facts such as Newark residents face the nation's second greatest risk due to diesel emissions, the city being the nation's largest trash incinerator in the Northeast, and 25% of the school children in Newark face asthma which is double compared to the nation's average rate.