“It is critical that national, state, and local leaders and policies attend to better meeting the needs of Black families and babies.”
—I. U. Iruka, J. Sims, and A. Forte
Black Parents and Their Babies: Attending to the First 1,000 Days
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
Report Jan-01-2021 , , and 5-min read
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Report Publish Date: 2021
This report examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black babies’ first 1,000 days of life.
Primary Takeaways
- Black parents of babies were more likely to experience discrimination before and during the pandemic than the full sample of parents surveyed.
- More than 8 in 10 (84%) Black families with babies living at or near the poverty line had experienced material hardship during the pandemic, the authors found. Black families of all income levels were slightly more likely than all families at the same income level to experience material hardship.
- Over half of Black families living near or in poverty and 40% of middle-income Black families saw their incomes decrease during the pandemic.
- About 75% of Black families delayed health care, many out of fear of COVID-19. All families in the survey saw similar levels of health care delay.
- Before and during the pandemic, Black families were more likely than all families to discuss the challenges and advantages of their race.
Overview and Objectives
Children’s early years are key to their healthy development. The authors wanted to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic and early exposure to racism and other adversities were affecting Black families with infants.
Hypothesis or Approach
The authors analyzed data from the Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development-Early Childhood Study, a survey that collected information about children and their families’ health and wellbeing during the pandemic. There were 782 Black families with babies in the sample of 9,991 families.
The authors used a framework called Protecting, Promoting, and Preserving to organize their analysis, exploring racism, discrimination and material hardship; economic security, health, and early learning; and maintenance of cultural identity.
How This Influences Change
“To truly support Black families and their babies during this sensitive period of brain development, it is essential to eradicate racism and injustices and to implement inclusive policies that provide equitable access to health, wealth, and early care and education,” the authors write.
Research: Go Deeper
Drawing on data from the Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development-Early Childhood (RAPID-EC) family well-being survey, this report presents key findings and recommendations about the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on 651 Black and Black/multiracial families with babies (i.e., infants and toddlers, birth to age 3) in the United States. The RAPID-EC is an early childhood family well-being survey designed to gather essential information in a continuous manner regarding the needs, health-promoting behaviors, and well-being of children and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. RAPID-EC has partnered with researchers across the country including at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Data for this report were collected by the RAPID-EC team at the University of Oregon between April 6, 2020, and March 8, 2021.
This report focuses on Black families with babies. We report on the full sample of 7,242 RAPID-EC families with babies to provide broader context for the experiences of Black families. We use the terms “babies,” “infants,” “toddlers,” and “young children” interchangeably, but also recognize there are varying developmental stages and milestones for each. Families in the full RAPID-EC sample were primarily White (76%), with smaller proportions of Black (8%), multiracial (5%), Asian (4%), and American Indian/ Alaska Native (1%) families. Six percent of families identified as an “other” racial group. Nine percent of the sample reports being first-generation immigrants and born outside of the U.S., and 16 percent are Latine. Nearly all families (95%) primarily speak English. Survey participants’ average household income was $83,992, which is significantly higher than the U.S. median household income for 2019 of $68,703.
For Black families in this report, the average household income was $56,097, which is higher than the 2019 median income for Black families in the U.S., which was $45,438 (Census, 2019). Nearly all Black families (99%) primarily speak English, 7 percent report being first-generation immigrants born outside of the U.S., and 11 percent identify as Latine.
Analyses examined Black families by income level. We conducted descriptive analyses of the RAPID-EC data with attention to Black families with babies. We compared the findings to the full sample of RAPID-EC families with babies to contextualize the findings. Our analyses showed that low-income families were more likely to feel the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we examined the data by families’ income level. Specifically, we examined whether families were below/near poverty (families with incomes that were less than 200% of the federal poverty threshold) or middle income (families with incomes that were above 200% of the federal poverty threshold). These comparisons allowed us to see whether there were differential experiences of the pandemic based on family income level. Not all findings are shown by income level.
Findings: This report shows that Black families and their babies are surviving, although they feel the weight of racism, discrimination, economic strain, and other inequities, which is compounded by the global pandemic. Racism and discrimination remain a concern for Black families and their babies, along with economic instability and access to early care and education options. Our key findings show that:
- Black families with babies face economic insecurity and material hardships.
- COVID-19 caused disruption in parents’ and babies’ health care, well-being, and early care, and education placements.
- Black families begin promoting their babies’ racial identity early.
Recommendations: Protecting Black babies and their families from racism, discrimination, and material hardship is necessary to ensure babies thrive throughout their life course.
- Promoting economic security, health, and access to early learning opportunities is essential to mitigate against the biological and social vulnerability Black babies and their families face due to racism, discrimination, and bias.
- Preserving Black babies’ cultural identity in the early years is as essential as the “three Rs” of reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic.
Equity Research Action Coalition at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, 2021
Research Team
This study and report was conducted and created by the following people:
- Iruka IU
- Sims J
- Forte A
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