Baby in a box? Free cardboard bassinets encourage safe sleeping, By Lisa W. Foderaro, February 12, 2017, New York Times: “Jernica Quiñones, a mother of five, was the first parent in New Jersey to get her free baby box — a portable, low-tech bassinet made of laminated cardboard. But first, she had to take an online course about safe sleeping practices, which experts say can sharply reduce the chances of sudden infant death syndrome. ‘Basically, you want to have the baby on the mattress, and that’s it,’ she said after watching a 20-minute series of videos. The message may not be new. But health officials say it is critical to keeping babies safe. To reduce infant mortality, parents must put babies to sleep on their backs on a firm mattress in either a bassinet or a crib — with no pillow, blanket, stuffed animal or bumpers. Now, New Jersey has become the first state to adopt a broad program to reduce infant deaths by aiming to distribute as many as 105,000 of the so-called baby boxes — the expected number of births in the state this year…”
Tag: New Jersey
SNAP Enrollment – New Jersey
Food stamp use down in N.J., but not as much as the rest of the U.S., By Susan K. Livio, September 16, 2016, NJ.com: “Reliance on food stamps dropped by 3 percent in New Jersey since last summer – six months after tougher rules took effect that required adults without children to work to receive their benefits, according to state data. There were 430,000 households on food stamps or what has been renamed Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, a 3 percent decline from last summer, state Human Services data said. Salem, Somerset and Hunterdon counties saw the biggest caseload declines…”
Newark Kids Count Report
Newark kids are healthier but still living in poverty, new study finds, By Alex Napoliello, August 3, 2016, Star-Ledger: “While most families in the state’s largest city continue to live in poverty, progress is being made when it comes to the well-being of the city’s children, according to a new report released Monday. That’s the takeaway from the 2016 Newark Kids Count report. The annual report tracks trends in the well-being of children in Newark, from child poverty and education to juvenile arrests and childcare in the city…”