1. Excelsior College
PSY 235, Lifespan Developmental Psychology
Kryijztoff Novotnaj, Student ID 30883865
Module 1, Exercise 2
October 23, 2013
Complete the following: Visit the website sponsored by the
Children’s Defense Fund:
www.childrensdefense.org. Click on U.S. State Child Data, and
find your state’s
ranking on several leading social indicators of children’s well-
being.
Using information from the website, answer the following
questions:
• How are cultural values, special interests, and economic
conditions reflected in
public policies for children?
• Do you think that these policies reflect current research in the
field of child

2. development?
• How large is the gap between what we know and its
application to public policy?
It saddens me to say that my state, California has some of the
worst markings in the
country as it relates to a child’s well-being. Despite having one
of the largest economies in
the country, let-alone the world, and access to some of the best
public universities in the
northern hemisphere, 68% of the United States spends less on
education per pupil than does
California.
Additionally, one would think that California, with its image of
hippies and non-profit
spirit would rise up and show solidarity and love for all young
people; however, every 7
minutes, a child is abused or neglected. Moreover, 22% of
children live in poverty. This
occurs in one of the richest, most expensive and lavish places to
live in the country.
Albeit that California has its challenges, it does have some
unique characteristics that
attract people far and wide to move to this great state. First,
culture is huge in California. In

3. a land where Caucasian is the minority race and where your
neighbour to your right speaks
Tagalog and the neighbour to the left speaks Hindi diversity is
one of the greatest attributes of
the state. This creates interesting dynamics of social interaction
where the color of your skin,
the tone and inflection of your language and foods that you eat
are not judged, but rather
embraced…and I must say explored by those of Caucasian
background. The laws
surrounding social inclusion for children are a top priority for
the state. California’s First 5
child program allows low income or no income families to
provide free health care for
children under the age of 5. Regardless of your legal status,
children have access to join the
program and receive the precious care needed for health.
Additionally, California's Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting
Act (CANRA) is one of
the strictest and most damaging laws to face those who abuse or
neglect children. In fact, if
you hold a professional job where you interact with children or

4. even suspect to have
involvement with children you are obligated by law to report
any acts of abuse or neglect on
children. Failure to do so implicates you guilt, equal to that of
the actual offender.
While these policies and social welfare programs help the young
children out, they only
touch on the development needs of children. For example, once
my child reaches age 5, the
rules of health care change. Everyone knows that a child’s
needs through adolescence as it
pertain to health care increases. However, once a child reaches
this age, they can still have
health insurance, but must reapply and have a gap of care
greater than ninety (90) days (some
exceptions apply). So, can health care impact the development
of children? The answer is
yes.
The gap of what we know about public policy and the
application of it is quite broad
and wide. Some policies are great within the state, particularly
with children under the age of
5, but the disparity grows after this age, leaving many
vulnerable. Another gap in public

5. policy is serving the undocumented. While First 5 covers the
undocumented, it leaves a
whole in coverage availability between ages 5 and older – this
perpetuates a deficit in health
care access, which causes financial exposure and risk to
families whose children are
uninsured and limited in their ability to access care when
needed.
References
Berk, L.E. (2010) Development through the Lifespan 5th Ed.
New York: Allyn & Bacon. p.
11-25.
University of California, Berkeley, California Child Abuse and
Neglect Act., Retrieved 23
October 2013.
Children’s Defense, 2013. California State Metrics for Child
Welfare. Sourced from
http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-
publications/data/state-data-
repository/cits/2013/2013-california-children-in-the-states.pdf

6. Words: 275 Words or more (2 pages max)
Instructions: Visit the website sponsored by the Children's
Defense Fund: www.chidrensdefensefund.org. Click on U.S.
State Child Data, and find Louisisana's ranking on several
leading social indicators of children's well being.
Answer the following questions.
1. How are cultural values, special interests, and economic
conditions reflected in public policies for children?
2. Do you think that these policies reflect current research in
the field of child development?
3. How large is the gap between what we know and its
application to public policy?
Use APA format and cite references