The vicious cycle of poverty carries a profound negative impact throughout the world. Despite great strides in reducing extreme poverty in the past 30 years, climate change, regions experiencing conflict, and the emergence of COVID-19 threaten to send people who had escaped poverty back into its grip. These issues also pose new challenges for government agencies and nonprofit organizations that need to create strategies to address these hurdles head-on, with the hope of breaking the cycle of poverty once and for all. To learn more, check out the infographic below, created by Maryville University’s online Bachelor of Arts in Human […]

Tables of Contents Evolution of Children’s Use of TechnologyPositive and Negative Effects of Technology on ChildrenTechnology and Children StatisticsTechnology and Social Interaction in ChildrenEnsuring Safe and Nurturing Digital Environments for Children Imagine spending a year or more of your childhood almost entirely at home: no time in a classroom, no chance to join friends on the playground, and very few opportunities to enjoy favorite pastimes and experience new places, people, and activities. The worldwide lockdowns that helped limit the spread of the coronavirus created a kind of twilight zone for children that put much of their environment off-limits and kept […]

Cultural background gives children a sense of who they are. The unique cultural influences children respond to from birth, including customs and beliefs around food, artistic expression, language, and religion, affect the way they develop emotionally, socially, physically, and linguistically. Because culture is such a powerful indicator of a child’s future well-being, those who work with children, including social workers, counselors, and specialists, need to understand the cultural influences on child development and how they impact the way people grow and learn. A degree such as Maryville University’s online Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies can prepare future professionals […]

With the onset of a global pandemic, families have adjusted to a rapid move to online education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, 93% of households with school-age children have had experience with some form of socially distant learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a majority of those households using some form of online learning. Impact of Remote Learning on Children’s Education In April 2020, which was when school closings in the U.S. peaked, approximately 55.1 million students were affected. Educators are still learning how the switch to online learning will affect students in the long term. […]

A child’s early years are integral to their physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development. From birth to age 8, children go through rapid phases of development and growth. They learn to talk, crawl, walk, play, learn, and behave. Since this development is so essential for a child’s health and wellness, professionals devote careers to researching, monitoring, and helping children and their families. Definitions of Early Childhood Education and Child Development Early childhood education is the learning activity of children before elementary school. It includes any educational institutions children attend prior to kindergarten. Programs can be full time or part time. […]

Whether a child’s personality traits and behavioral tendencies are the sole result of heredity or a consequence of their upbringing is an age-old debate. Much of the controversy in nature vs. nurture child development is the result of a misunderstanding about genetics: the mistaken belief that fate and genetics are synonymous. Epigenetics and related fields in child development promise to give parents and educators new insights into how and why certain genes are expressed and others aren’t. Degree programs such as Maryville University’s online Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies explore these areas to prepare students for careers that […]