Small children are landing in the hospital because of accidental poisoning from ingesting medication meant for adults. Experts are working to give households the tools they need to keep kids out of medicines which could potentially harm them.

Tonya Jernigan, licensed social worker for the Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine at the University of Kentucky Clinic, said it is not just illicit substances children can get their hands on, and pointed to cases where they accidentally consumed medications meant for their grandparents or caregivers.

"We see ingestions related to over-the-counter medications like Tylenol," Jernigan noted. "Another really common medication that we see is Clonidine. So it's definitely a wide-reaching problem."

Accidental poisonings account for around 2% of all unintentional injury deaths in the state, according to the state's 2021 Child Fatality Review.

Find more information and drug storage tips at faceitabuse.org.

Steve Sparrow, program manager of the Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program in the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Kentucky, said more than 1,800 medication lockboxes have been distributed so far across 24 counties, to community colleges, women's shelters, health departments, drug-treatment centers and other organizations working with parents of young children.

"The distribution of the medication lockboxes was statewide," Sparrow explained. "We tried to make sure we didn't just focus on central Kentucky, but that we actually reached out to far eastern, southeastern, north central and western Kentucky."

Barry Dunn, president and CEO of Kosair Charities, said child-resistant packaging can provide a false sense of security, but he pointed out children are often good at getting into things they shouldn't.

"This is a really simple, straightforward method for parents and caregivers to step up their game," Dunn asserted. "To safely place medicines in a place that is out of reach of children, to know the difference in what's child-resistant versus childproof."

The medication lockboxes and statewide campaign are supported by a partnership between The Kosair Charities Face It Movement, Kentucky Youth Advocates, Kentucky Children's Hospital and the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center.

If the election season made one thing clear, it is neither side can hear what the other is saying and one expert believes it is because most of us were not taught "active listening" in school.

Christine Miles, founder of The Listening Path Classroom program, said only about 2% of schools offer formal listening skill development programs, which can handicap our success as adults. Miles believes too many of us listen half-heartedly, keen to share our thoughts or arguments the minute the other person stops talking.

"This is not new," Miles pointed out. "Since 1957, there's been talk about the fact that there's not formal education in schools on listening, and the reason I think it hasn't been solved is because listening has been notoriously hard."

Research shows students from kindergarten through 12th grade spend 50% to 75% of their classroom time listening, yet comprehend only 25% to 50% of what they hear. According to Miles, when it comes to politics, it is rarely effective to argue someone into adopting your position.

Miles believes technology is partly to blame for poor listening. Kids spend so many hours on their electronic devices, Miles explained some develop a natural form of attention deficit disorder, even if they don't have the condition biochemically.

"What the technology has done is made our brains even more impatient and more distracted than they already were," Miles contended. "If we don't help them learn how to have conversations about things they disagree about, how will they learn how to manage that?"

Miles noted becoming an adult without good listening skills can affect both academic success and social-emotional learning. To develop better skills, experts recommended being fully present in a conversation, showing interest by practicing good eye contact, asking open-ended questions, paraphrasing and reflecting back what has been said and withholding judgment and advice.


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The early childhood development initiative "Too Small to Fail" is expanding in Pennsylvania to boost children's brain and language development, preparing them for kindergarten and beyond.

Nearly 60% of children in the United States begin kindergarten unprepared, lagging behind their peers in essential language and reading skills.

Perri Chinalai, managing director of the Too Small to Fail program for the Clinton Foundation, said her organization is partnering with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and the United Way of Pennsylvania to implement 250 new early education programs over the next two years.

"We worked with laundromats and transforming laundromat spaces into literacy-rich environments, because we know that families are going to laundromats," Chinalai explained. "How can we think about really encouraging talking, reading and singing in spaces where families are?"

Chinalai added the Barbara Bush Foundation works with children in early learning all the way through school-age kids, and the Too Small to Fail focuses on children aged 0-5. The initiative has donated more than 1.4 million children's books to families in under-resourced communities.

Chinalai noted they partnered with the Department of Public Health and Office of Homeless Services to transform two health centers in Philadelphia and a homeless intake shelter. She added over the past 11 years, the program has worked with communities across the country and have launched more than 40 campaigns.

"For the first year of this project, through our partnership with the United Way location, we will be partnering with six different locations, including the Titusville region, Lycoming County, Wyoming Valley, Southern Allegheny Capital Region and Bucks County," Chinalai outlined. "To really think about how we can incorporate these strategies within the work that they're already doing for children and families."

She added they are also working with a local bookstore called Tree House Books to restock bookshelves. She emphasized the campaigns will focus on training trusted messengers, transforming learning spaces and distributing resources to families.


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Child care workers across the nation, including in Tennessee, are struggling with poverty-level wages according to a new report.

It revealed in Tennessee, the median wage for early childhood educators is less than $15 an hour.

Anna Powell, senior research and policy associate for the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California-Berkeley, said the median wage nationally for early childhood educators is just $13.07 an hour, which has resulted in some workers relying on public assistance.

"In Tennessee, we estimate the median hourly wage to be $11.57 for a person working in early care and education," Powell reported. "Meanwhile, the living wage in that state is about $15.03, so that means there's a gap of about 23%."

The 2024 Early Childhood Workforce Index showed pay scales are insufficient for a single adult to earn a living wage in any state. Alarmingly, nearly half of child care workers rely on assistance programs, such as SNAP benefits and Medicaid, to survive.

Powell pointed out the data also show serious inequities in wages.

"While the overall wages are low, we do find evidence that Black and Latina women are earning even less on average," Powell explained. "For example, up to $8,000 less a year, regardless of their education levels."

The study suggested boosting public funding for early childhood education, as the U.S. invests only $4,000 per child annually, far less than the $14,000 in other wealthy countries.

The pandemic highlighted the critical role of educators and Powell pointed out COVID relief funds showed potential solutions are within reach.


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