CPC Featured in "Satellite Baby" Documentary
The families of CPC's Queens School-Age Child Care Center @ PS20 worked with documentary director Jenny Schweitzer and Aeon to produce a short documentary on "satellite babies". The short documentary titled From the US to China and Back Again by Age Six: Why Satellite Babies Struggle discusses the social-emotional impact of being a "satellite baby".
As described by CPC Queens School-Age Child Care Center program director Lois Lee, "satellite babies" are children who were born in the United States but are sent to live abroad with their extended family or family friends until the child is old enough to return to the United States and enroll in school (Universal Pre-Kindergarten, kindergarten in a public school). Many times children are sent to live with their extended family because their parents are juggling multiple jobs and cannot find child care that fits their needs. After returning from their stay abroad, "satellite babies" often experience a period of stress as they are expected to adjust to living in a new country, learning a new language and bonding with parents who they are not familiar with due to the limited contact they had between each other during the child's stay abroad. This can lead to the child acting out in the classroom, low grades, and sometimes manifest in stress causing the child to inflict physical harm on themselves (as discussed in the documentary).
The social-emotional development of the child and the family unit is equally as important as the academic development of the child during the school day. CPC's school-age after school programs focuses on providing academic enrichment and support for the children in the community as well as their parents, offering access to community resources and various parent engagement activities throughout the year. It takes the efforts of many to raise children, CPC is proud to be a part of those efforts.
To watch From the US to China and Back Again by Age Six: Why Satellite Babies Struggle click here
To learn more about CPC's school-age after school programs click here