Identify a policy that is not usually intended to be a health policy but that you think may have important health implications.
SB 443 would delete the California law which prohibits schools from claiming state funding for children in transitional kindergarten who will turn 5 after Dec 2. This law currently disincentivizes schools from expanding their TK programs, and likely disproportionately affects schools and students in lower socioeconomic groups. This bill, if passed, would improve funding for TK programs, and allow more (and younger) children access to TK. I believe that earlier access to school has many potential benefits, especially in lower socioeconomic demographics where non publicly funded preschool may not be an option. These benefits could include access to healthier foods, learning about healthy lifestyles, socialization with peers, all of which may have health effects in childhood and beyond.
Describe why an evaluation of that policy is informative (e.g., determining effects of the policy, or primarily a test of hypothesized mediators).
Determining the effects of this policy will provide information on the magnitude of the potential benefits of improved access to TK. Improvements to health and social structures may ultimately be cost saving in the future, and thus well worth the extra up front investment.
Specify the outcomes and populations you think most affected or least affected by the policy.
I think that underserved, lower SES populations will be most affected, as they can often not afford private preschool. Higher SES areas that can either afford private preschool or help fund their local public programs will be less affected.
Propose a study design to evaluate the policy.
One possible way to study this would be to look at states that have different policies on TK funding. Examining the health outcomes of children from states that have more liberal TK funding strategies compared to California could be enlightening on the benefits of broader TK funding. Testing for interactions of SES would be enlightening as well, to see if the policy has a greater effect in lower SES populations.
Describe biggest challenge to implementing and drawing inferences about the impact of the policy on health.
There are numerous potential confounders in examining the effect of this new policy on health outcomes. School funding is intimately entwined with many factors known to be social determinates of health, and so understand a causal relationship will be challenging.