Almost one school-age child in four (23%) has never been to school, or dropped out of school before finishing the primary cycle in this region, where the absolute number of children denied access to school has climbed from 29 million in 2008 to 31 million in 2010.

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"My perception in the school-age range and pre-school-age range was that how the at-home parent is doing is most predictive of how the child is coping, " Davis said.

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The peak times for outgrowing allergies are when a child hits school age and during the teenage years -- after college, it's unlikely, she said.

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Mothers of school-age children, for instance, could be urged back into the workforce by changing the way child tax credits are structured, making them more generous when the child is younger than five and less generous afterwards.

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Kerrthana, 14, interviewed a school friend and a teacher about the pros and cons of children attending child-care provisions from a very early age, so their parents could continue working.

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