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Editor's Note
If change and hope are the buzzwords of the election, collaboration might be the current battle cry of the child and youth field. It's not a new idea, of course, but several national campaigns and many communities across the country are finding that connecting the systems, funds and organizations focused on young people can fill gaps, reduce redundancy and lead to better, more cost-effective interventions. After all, "Kids don't grow up in programs, they grow up in communities." Check out the new evidence and tools to help communities create connections, along with a guide to encouraging innovation in the social sector. In the Education section, you'll find the Coalition for Community Schools' new action plan to create school-community partnerships to improve outcomes for kids. Also: I say bailout, you say rescue and now child advocates, business leaders and pediatricians are saying "invest in kids" to help bolster the economy and our nation's future workforce. Read about the new Telluride Principles for Investing in Young Children. The crisis on Wall Street is already being felt on Frat Row -- there we go taking the Wall St/Main St connection a step too far! -- after an investment fund serving 1,000 colleges partially froze withdrawals. There's also news on Youth Courts, promising strategies for working with transition-age youth, the latest evidence on the importance of early learning and more. Keep working for kids, everyone! Caitlin Johnsonweekly@connectforkids.org |
New on Connectforkids.org
"Hope" Grows: an Intergenerational Community, 14 Years On
Fourteen years ago, two researchers turned an air force base into an intergenerational community that linked children in foster care with adoptive families and seniors. They flipped prevailing stereotypes about "social burdens" -- and results followed. Now, as sites across the country replicate Hope Meadows, the original community is taking on the new challenges that come with long-term success.
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Youth Voices
Critical Exposure - Photo of the Month!
Does the photo below give you "mystery meat" flashbacks? Critical Exposure helps students and organizations advocate more effectively for excellence and equity in public education. In this month's project, Kid Power-DC is focusing on school nutrition.
School Lunch
Middle School Students from Kid Power (Washington, DC)
"Gross and unhealthy lunches get kids sick and unable to participate in
class. I want to be energized and able to do my work without my
stomach growling. Most of the time I don't eat. When I do eat, it
isn't enough to fill me." -- William, 8th Grade
Children's PressLine Fall Journalism Program
Children's PressLine, which gives young people the opportunity to represent themselves in the media, is offering free journalism training to aspiring youth reporters and editors ages 8 to 18 in New York City, Fridays from October 10 to January 30. Register online.
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Communities Doing Business Differently
Intentional Innovation: How Getting More Systematic about Innovation Could Improve Philanthropy and Increase Social Impact
This new report from the Kellogg Foundation, the Monitor Institute and Clohesy Consulting examines innovation theory and practice and how innovation in the social sector could become a more consistent and reliable commodity for social good.
 Action Kit to Help Cities Create Youth Master Plans
The National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education and Families has a new action kit to help municipal leaders create a master plan that brings together the schools, agencies and organizations working with youth to develop a shared vision and framework to coordinate services. For a hard copy, please contact Katie Meade at meade@nlc.org.
Creating Lasting Solutions for Success in Louisville
 Louisville, Kentucky, has made great progress in bringing together agencies, organizations and programs to coordinate services for children and youth -- there's even innovative data sharing. The
Forum for Youth Investment convened stakeholders to ask: how can a community come together to provide all children and youth a chance to
succeed? Read the full story and learn Louisville's answers.
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Education News
Wall Street Crisis Hits Higher Education
Schools and colleges across the nation are scrambling to develop new plans to pay their bills after an investment fund that serves about 1,000 colleges and private schools partially froze withdrawals last week amid the current credit crunch, eSchool News reports.
The Community Agenda for America's Public Schools
On September 24, the Coalition for Community Schools launched an action plan with specific strategies to underscore the need for community-school partnerships in ensuring that all children are ready to learn and succeed. The plan is endorsed by numerous national and local education,
youth development, community engagement, health and social services organizations.
 GLSEN 2007 National School Climate Survey
Today, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) will release its latest survey, identifying the scope of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools, its impact on the student experience and the interventions that are working to improve school climate for all students.
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Another Option for Recovery: Invest in Children
Docs, Business Call for a "Real Recovery Plan - Put Children First" (October 6)
The American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), business leaders and philanthropic groups held
a briefing at the National Press Club to call for better federal investment in children. From the press release: "In international
comparisons, the U.S. ranks next-to-last in child well-being
among industrialized countries and last in the categories of health and
safety for our youngest citizens. Investing in children's early health
and education is a vital economic growth strategy and must become a national priority. Private and public
resources are limited and should be allocated based on evidence of
effectiveness." For information on this event, contact Jackie Noyes from
APP at jnoyes@aap.org.
At the event, speakers shared the recently released  Telluride Principles for Investing in Young Children from the
Partnership for America's Economic Success. The bottom line: investing in kids bolsters the economy by creating a skilled workforce and a healthier, more stable, next generation of
adults, this framework argues.
See Also:
- First Focus offers information on federal investment in children's programs in its reports, Big Ideas and Children's Budget 2008.
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Juvenile Justice News
 Reaching Through the Cracks: Guide to Implementing the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership
This Public/Private Ventures guide draws upon lessons learned from seven years of experience in Philadelphia to describe how cities and other jurisdictions can plan and carry out an initiative like the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership. The program focuses on youth ages 14 to 24 who are at greatest risk of killing or being killed, and melds supervision and supports to steer them away from violence and toward productive lives.
 First Report to the Nation on Youth and Teen Courts: 1993 to 2008
A new report from Global Issues Resource Center documents the status of
youth and teen courts, a juvenile justice prevention and intervention
program that uses volunteer youth to help sentence their peers. In
1993, fewer than 75 local youth and teen courts existed in a dozen
states -- in 2008, more than 1,000 communities operate these local
juvenile justice programs.
Risking their Futures: Why Trying Nonviolent 17-year-olds as Adults is Bad Policy for Wisconsin
The
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families analyzed 1,000 17-year olds
for over six years to track their recidivism rates after an adult
conviction. Overall, 80 percent of the youth who were jailed committed new crimes. (See
Recent News on the site.)
 Youth Violence Prevention: A Public Health Approach Audioconference (October 23)
The
National League of Cities is hosting a free hour-long
audioconference to highlight comprehensive, city-led efforts to address
the root causes of youth violence. Speakers will discuss local
initiatives that blend law enforcement with prevention and intervention
programs, as well as, public education campaigns that engage the entire
community. Register online by
October 21.
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Child Care & Early Learning
 State Child Care Assistance Policies 2008: Too Little Progress for Children and Families
A new National Women's Law Center report compares state child care policies from 2007 to 2008 in terms of income eligibility, co-payment requirements, provider reimbursement rates and waiting lists. Some states made improvements, but many have made scant progress since 2001, when it comes to providing low-income parents with access to quality child care.
 Impacts of Early Childhood Programs
First Focus has a collection of research briefs that summarize evidence about the impact of early childhood interventions on children and families, including the documented positive impacts on behavioral and emotional outcomes, health, graduation rates and crime reduction.
 Early Care and Education Leadership: Ready or Not? (Audio)
 Why do early care professionals need to make changes and where do you start? The CARES Training & Technical Assistance Project -- a California-based program for early childhood and child care professionals -- has posted audio from a recent workshop presentation on "adaptive leadership" and quality improvement using the book, Ready or Not: Leadership Choices in Early Care and Education by Stacie G. Goffin and Valora Washington.
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Job Announcement: YouthBuild
From our friends at YouthBuild USA:
YouthBuild USA Seeks Legislative Director
Located in Somerville, MA, or Washington, DC, the Legislative Director manages the relationships of YouthBuild USA, the Coalition and the Affiliated Network with the legislative branch of the federal government toward the achievement of higher annual appropriations for YouthBuild, and builds partnerships to support legislation to reconnect all youth and diminish poverty. For more information, please contact Scott Peterson at speterson@youthbuild.org.
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Grants and Awards
Generations United Photography Project
Generations United and the MetLife Foundation offer seed grants of $2,000 to organizations to develop and conduct their own intergenerational photography projects. Deadline: October 15.
Superstar Foundation: Veronica Grants
The Foundation will award five grants of $2,000 each to outstanding social service professionals in youth development, including early childhood learning, after-school, out-of-school and family services. Deadline: October 31.
Health Care Reform: Coverage Ideas from the Field
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is offering of up to $400,000 for individuals and organizations to develop plans to increase national understanding of how to design, implement, administer and sustain policies to expand health care coverage to all Americans. Deadline (brief proposals): December 2.
SRCD Fellowships in Public Policy
The Society for Research in Child Development Fellows work in Congressional and Executive Branch placements as "resident scholars" at the interface of science and policy. Applicants must have a doctoral level degree in any discipline related to Child Development. Deadline: December 15.
Federal Grant Opportunities for Children and Families
The Administration for Children and Families within the Department of Health and Human Services oversees federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities. Deadlines vary.
ExploraVision Awards
K-12 students select and research a current technology and explore what it could be like 20 years from now. Members of the four first-place teams will each receive a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a trip to Washington, DC, to be honored. Deadline: January 28, 2009.
 For more funding alerts and resources, check out Funding section of CFK's Taking Action page.
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Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment
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