CFK Weekly: August 7, 2006

Editor’s Note: Congress may have recessed without raising the minimum wage, but many anti-poverty advocates say we haven’t seen the last of this issue. In this Weekly, read the latest on the minimum wage issue, supporting infants’ mental health, “what do Americans know about the Web, really?” and how some states are targeting the very, very young with preschool. Share information and content ideas by emailing Caitlin Johnson at weekly@connectforkids.org.

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG

A Fine Line: How to Teach Kids About Sexual Assault
There’s good news on the rates of rape and sexual assault in the U.S. – a big decline in the rates of these crimes since the 1970s. Still, parents and other adults who care about children have a responsibility to educate kids about the dangers – and many of us feel inadequate to the task. Tamekia Reece took a look at some of the more effective programs in use to raise awareness appropriately and in ways that kids can understand.

Academic, Social Needs, and Interests in U.S. High Schools
The results are in for Connect for Kids’ 2006 youth essay contest. All of the essays submitted were thoughtful and many were thought-provoking as well. Special thanks to the talented young writers from the DC Writers Corps who served as this year’s judges. Our first essayist is David Young, from Eugene, Oregon.

Katrina: One Year Later | Online chat
August 29 will mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastating impact on New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities. While Katrina ‘fatigue’ has hit many of us, Connect For Kids and other organizations champion the notion that rebuilding the Gulf Coast involves more than fixing levees, homes, and buildings—it has to include necessities like access to education and health services, particularly to the kids.

On August 16, at 1 p.m. ET, Connect for Kids will be hosting two expert panelists on the state of education and health services to children affected by Hurricane Katrina. Submit a pre-question

THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO GO

Health Care One Year After Hurricane Katrina (August 8)
As the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating landfall approaches, the Kaiser Family Foundation will sponsor a briefing on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. It will examine the challenges and the future of the city’s health care system and the continuing health needs of its current and former residents. For details and to RSVP, contact Tiffany Ford at <tford@kff.org> or (202) 347-5270.

Heads Up: Census Data Release (August 29)
The new poverty, income, and health insurance data from the U.S. Census Bureau will be released on August 29. This year, it will have more state and local data. Connect for Kids will bring you an overview.

Heads Up: National Assembly Policy Forum (Sept. 15)
The National Assembly will host its annual Policy Forum on September 15, 2006 at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. The focus will be on connecting grassroots and “grasstops.”

Forum: What’s Next for Preschool? Advancing the Agenda for Children (Sept. 18-19)
This California Child Development Policy Institute policy forum will take place in Sacramento, California and will examine life post-California Proposition 82. Cost: $175/attendee until September 8, 2006, then $225.

A TRANSITION AT VOICES FOR AMERICA’S CHILDREN

Connect for Kids has long enjoyed close collaboration with Voices for America’s Children and its director Tamara Copeland, who has announced that she will be leaving Voices to head the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers. Connect for Kids would like to applaud Tamara for nearly a decade of dedicated leadership at Voices, and wish her the best in her new position; we also welcome Valora Washington as Voices’ interim president – and look forward to a long future of work with both of you!

KIDS & POLITICS

A Session Ends
The U.S. Congress is in recess until after Labor Day. Before breaking, the Senate rejected the estate tax/minimum wage bill (HR 5970), which anti-poverty advocates argued was an unfair trade-off between raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour by 2008 and making cuts to the estate tax, which could threaten social programs in the long run. Find out how your Senators voted.
For more on the minimum wage, see the Work and Wages section, below.

Congress Reauthorizes Vocational Education Programs
The House and Senate have both approved the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act (S. 250), which renews vocational and technical education initiatives and provides high schools and community colleges with $1.3 billion in grants for these programs. The bill now goes to President Bush to sign.

For more information, visit the Association for Career and Technical Education.

The PTA Goes to Work website also has good information.

House Skips ‘Sunset Commission’ Proposals
The House of Representatives did not vote on two proposals to create a panel of unelected decision makers with influence over the federal budget – the so-called “Sunset Commissions” Connect for Kids has been covering. The New Standard has the story.

FAMILIES, WORK, AND WAGES

Latest Data on Minimum Wage Workers and Taxable Estates, By State
Chances are, we haven’t heard the last of it on either minimum wage increase or the estate tax. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has provided a state-by-state look at who would be affected by the estate tax/minimum wage legislation that just failed in Congress. Some 6.6 million American workers would benefit from a boost in the minimum wage.

EPI’s Guide to the Minimum Wage
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has a great section on the minimum wage, including analyses of who would be affected, and how. The section also discusses how the House-passed bill could lower the wages of tipped employees in at least seven states.

Unemployment and Jobs: July
Following the numbers isn’t easy when it comes to jobs and employment figures – especially when you’re looking month-by-month (many economists argue for a longer-range view). Still, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that despite gains in some areas, overall unemployment is up by two-tenths (to 4.8 percent) in July, and the jobless rate among adult men has increased. Unemployment rates for women and teens did not change significantly in the past month.

The Economic Policy Institute has an analysis of these findings and the overall picture.

Heads Up: PBS Documentary "Waging a Living" (August 29)
For many Americans, working hard and playing by the rules doesn’t guarantee getting by. A new POV/PBS film chronicles the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to lift their families out of poverty and the barriers they face. Check local listings for show times.

EDUCATION ROUND-UP

IDEA Part B Regulations Released
Advocates have been waiting for the final Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) 2004 regulations to be published by the Department of Education. Last week, the final Part B regulations were released online; the official version will be published on August 14. Part B covers education programs for children with disabilities and preschool grants. The rules, among other things, clarify the definition of a child with a disability, add Tourette Syndrome to the list of “other health impairments” and further define highly qualified special education teachers.

California and Michigan Focus Programs on Career Skills
Schools in California and Michigan are now catching up to “Generation E” by offering interactive Web sites designed to help middle and high school students explore careers and get important tools for the job market. The California site comes complete with a “reality check” about the schooling and income needed to make a living in California. (Free registration required.)

Evolution Fight Shifts Direction in Kansas Vote
In Kansas, a primary election has shaken up the Board of Education and raised questions about whether “intelligent design” will continue to be highlighted in state schools. As this New York Times article reports, Kansas is “a state where a fierce fight over how much students should be taught about the criticism of evolution has gone back and forth since 1999.”

EARLY LEARNING

Starting Off Right: Child Development from Birth in State Initiatives
Initially, the preschool movement typically focused on 3- and 4-year-olds—but a child’s brain begins critical development right from birth, and states are increasingly targeting children ages 3 and under in early learning programs. This Center on Law and Social Policy report, Starting Off Right: Promoting Child Development from Birth in State Early Care and Education Initiatives, looks at what states are doing to promote child development for very young children, and offers best practices for funding and governance structures that provide attention and resources for all children birth to age 5.

Birth to 5 and Beyond: A Growing Movement in Early Education
Zero to Three has the latest on how states are creating systems to support early learning right from birth. Among the specific examples and recommendations: use public-private partnerships to expand resources; increase professional development opportunities for infant and toddler caregivers; create guidelines on what young children should be able to know and do; and establish quality rating systems to support quality, accountability, and financing. The abridged version of the report is online; the full version is coming soon.

MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

Secure Beginnings: What is Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health?
In short, it’s about positive relationships, self-confidence, and the ability to meet change and challenges successfully. And it starts in very early childhood. This guide from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and state Head Start Collaboration Office, can help professionals understand what to look for at each state of development, from birth to school-age, and assess whether a child needs help. In Spanish and English.

Mental Health Consultation in Child Care: Transforming Relationships
For young children in child care, relationships with caregivers helps shape mental and emotional development. This guide offers suggestions for improving relationships, supporting kids’ needs, and helping program staff, parents, and others identify and remove obstacles to quality child care. (Scroll for this title.)

For more information, visit Zero to Three’s Infant Mental Health Resource Center.

Public Financing of Home and Community Services for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbances: Selected State Strategies
Parents often struggle to find and afford appropriate care for children who are diagnosed with severe emotional disturbances – some are even forced to give up custody of children in order to get them the treatment they need. As states work to improve home- and community-based mental health services for these children, it’s no surprise that funding is an issue. This report from Mathematica Policy Research looks at effective strategies, including agency partnerships and several specific Medicaid waivers.

TECHNOLOGY AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Tech Tally: Approaches to Assessing Technological Literacy
What do Americans – kids and adults alike – understand about new technologies and how well can they use them to improve their lives, families, schools, and communities? A new report from the National Academies says it’s time to ask this question, and recommends that government and the private sector do more to measure Americans’ knowledge and use of technology, which will guide better policies. The full text is available for free online.

A Nation Left Behind on Ed Tech?
Funding for educational technology is taking some hits in Congress, even as other countries are increasing their funding for school technology programs. Will the United States be left behind? This eSchool News article takes a look at trends in funding and programming here and abroad.

Gender Differences in Adolescents’ Attitudes about IT Careers
Girls are still coming up short in the high-tech revolution. The number of U.S. women earning computer science degrees dropped significantly over the past two decades. This article looks at the gender differences in teens’ attitudes about IT careers and finds that in addition to overall low interest (regardless of gender), boys reported higher interest and expectations for success than girls for all of the careers, with the sole exception of web development.
(Scroll down for the Martha Bleeker article.)

TechPolicyBank Online
A project of The Children’s Partnership, this site “aims to help policy-makers and community leaders access the information needed to bring the benefits of technology to young Americans, particularly those who are underserved.”

SAFELY ONLINE

Girls Inc. Online
MySpace watch out — Girls Inc. is a safe, secure, and free membership site that lets girls create homepages, interact with other girls, and learn about health and relationships, economic literacy, career exploration, and education. The site hosts chats with women in various careers, and more. Parental permission is required to join.

The Internet Survival Guide for Parents
This site, from Common Sense Media (in partnership with the National PTA) covers social networking, downloading, and other topics facing young people online.

Teens, Technology, and Substance Abuse: A Guide for Adults
Teens, cell phones, Web sites, and drugs and alcohol — what’s the connection? Find out in this guide for parents from The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

TEEN SEXUALITY: FACTS AND RESOURCES

Teens and Contraception: A Gender Divide?
Teens engaging in first-time sexual encounters are more likely to use a condom than those who are more sexually experienced, according to new Child Trends data. Sexually active boys ages 15 to 19 are more likely to report using a condom (47 percent) than girls the same age (28 percent). KaiserNetwork has a useful roundup of this new data, and related coverage and information.

Resource: YouthAids.Org
YouthAids brings together celebrities, designers, and others to encourage awareness, testing, and activism among people and to use positive media messages to promote healthy behavior.

Keep up the good work!

Caitlin
Caitlin Johnson, senior writer, and the Connect for Kids team.