CFK Weekly: December 12, 2005

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG

Escuela Tlatelolco’s Three C’s: Community, Culture and Caring
Founded by a 1960s-era Chicano activist, Escuela Tlatelolco continues to put social justice and respect for children’s cultural roots at the center of its approach to teaching and learning. Robert Ebisch profiles a school that seems light-years away from the national obsession with raising test scores – yet successfully sends most of its low-income, predominantly minority students on to college.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3777

Youth Media's Eye on Iraq
Are military recruiters really telling it like it is? What are the economic and social forces that might drive a not-very-patriotic teen to sign up for military sources? Kendra Hurley of the Open Society Institute’s Youth Media Reporter looks at how young people are trying to make sense of the war through reporting and other media projects.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3778

KIDS & POLITICS

Between tax cuts and the federal budget, there’s been a lot of action on Capitol Hill that will have direct impact on families and communities.

Countdown to a Final Federal Budget
Congress is working to finalize the federal budget for fiscal year 2006 before adjourning sometime between December 16 and 20. The House version of the budget reconciliation has raised serious alarm among advocates for families and children because it cuts $56 billion in spending, largely by slashing critical programs for families -- from food stamps and child support enforcement to child care and college aid. The Senate version does not include many of these harmful cuts.
http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/051209a.html

This Week -- Action Ideas for the Budget
This week is an important time to let your elected officials know your priorities. Here are just a few resources. We welcome your suggestions as well!

Call-in to Congress: 800-426-8073
This week, concerned adults can use the toll-free number 800-426-8073 (made available by the American Friends Service Committee) to reach the Capitol switchboard and request to be connected to Representatives and Senators. You can also use the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 – it’s a Washington, DC telephone number.
http://www.chn.org/pdf/DecemberCallInFlier.pdf

Vigils for a Moral Budget
Calling the budget a “moral document that reflects our nation’s priorities,” the progressive, faith-based network Call to Renewal is helping to organize vigils for elected officials – both on Capitol Hill and at Senators’ and Representatives’ hometown offices -- on Wednesday, December 14th.
http://www.calltorenewal.org/

RESULTS Contact Congress Tools
As Congress weighs the provisions of the two budget bills, the grassroots group RESULTS has created a page to help activists contact elected officials.
http://capwiz.com/results/callalert/index.tt?alertid=7985856

The Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities
Across the country, this network is helping Americans mobilize and make their voices heard on the funding and programs that matter most to them.
http://www.actnow.org/?pcode=USACT99

CFK Action Central
What’s happening in Congress – and in your hometown? Action Central can help you find information on action alerts, upcoming events, the week’s news from the child advocacy community, and more.
http://www.connectforkids.org/action_central

Congress Extends Tax Cuts
Along with the federal budget, taxes are big on the Congressional agenda this month. Last week, by a vote of 234 to 197, the House of Representatives approved $56.1 billion in new tax breaks primarily benefiting the wealthiest Americans -- including a $23 billion tax break for those who claim capital gains and dividends. Support for the cuts was bipartisan, and there was little mention of the potential impact on the federal deficit.
http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/051209b.html

The Fair Taxes for All campaign has both information and action ideas. Check out the Legislation Watch section (see the left-hand sidebar).
http://www.fairtaxes4all.org/site/pp.asp?c=apIIIWMLG&b=4802

The Congressional record of this and related votes is online.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll621.xml

Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2006
More than a million three and four-year-olds now attend state funded pre-kindergarten programs, as state pre-K spending has shown the largest increase in five years, according to this Pre-K Now national report. Nationwide total pre-K funding nearly doubled over last year, as 30 states moved to increase funding for pre-K access, twice the number of states over FY05.
http://www.preknow.org/

HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE

Medicaid Provisions of House Reconciliation Bill Both Harmful and Unnecessary
The House version of the federal budget would significantly increase the co-payments and premiums imposed on low-income Medicaid beneficiaries and restrict the availability of important health care services. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that if these provisions become law, many low-income people would forgo health care services, and others would lose health coverage altogether. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has a clear summary of the impact – and how the Senate’s budget plan saves more without reducing access to health care for low-income workers.
http://www.cbpp.org/12-9-05health.htm

Montana to Increase SCHIP Enrollment by 2,000
Montana plans to boost enrollment in its State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) program by 2,000, using increased state funds and a voter-approved cigarette tax increase. There are about 12,000 children currently enrolled in the state's SCHIP program – but as many as 15, 000 may be eligible under current guidelines. Right now, a family of three with an annual household income of $24,135 and a family of four with an annual income of $29,025 are eligible.
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/2005/12/08/build/state/70-chip.inc

Treating Allergic Reactions at School
This month, a Canadian teenager went into anaphylactic shock after kissing her boyfriend who had eaten a peanut butter sandwich nine hours earlier. The much-publicized story (it made the cover of this week’s People magazine, for example) has drawn attention to the severity of allergies, especially in young people. Kids with life-threatening allergic reactions sometimes require treatment at school, and parents may neglect to inform school officials of these severe allergies, say researchers. KidsHealth has information and tips.
http://www.kidshealth.org/research/treating_reactions.html

Flu Shots at School?
Are schools prepared to administer Tamiflu to students and faculty if avian flu became a threat in the United States? Health in Schools is cataloguing and examining school-based flu shot programs.
http://www.healthinschools.org/sh/shots.asp

Be sure to check out their article about the pros and cons of Tamiflu and whether to vaccinate children in a potential pandemic.
http://www.healthinschools.org/ejournal/2005/dec1.htm

FOSTERING POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Spending Smarter: A Funding Guide for Policymakers and Advocates to Promote Social and Emotional Health and School Readiness
This guide from the National Center for Children in Poverty will help state and community policymakers, agency officials, families, and other advocates to more effectively address the social and emotional challenges that prevent early school success. It includes a companion report that targets vulnerable young children, and a checklist to strengthen early childhood mental health and early intervention capacity.
http://www.nccp.org/index.html

Hope & Healing: A Caregiver’s Guide to Helping Young Children Affected by Trauma
Should young children be allowed to play with scary toys? What do you say when a toddler tells you daddy hurt mommy last night? Children who have experienced trauma bring their anxieties and concerns to child care. This Zero to Three guidebook helps caregivers understand the effects of trauma on children’s responses and behaviors, and how to provide the kind of caring that helps children traumatized by violence, loss or natural disasters feel safe and resilient again.
http://www.zerotothree.org/HHintro.html

“Helping Young Children Succeed,” another Zero to Three report (produced jointly with the National Council of State Legislatures), helps policymakers understand and support healthy childhood social and emotional development.
http://www.zerotothree.org/policy/

January 19 Conference: Can Positive Youth Development Improve Juvenile Justice?
Chapin Hall and the Urban Institute are sponsoring this January 19 conference, part of a new monthly series bringing together public policy experts on issues facing children, families, and communities. The series will be moderated by Emmy Award-winning journalist Judy Woodruff. The discussions take place at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. from 9:00 am to 10:30 am on the second Thursday of
each month.
http://www.about.chapinhall.org/conferences/urban/conference.html

HEALTHY EATING, IN SCHOOL AND OUT

Food Marketing Aimed at Kids Influences Poor Nutritional Choices
A theory long obvious to parents now has scientific buy-in: a new Institute of Medicine offering the most comprehensive review of data to date finds that junk food marketing directly affects the requests and choices of kids ages 12 and under. Significant changes are needed to reshape children's awareness of healthy dietary choices, the report says. It calls on manufacturers and restaurants to develop and market child- and youth-oriented foods, drinks, and meals that are higher in nutrients and lower in calories, fat, salt, and added sugars. http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20051206.html

Stir It Up Campaign in Schools
Research shows that children who don't have healthy eating habits have lower test scores, increased absenteeism, difficulty concentrating and lower energy levels. School principals are key advocates in the fight for better student nutrition and wellness, but they need prodding and support from parents to make real change happen. This campaign is helping parents get active in their children’s schools – starting with a letter inviting principals to join the effort to get junk food out and physical activity in schools.
http://center.parentsaction.org/ct/_pSjzJ71tXfh/

Meeting: Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools
The Institute of Medicine Committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools hosted its second meeting on December 5-6, 2005 in Washington, DC. You can access the agenda, speakers, presentations, and materials, and learn more about the Committee’s work online.
http://www.iom.edu/project.asp?id=30181

Illinois Governor Resumes Junk Food Fight
Undeterred by a lopsided loss in the Legislature last year, Gov. Blagojevich has taken another crack at prohibiting the sale of candy, soda, and other junk food in Illinois schools.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-junkfood29.html

EDUCATION NEWS

Third Space: Arts in Education
There’s new evidence that when arts are nurtured in schools, learning thrives as well. This three-year study, published by the Arts Education Partnership, looks at 10 elementary, middle, and high schools serving economically disadvantaged students in urban and rural that have used the arts to effectively transform their curriculum and culture. The term "Third Space" describes the positive and supportive relationships that develop among students, educators, and the community when they are involved in creating, performing, or responding to works of art.
http://www.aep-arts.org/ThirdSpacehome.htm.

2005 Trial Urban District Assessment
The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), a special project of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, began assessing performance at the district level in 10 urban districts in 2002 with reading and writing assessments of fourth- and eighth-grade reading and mathematics. During the last two years, seven of the 10 districts posted larger gains than their peers nationwide in fourth-grade reading; eight districts posted larger gains than their peers nationwide in fourth-grade math; and, in eighth-grade, the percentage of students with basic math skills has increased in seven districts more than it has across the nation. In many of the systems, minority students are outperforming their peers elsewhere.
http://nationsreportcard.gov/tuda_reading_mathematics_2005/

Longer School Year in the Making? (MN)
Minnesota superintendents will press state lawmakers to add five weeks to the school calendar over the next four years, mostly by slimming down summer break.
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthtribune/news/local/13356995.htm

CHILD CARE

When it Comes to Child Care, Centers are Safest
While paid child care is very safe overall, centers are much safer than all other forms of child care, according to a new national study from the City University of New York Graduate Center. The fatality rate for children who receive child care in private homes is sixteen times higher than the fatality rate for children in child care centers. http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_studies.htm#childCare

New ChildTrends Child Care Data
Child Trends recently posted analyses of new statistics available on their DataBank. The data covers Individualized Education Plans, Repeating a Grade, and Head Start.
http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/

DISCOURAGING RISKY BEHAVIOR IN TEENS

State Attorneys General Fight Teen Smoking Onscreen
More than 30 attorneys general are mounting a campaign to add anti-smoking ads to the beginning of films in which actors light up onscreen. The bid to fight teen smoking was prompted by a study that showed a marked increase in smoking among children who watch movie characters puffing away. Stateline.org has the scoop.
http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=71193

Teens and Alcohol: Promoting Dialogue on Underage Drinking
This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services town hall meeting engaged high school students, parents, a judge and a doctor in a discussion about the legal consequences and liability concerns, brain health considerations, and overdose and negative consequences associated with underage drinking. You can view the Webcast for free.
http://store.health.org/catalog/productDetails.aspx?ProductID=17263

FOSTER CARE AND CHILD WELFARE

Community Partnerships for Protecting Children: Challenges and Results
Making all community agencies and residents more responsible for child protection does improve child welfare practice – but wasn’t shown to have consistent impact on child abuse reports, service availability, or service quality. That’s the main finding of Chapin Hall's four-year evaluation of the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) pilot initiative, a reform effort embraced by many in the child welfare field as representing improvements over standard child welfare practice.
http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1420&L2=61&L3=129

Child Maltreatment in Indiana: A Status Report
This Indiana Youth Institute issue update examines Indiana’s response to child abuse and neglect and additional measures to be considered during the upcoming 2006 Indiana legislative session.
http://www.iyi.org/media/pr_details.asp?ArticleID=299

FAMILIES, KIDS & THE ECONOMY

Interpreting the FCD Index of Child Well-Being
In 2004, the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) began releasing an annual “Index of Child Well-Being.” This 19-page paper by Jared Bernstein and Yulia Fungard of the Economic Policy Institute, is both an interesting introduction to and an assessment of the Index – in particular, the paper looks at the Index and what it measures, and whether "weights" should be added to the indicators.
http://www.fcd-us.org/PDFs/CriticalAppraisals1-Bernstein.pdf

"Workers, Stiffed”
A new American Prospect column looks at the message recent tax and budget bills in Congress are sending about work, family, and the working poor – finding that Congressional proposals may actually eliminate support and incentives for work among low-income families even as they reduce taxes on the wealth of the most fortunate.
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=10704

Worker Layoffs Continue to Rise, May Top 2004 Rates
How the economy is faring has serious implications for parents and families. Last week, Dow Jones’s MarketWatch reported that companies in the United States fired nearly 100,000 people in November -- a 22 percent jump over a month ago, marking the third consecutive month of rising layoffs. Many of the layoffs are in the auto industry, or among government and nonprofit employers. This may be the fifth year in a row in which layoffs top one million. The New Standard reports.