CFK Weekly—May 15, 2000

We encourage distribution of this information! If reprinting in whole or part, please attribute it to Connect for Kids (www.connectforkids.org).

NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS
**Million Mom March: A First Step?
**Mom's Vote 2000
**Social Welfare, Southern Style
**Center to Prevent Handgun Violence

CONNECT TODAY
**They Came, They Marched ... Now How Do They Conquer?

PUBLIC AMBIVALENCE DETRIMENTAL TO TEENS
**Teens Today ? ?Dangerous and Self-Absorbed??
**YMCA Poll Shows Gaps in Communication Between Teens and Parents
**Teens and Their Parents in the 21st Century
**Can Government Policies Do More for Teens and Their Families?

EDUCATION, READY OR NOT?
**Getting Children Ready for the First Grade
**Digest of Education Statistics

COMMUNITY TOOLKITS AND RESOURCES
**Build a Bicycle-Friendly Community
**Cultural Competency for Community Drug-Fighting Efforts
**Get the Most Out of Community After-School Programs
**Are Schools Using the Most Effective Anti-Drug Programs?
**Casey Foundation Reports on Neighborhood Action on Teen Sex
**Engaging Families and Communities
**Funding for Community-Based Drug Prevention
**Idea for Action: What You Can Do for Your Community

WASHINGTON UPDATE
**Budgeting for Kids in FY 2001

REPORTS IN BRIEF
**Kids and Guns: The Numbers
**Measuring Progress in Public and Parental Understanding of Learning Disabilities
**Life's Work: Generational Attitudes Toward Work and Life Integration
**First National Allergen Survey
**Uniform Crime Report
**Racial Disparities in Prenatal Health Care Affect Birth Outcomes

?DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE??
**San Jose Needs CASA Volunteers
**Packard to Fund Technology for Child Care Centers
**Join the San Jose Connect for Kids Listserv

THINGS TO DO! PLACES TO GO!

FOCUS ON THE  STATES
**Keep Up to Date with Connect for Kids State Pages
**Status of Education Standards in the States
**State by State Round-Up

NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS

**Million Mom March: A First Step?
by Susan Phillips and Jan Richter
In the largest protest ever against gun violence, a crowd estimated at close to 500,000 crowded the Mall in Washington DC this Sunday for the Million Mom March. Whether the event turns out to be the first step in creating safer homes, schools and neighborhoods or just a sun-drenched photo opportunity depends on what happens next. One thing is sure: the marching mothers and others have the nation's attention, at least for the moment. Susan Phillips and Jan Richter report their impressions.

**Moms Vote 2000
Mothers have a tradition of taking a stand for America's families. Connect for Kids offers resources to help you ask the right questions of candidates and make sure they put forth their views on kids' issues before you cast your vote.

**Social Welfare, Southern Style
book review by Peter Bardaglio
Hampered by petticoats and immobilized on a pedestal, the Southern lady of our imagination seems an unlikely activist. But the women of the South nevertheless managed to create social welfare institutions in communities deformed by slavery and devastated by war.  Historian Peter Bardaglio says that several essays in a new book,  ?Before the New Deal: Social Welfare in the South, 1830-1930," demonstrate how Southern women raised funds and built programs for children and families.

**Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
Like the Million Mom March, Handgun Control and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence is a grassroots organization that lobbies for common sense gun laws but does not seek to ban handguns.

CONNECT TODAY

**They Came, They Marched ... Now How Do They Conquer?
Now that the Million Mom March is over, founder Donna Dees-Thomases says they will move forward on two fronts: 1) creating a foundation for educational efforts, and 2) creating an organization for political lobbying and community outreach. How do we move forward in our own communities to keep families safe? Share your ideas!
http://www.connectforkids.org/thread_msg2032/thread_msg_show.htm?message_id=18952
 

PUBLIC AMBIVALENCE DETRIMENTAL TO TEENS

**Teens Today ? ?Dangerous and Self-Absorbed??
While most teens today embrace traditional American values like honesty and hard work, adults remain convinced of the contrary -- that teens ?are dangerous and in danger, silly and self-absorbed, lazy and corrupted by consumerism.? Susan Bales, founder of  Connect for Kids and former director of Children's Programs at the Benton Foundation, told the White House Conference on Teenagers on May 2, 2000 about her research (supported by the William T. Grant Foundation) on the high level of negativity in adult attitudes toward adolescents. E-mail Susan for a copy of her full remarks. susanb@frameworksinstitute.org

**YMCA Poll Shows Gaps in Communication Between Teens and Parents
The YMCA ?Talking with Teens? poll indicates that the vast majority of teens still turn to their parents in times of trouble. But it also reveals that parents and teens have differing views on the ways they interact and even on the topics of their conversations. Among its findings are that many families do not eat meals together and that parents significantly underestimate the time their teens spend in front of the television or computer. The poll also shows that young people list inadequate family time as one of their greatest concerns. http://www.ymca.net/presrm/research/teensurvey.htm

**Teens and Their Parents in the 21st Century
By the numbers, teens are doing better -- with increasing rates of higher education and community service and with declining rates in suicides, homicides and pregnancies. The White House Council of Economic Advisors summarizes these trends and credits parents as critical in helping teens maximize their opportunities and reduce risks that threaten them in adolescence. http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/New/html/teenconf.html

**Can Government Policies Do More for Teens and Their Families?
At the White House Conference on Teenagers, the Clinton Administration outlined its proposals to help families balance work and family responsibilities, provide teens with greater educational opportunities, engage young people in civic action and make communities safer and stronger. http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/New/html/teenconf2.html

Visit the ?The Teen Years? feature on Connect for Kids for background information on teen development and how adults can reach out to teens. http://www.connectforkids.org/content1555/content.htm

EDUCATION, READY OR NOT?

**Getting Children Ready for the First Grade
The South has come a long way since 1980 in helping prepare preschoolers for school, according to this Southern Region Education Board report. In fact, the region is taking the lead in providing state-funded prekindergarten programs to serve at-risk children, identifying kids early who need more help in learning to read, and making sure young children receive all recommended immunizations. But, as the report notes, there still is work to be done.
http://www.sreb.org/Main/EducationPolicy/Benchmarks2000/firstgrade.html

**Digest of Education Statistics
The 1999 edition of the Digest of Education Statistics ? with data on topics from preschool enrollments to college financing ? has become easier to use, according to the National Center on Education Statistics. Visit the new online version. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/digest99/

You'll find comprehensive education information in the Connect for Kids feature on ?Kids and Learning.? http://www.connectforkids.org/content1556/content.htm

WASHINGTON UPDATE

**Budgeting for Kids in FY 2001
Last week the Senate Appropriations Committee passed the FY 2001 appropriations bill that provides the majority of funding for children's programs. The bill proposes increased funding for child care, Head Start, and after-school programs, but would cut nearly $2 billion from the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which provides children's health coverage to low-income working families. Also threatened are dollars for child protective services, welfare block grants and welfare-to-work programs in the Social Services Block Grant (Title XX).
http://www.handsnet.org/alerts1242/alerts_show.htm?doc_id=29220

COMMUNITY TOOLKITS AND RESOURCES

**Build a Bicycle-Friendly Community
Is the sun shining where you are? Action Kits from Earth Force can help your community's young people exercise their civic and physical muscles at the same time through the ?Get Out Spoke'n? initiative, a campaign that facilitates young people working to make biking in their communities easier and safer.
http://www.earthforce.org/resources.htm

**Cultural Competency for Community Drug-Fighting Efforts
How do you ensure a diverse cross-section of participants in your community drug-prevention coalition? These and other questions will be addressed in a free satellite teleconference on May 25, 2000. For more information, e-mail Ed Kronholm <dlnets@aol.com>. http://www.dlnets.com/cadca_25may00.htm

**Get the Most Out of Community After-School Programs
How do you really help kids stay on track for academic success? Hook them up with a caring adult and engage them in learning-rich activities, says Dr. Reg Clark, author of ?Family Life and School Achievement: Why Poor Black Children Succeed or Fail.? These are the keynotes of Project LEARN, a model for after-school programs. Read a summary of the American Youth Policy Forum briefing on Project LEARN online.  http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2000/fb033100.htm

**Are Schools Using the Most Effective Anti-Drug Programs?
A North Carolina research study says the three most popular programs used by schools to prevent drug use ? Drug Awareness and Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), Here's Looking at You, and McGruff's Drug Prevention and Child Protection -- are not among those proven to be effective. Programs like Reconnecting Youth, Life Skills Training, Project ALERT, Project STAR, Alcohol Misuse Prevention and Project Northland, which have demonstrated success, are less popular among school districts. http://www.unc.edu/news/newsserv/research/halfors050300.htm

**Casey Foundation Reports on Neighborhood Action on Teen Sex
Most adults want teens to wait until they are more mature before engaging in sex, but how to effectively help teens delay is a matter of considerable controversy. This article from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that adults helped protect sexually active teens from pregnancies and STDs by improving communication with teens and expanding teen reproductive health services. Beginning with community mapping that gave the adults a ?reality check? on teens in their communities, different neighborhoods ended up with different strategies but positive results.
http://www.aecf.org/publications/advocasey/presum2000/index.htm

**Engaging Families and Communities
If you're an educator looking for successful strategies for engaging parents and the community in your school, you might start with this scholarly volume. ?Engaging Families and Communities? is intended to help educators weave some of the best ideas into a comprehensive family-school-community involvement program tailored to their own communities. Cost: $23.95. Call the National Community Education Association for an order form (703-359-8973).

**Funding for Community-Based Drug Prevention
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will be awarding grants for community-based projects, including up to $2 million in seven grants in FY 2001 to test effective substance abuse interventions in the local community. Application deadline is September 10, 2000. Call 800-729-6686 or visit http://www.samhsa.gov

**Idea for Action: What You Can Do for Your Community
The National Civic League has released its year 2000 poster of ?100 Things You Can Do For Your Community.?  800-223-6004. Cost: $6

The Reference Room on Connect for Kids' Web site has tools and resources for community building in ?Topics A - Z.? http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1543/index.htm

Get a jump-start to action on behalf of kids and families by visiting our ?Ideas for Action? section. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1563/index.htm

REPORTS IN BRIEF

**Kids and Guns: The Numbers
Looking for some data on kids and guns? Child Trends has compiled some basic facts about youth carrying guns to school; child and youth deaths due to guns (including all firearms); child and youth homicides; suicides and accidental deaths due to guns; and
guns in children's homes.
http://www.childtrends.org/n_guns500.cfm

**Measuring Progress in Public and Parental Understanding of Learning Disabilities
A recent poll shows that although the public better has a better understanding of learning disabilities, parents still find that shame and stigma interfere with their ability to ask for public services.
http://www.ldonline.org/pressroom/news/fact_sheet_may2000.html

**Life's Work: Generational Attitudes Toward Work and Life Integration
In a shift away from their fathers' generation, the majority of young men report that a job schedule that allows for family time is more important than money, power or prestige, according to a new study released today by the Radcliffe Public Policy Center.
http://www.radcliffe.edu/news/pr/000503ppc_harris.html

**First National Allergen Survey
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have found that over 45 percent of U.S. homes have bedding with dust mite concentrations that can make them sick from allergies.
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/news/bedding.htm

**Uniform Crime Report
According to preliminary FBI figures, serious crime continued to fall in 1999, marking the eighth consecutive annual decrease nationwide.
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrm/pressrel/pressrel00/99prelan.htm

**Gun Control: Options for Improving the National Instant Criminal Background Check System
This GAO report analyzes the weaknesses in the data system support for the Brady Law's 3-day waiting period for gun purchases. According to FBI figures, over 2,500 people in a 10-months period were able to buy guns despite being in a prohibited category, due to data processing delays. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/gg00056.pdf

**Racial Disparities in Prenatal Health Care Affect Birth Outcomes
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that that black and Hispanic women were twice as likely as white women to have delayed or no prenatal care, putting them at greater risk for undetected, and sometime fatal, complications of pregnancy.
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4918a1.htm

?DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE??

**San Jose Needs CASA Volunteers
If you have a caring heart and some time to give, you could make a difference for one of the 440 children in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties who are waiting for a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer to get to know them and speak up for them in their court proceedings. CASA trains and supervises all volunteers. For more information e-mail Jane Garland at jane@cadvocates.org.

**Packard to Fund Technology for Child Care Centers
The Packard Foundation is now requesting proposals for its Child Care Center Technology Initiative, which will award hardware, software and training to child care centers in selected areas, including Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. Deadline is June 1, 2000. http://www.packfound.org/html/ccti_rfp.html

**Join the San Jose Connect for Kids Listserv
If you are a citizen, service provider, advocate or community leader working to improve the lives of kids and families in Silicon Valley, you are invited to join our new Connect for Kids listserv to discuss your experiences and issue concerns or post announcements of events and meetings. E-mail jan@benton.org to sign up!

THINGS TO DO! PLACES TO GO!

Did you know that the week of May 21 is National Dog Bite Prevention Week and Buckle Up America Week? You would if you took a look at the Connect for Kids Calendar!
http://www.connectforkids.org/calendar1569/calendar.htm

FOCUS ON THE STATES

**Keep Up to Date with Connect for Kids State Pages
The legislative season is finishing in many states. Find out what your state did, or didn't do, to improve opportunities for kids and families this year in the ?State-by-State? section of Connect for Kids. Your state page has links to leading child advocacy organizations, most of which have posted legislative round-ups online. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1576/index.htm

**Status of Education Standards in the States
States are implementing their plans for academic standards in public education. Check out a chart of your state's ?action plan? on testing, social promotion, school readiness, accountability and more ? the results of a survey of the states by Achieve, Inc.
http://www.achieve.org

**State by State Round-Up

Arizona. The Governor is expected to call the Legislature into Special Session to consider the Governor's Education sales tax proposal in May.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=380

California. Gov. Davis plans to revise the state budget, adding $1.84 billion or more for K-12 education.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=382

Connecticut. Now that the state surplus is higher than originally estimated, the budget debate is not yet over.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=384

Illinois. The new Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit will help some low-income working families move out of poverty.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=390

Kentucky. Kentucky is using $55.675 million (or 25 percent of the state's tobacco settlement money) for Gov. Patton's Kids Now Initiative.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=394

Michigan. Detroit PBS (Channel 56) will rerun ?Leading ... Learning for All -- Early Childhood Development," on Sunday, May 21, at 10:30 pm.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=399

New York. Celebrate and preserve the network of over 50 community gardens on the Lower East Side, Saturday, May 20th, from 10am-7pm.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=409

Washington. Washington state policies are failing children of color, according to ?The Facts of Life for Children of Color in Washington State.?
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=385

Stay in touch, everyone!

Jan Richter, Outreach Specialist, and the Connect for Kids team
Jan@benton.org