CFK Weekly— Jan. 12, 2004
We encourage distribution of this information! If reprinting
in whole or part, please attribute it to Connect for Kids (www.connectforkids.org).
NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Nickels, Dimes and Big Bucks
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
**Ending Childhood Poverty: Not Rocket Science
KIDS AND POLITICS -- DECIDING WHERE THE MONEY GOES
**Restoring Fiscal Sanity
**After School Funding Needs a Boost in FY05
**16 Senators Send Letter to President on Child Nutrition Funding
**What's in Store for Secondary Schools in FY04?
**Petition for Juvenile Justice Funding in FY04!
** It's an Election Year! Are you Registered to Vote?
WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T -- A HANDY CHART
**Guide to Effective Programs for Children and Youth
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK!
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
**Helping Policymakers Walk a Mile in their Constituents' Shoes
**CACFP Building for the Future Award Nominations
**"Character's Cool" Contest
KEEPING KIDS FIT
**Starting Babies Out with Poor Eating Habits?
**Increasing the Guidelines for Children's Physical Activity in 2004
**Pediatricians on Soft Drinks in Schools
**Close to a Third of Children Eat Fast Food Daily
**Nutrition, Physical Exercise, and Obesity: What's Happening at Your School?
**Sugarplum Society
REACHING EVERY STUDENT, TEACHING EVERY STUDENT
**Count Me In: Special Education in an Era of Standards
**Attending Kindergarten and Already Behind: A Statistical Portrait
**School Funding Still in Jeopardy
**The State of the States: Equity and Adequacy of Funding Local Schools
**Charlotte Students Outperform their Peers
CONNECT FOR YOUTH
**White House Report on Disadvantaged Youth Released
**Inside the Black Box: What is the "Content" of After-School?
**How Are Foster Kids Faring?
**Youth Drug and Tobacco Use Down
THE LIVES OF LOW-WAGE FAMILIES
**Children Remain Poor Despite Working Parents
**Families Facing More Hardships
**Groups Take the Sting Out of Predatory Lending
**How Much Do Welfare Recipients Know about Time Limits
CHILDREN'S HEALTH COVERAGE LOSING GROUND
**State Budget Cuts Causing Cutbacks in Children's Health Coverage
**Increasing Red Tape Costing Medicaid and SCHIP Dollars
SPOTLIGHT ON BABIES AND TODDLERS
**America's Babies Data Book
**New Position Statement on Early Education Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation
**Coming Together for Children with Disabilities
PARENTING HELP
**Parenting Clashpoint Series: The Freedom of Limits
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State of the State Addresses
**State Fiscal Storms: Digging Out of a Deep Hole
**Stateline Taking Orders for "State of the States 2004"
**State-by-State News
NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Nickels, Dimes and Big Bucks
Every time you use your low-rate credit card to pay for a carload of groceries from Price Club, you're benefiting from an efficient market economy and a sophisticated financial infrastructure -- benefits that are out of reach for hundreds of thousands of low- and moderate-income American families. In the first of two articles, Caitlin Johnson looks at the high cost of living outside the financial mainstream.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=202855
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
Set your alarms for Wednesday at 1 pm, when CFK's Executive Director Cecilia Garcia will lead an online chat on effective strategies for finding nonprofit funding for children's programs. Visit Connect for Kids.org at 1 pm (EST) on January 14 to see the answers to yours, or others' questions.
http://www.connectforkids.org/usr_doc/OnlineChat.html
**Ending Childhood Poverty: Not Rocket Science
There are signs that President Bush will call for a national commitment to the goal of landing people on Mars in his State of the Union speech on January 20, 2004. Connect for Kids' Jan Richter suggests that an earlier president had a better idea for uniting and channeling our nation's energies.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=202856
KIDS AND POLITICS -- DECIDING WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Child advocates are doing more than following federal money -- they're weighing in on federal spending decisions still pending for FY04 (and anticipating the need in FY05) to push for funding for social programs. When Congress returns on January 20, the first order of business will be to finish FY04 appropriations. President Bush will present his FY05 budget in early February.
**Restoring Fiscal Sanity
If current policies continue, America will face annual federal budget deficits of over half a trillion dollars in the next decade, slowing economic growth, reducing household incomes, and imposing enormous burdens on today's children, who are the next generation of taxpayers. A group of Brookings scholars explains why growing federal deficits matter and what can be done in a report to be released January 13.
http://www.brookings.edu/
In her January 5, 2004 blog, CFK's Jan Richter wonders if the deepening deficits will turn the tables in national politics.
http://www.kidsandpolitics.org
**After School Funding Needs a Boost in FY05
After several years of flat funding, now's the time to make sure after-school programs get the level of federal funding that was authorized in the No Child Left Behind legislation, says U.S. Action.
http://www.usactionnetwork.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=14019
**16 Senators Send Letter to President on Child Nutrition Funding
Find out which lawmakers sent a bipartisan letter to President Bush, asking for new federal funding in the FY05 budget to support child nutrition programs, increase access to school meals and ensure the nutritional quality of meals offered.
http://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/sfsnews/decltrtobush.asp
**What's in Store for Secondary Schools in FY04?
The Alliance for Excellent Education charts the spending slated for education programs that help middle and high school students in the omnibus spending bill still pending for FY04.
http://www.all4ed.org/publications/StraightAs/straightas.html
The National Education Association says the current House-Senate omnibus appropriations bill shortchanges students and schools for FY04.
http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=4475001
Last week's Weekly has detailed information on the omnibus appropriations bill -- see the archives.
http://www.connectforkids.org/weekly
**Petition for Juvenile Justice Funding in FY04!
Rosalie Sundin offers a petition telling lawmakers not to cut the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant and other federal funding for prevention and other services in juvenile justice so deeply cut in FY04.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/994096610
** It's an Election Year! Are you Registered to Vote?
Let Connect for Kids help with our secure link to the Working Assets registration tool.
https://www.workingforchange.com/vote/index.cfm?ms=CFK002
WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T -- A HANDY CHART
**Guide to Effective Programs for Children and Youth
Early Head Start works, Second Chance doesn't. Child Trends charts the programs that show significant results for a range of desired outcomes and youth ages, and those that don't. The chart has links to the summaries of the evaluation research.
http://www.childtrends.org/Lifecourse/programs_ages.htm
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK!
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
Set your alarms for this Wednesday, January 14, 2004 at 1 pm, when CFK's Executive Director Cecilia Garcia will lead an online chat on effective strategies for funding nonprofit children's programs. Join us Wednesday on our homepage to post questions and read the answers.
http://www.connectforkids.org/usr_doc/OnlineChat.html
**Helping Policymakers Walk a Mile in their Constituents' Shoes
Walk a Mile, offered in 29 states and Puerto Rico, is a hands-on experience that brings policymakers and people receiving public assistance together for one month. Community organizations wishing to coordinate state-wide or local projects in 2004 will get trainings in Seattle on May 24 and 25 and receive ongoing support. Application deadline: April 15, 2004. For more information, contact Program Director, Natasha Grossman, at (206) 543-3027 or [natasha@walkamile.org].
http://www.walkamile.org
**CACFP Building for the Future Award Nominations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service is now accepting nominations for the Child and Adult Care Food Program's 2004 Building for the Future Awards, recognizing outstanding organizational practices that go beyond the basics to provide highly efficient, effective and accessible nutrition programs. Deadline: February 20, 2004.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/CACFP/Awards_2004.htm
**"Character's Cool" Contest
The MindOH! Foundation's third annual Character's Cool Contest helps middle and high school students reflect on what it means to have good character. Students can fill out an online survey or submit an essay for prizes. The school with the most student entries will win a computer and a one-year subscription to MindOH!'s Discipline and Life Skills Series. Deadline: January 31, 2004. For more information visit the contest Web site or send an e-mail to: [contests@mindohfoundation.org].
http://www.mindohfoundation.org/contest
KEEPING KIDS FIT
**Starting Babies Out with Poor Eating Habits?
A national longitudinal survey finds that infants as young as 7 months have similar poor eating patterns to those observed in older children and adults. Up to a third of babies between 7 and 24 months ate no discrete servings of vegetables or fruits. French fries were the most common vegetable eaten by toddlers 15 to 18 months. Almost half (46%) of babies age 7 to 8 months consumed some type of sweet, dessert or sweetened beverage -- and this percentage increased as they aged. (See "Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study.")
http://www.adajournal.org/scripts/om.dll/serve?action=searchDB&searchDBfor=art&artType=abs&id=as0002822303014949&nav=abs
**Increasing the Guidelines for Children's Physical Activity in 2004
The mistaken notion that time spent in physical education and recess is time wasted is a major roadblock in making sure 5- to 12-year-olds get the 60 minutes of exercise a day they need, according to revised guidelines from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Periods of two hours or more of inactivity should be discouraged.
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm?template=pr_123103.html
**Pediatricians on Soft Drinks in Schools
Sweetened soft drinks, the primary source of added sugar in children's daily diets, have been associated with increased risk of overweight and obesity, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' new policy statement. AAP recommends that pediatricians actively work to eliminate sweetened soft drinks in schools and that school districts consider restricting the sale of soft drinks, especially in vending machines and other venues that compete with the school lunch program.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/1/152
**Close to a Third of Children Eat Fast Food Daily
Fast food is fast becoming a prominent feature in children's diets. Researchers have found that when children eat fast food, they tend to eat less fiber and milk and fewer fruits and nonstarchy vegetables that day. (See the report, "Effects of Fast-Food Consumption on Energy Intake and Diet Quality Among Children in a National Household Survey.")
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/1/112
**Nutrition, Physical Exercise, and Obesity: What's Happening at Your School?
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools is gathering information from front-line school professionals. Add your input by answering their five-minute interactive survey.
http://www.healthinschools.org/obesitysurvey.asp
**Sugarplum Society
"There are brilliant marketing minds working constantly to come up with more powerful, more exciting ways to entice our children," says obesity researcher Marlene Schwartz. "I think parents really need to fight back and try to limit the industry's access to our children." Connect for Kids' Robert Capriccioso explores the concerns of health experts and parents in the battle against childhood obesity.
http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=201815
REACHING EVERY STUDENT, TEACHING EVERY STUDENT
**Count Me In: Special Education in an Era of Standards
Some 12 percent of the total school-age population -- 6.6 million students -- receive special education services, most in regular school buildings. Education Week's eighth annual state-by state report on public education explores how states test special education students, prepare teachers, pay for services, and hold schools accountable for results.
Testing and accountability remain the most contentious issues, especially with No Child Left Behind mandates requiring all students to be "proficient" within a decade. Most states with complete data found gaps of 30 percentage points or more on fourth-grade reading tests between special and general education students. Gaps in high school were even greater.
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc04/article.cfm?slug=17exec.h23
**Attending Kindergarten and Already Behind: A Statistical Portrait
How many kindergarteners are at high risk for falling behind in school learning? Child Trends analyzed the data on some 3.9 million kindergartners in the 1998-1999 school year to find that although 2.2 million children lagged in one area (health, cognitive achievement or emotional/social development), far fewer did so in multiple areas. (Only five percent lagged in all three areas.)
http://www.childtrends.org/PDF/AttendingKindergartenRB.pdf
**School Funding Still in Jeopardy
Education Week finds that 2004 will bring another struggle to keep state funding in line with the growing costs of public education. The potential for tight funding comes after schools have already scaled back their budgets, and when states face the new costs of complying with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=16Fiscal.h23
**The State of the States: Equity and Adequacy of Funding Local Schools
When it comes to how fairly state education dollars are distributed within a state, Hawaii earned the only "A" and Illinois flunked, according to this annual analysis by Education Week and the Pew Charitable Trusts. States are doing better when it comes to the issue of adequately per-pupil spending: eight states earned an A or A- and none failed. Find a profile or rankings for your state on these and other measures in the Quality Counts report.
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc04/article.cfm?slug=17sos.h23
**Charlotte Students Outperform their Peers
Black, white and low-income students in Charlotte's public schools students did better than their other big-city counterparts on math and reading scores in both the fourth- and eighth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress tests in 2003. Results from the other ten cities -- Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego and Washington -- were mixed. In reading, eighth-graders in Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York and San Diego outperformed their big-city peers; in math, eighth-graders in Boston, Houston, New York and San Diego tested above the average big-city scores.
http://nces.ed.gov/commissioner/remarks2003/12_17_2003.asp
CONNECT FOR YOUTH
**White House Report on Disadvantaged Youth Released
The long-awaited final report of the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth, submitted to the President on October 1, 2003, seeks to provide a framework for Federal youth policy that encompasses a comprehensive Federal response to the problems facing America's youth, with a focus on enhanced agency accountability and effectiveness."
http://www.nassembly.org
**Inside the Black Box: What is the "Content" of After-School?
After-school programs can foster a love of learning, problem-solving and other skills and improve academic achievement with different approaches -- with activities that explicitly emphasize academics or by "embedding" academic content in sports, cultural or other activities, says the Forum for Youth Investment. When it comes to the popular activity of helping with homework, much depends on the quality of help offered.
Given the current pressures on schools to show improvement and limited public resources for after-school programs, the Forum argues that determining what is realistic to expect from after-school programs in terms of in-school performance is key.
http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/
**How Are Foster Kids Faring?
Foster children typically have lower levels of well-being critical to their development than other children. Almost six in ten foster infants and toddlers are at high risk for impaired neurological and cognitive development. Nearly half of children ages 6 to 11 have behavioral or emotional problems. Almost of third of foster children under age 15 have a disability. The resilience of this population is evident in the low rates of delinquent behaviors in early adolescence and the high proportion of foster children who report having a positive, caring relationship with a foster parent or other adult. Cost: $5 (or download the free PDF version).
https://secure.webfirst.com/childtrends.org/onlinecart/product.cfm?id=904
**Youth Drug and Tobacco Use Down
The 2003 Monitoring the Future survey, which monitors drug, tobacco and alcohol use among youth, found continued declines in drug use for most categories of drugs among youth in eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade. Inhalant use by eighth-graders, however, rose slightly.
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/03data.html#2003data-drugs
THE LIVES OF LOW-WAGE FAMILIES
**Children Remain Poor Despite Working Parents
A common misconception is that children are poor because their parents don't work. The reality is that most impoverished children live in a family where at least one parent works, and 56 percent live in families where parents works full-time, year-round, reports the National Center for Children in Poverty. (See, "Parental Employment in Low-Income Families.")
http://www.nccp.org/pub_pel04.html
**Families Facing More Hardships
Unemployment, low-paying jobs and high housing costs are hurting families, according to the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors survey on hunger and homelessness. Almost six out of ten (59 percent) of those requesting emergency food assistance were members of families with children in 2003, and 15 percent of these requests were unmet. Among those experiencing homelessness during the year, 40 percent were families with children and five percent were unaccompanied youth.
http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/hunger_121803.asp
**Groups Take the Sting Out of Predatory Lending
Families, especially those with poor credit histories, can pay a high price for "loan shark" practices when they try to consolidate loans, buy a house or take out a payday loan. This Mott Foundation article describes the work of organizations trying to inform families and stop predatory lending abuses.
http://www.mott.org/publications/websites/mosaicv2n4/poverty.asp
This week's top story on Connect for Kids, "Nickles, Dimes and Big Bucks," takes a look at the impact of predatory lending on families.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=202855
**How Much Do Welfare Recipients Know about Time Limits
When welfare reform replaced the federal entitlement program with time-limited assistance, the goal was to use time limits to motivate welfare recipients to find work quickly. This Urban Institute report found, however, that in a 2002 survey almost four of ten recipients either did not know they had a time limit or did not know when their welfare benefit ended. Half of welfare recipients with two or more barriers to employment and three out of four Spanish-speaking recipients lacked information on their time limits.
http://www.urban.org/media/index.htm
CHILDREN'S HEALTH COVERAGE LOSING GROUND
**State Budget Cuts Causing Cutbacks in Children's Health Coverage
In thirty-four states, measures to close state budget gaps have caused unprecedented cuts in Medicaid and SCHIP health insurance coverage for low-income children and families, reports the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Children represent almost half of those losing health insurance coverage (490,000 to 650,000 children) and six states have stopped taking SCHIP applications for enrolling eligible low-income children, including newborns.
http://www.cbpp.org/12-22-03health-pr.htm
**Increasing Red Tape Costing Medicaid and SCHIP Dollars
Administrative burdens are costing states millions of dollars that could otherwise be used to provide health care to children in need, argues a new report from CDF-New York. The study argues that as states introduce administrative hurdles to slow or freeze enrollments of eligible children, they add to the administrative costs of Medicaid and SCHIP programs, taking away funds that could be spent on care for children while reducing the number of children enrolling in these programs. The abstract is available online.
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/237
SPOTLIGHT ON BABIES AND TODDLERS
**America's Babies Data Book
If children are our future, it's important to know how they are doing today -- especially in the earliest years when their minds and bodies are rapidly developing and most vulnerable. This Zero to Three Policy Center Data Book offers demographics, birth data, health and health care, safety, violence and protective systems, family and economic factors, early learning and care, and comparisons with other wealthy countries.
http://www.zerotothree.org/
**New Position Statement on Early Education Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation
How and what should young children be taught, and how do you evaluate early learning programs? Experts agree that because children learn by exploring, thinking about, and inquiring about all sorts of phenomena, good early learning programs offer children the opportunity to learn valued content through investigation, play, and focused, intentional teaching. When assessing young children, evidence should be gathered from realistic settings and situations that reflect children's actual performance. These and other guidelines appear in the new Joint Position Statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education.
http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/pscape.asp
**Coming Together for Children with Disabilities
State collaborations supporting high-quality, inclusive child care for children with disabilities -- especially from low-income families -- face serious challenges, according to this report from the Center on Law and Social Policy and Easter Seals. Without more federal help, states efforts will be in real trouble. There are opportunities to make improvements in two federal programs up for reauthorization this year: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families legislation.
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1070980704.1/ccdf_idea_rpt.pdf
PARENTING HELP
**Parenting Clashpoint Series: The Freedom of Limits
In this first in a series of parenting booklets, Allan Shedlin draws on plenty of conversations with kids, students and parents to offer clear explanations and concrete guidance to parents about establishing family rules and limits that help children learn to control themselves, leading to fewer control battles even in adolescence and beyond. Cost: $8.95 plus shipping and handling.
http://www.daddying.com/Products/products2.htm
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State of the State Addresses
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) have already given their state of the state addresses. More governors will be setting out their agendas soon. Stateline will be posting all state of the state addresses in the "Resources" section.
http://www.stateline.org/stateline/?pa=state&sa=showStateOfStateSpeech
**State Fiscal Storms: Digging Out of a Deep Hole
The National Conference of State Legislatures' report on state budgets for FY04 shows, after serious cutbacks in health, higher education and other areas of concern to families, 24 state budgets are stabilizing, compared with eight a year ago. Twenty-two states, however, see spending overruns in Medicaid, corrections, mental health community programs and early childhood care, and the outlook for FY05 is still precarious.
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2003/pr031121.htm
**Stateline Taking Orders for "State of the States 2004"
Stateline.org is taking orders now for hard copies of its "State of the States 2004" reference book, which includes profiles of new governors and useful maps and charts that will help you keep track of issues, important dates and swing states as the election campaign unfolds.
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=states04@stateline.org
**State-by-State News
Arizona
In his State of Education speech, Arizona schools chief Tom Horne calls for more professional training for teachers and more drama, dance and music for students, according to the Arizona Republic. (See, "Schools Chief Seeks Training, Arts Program.")
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0106hornespeech06.html
The Arizona State School Readiness Board has issued early child care and education recommendations, including calls for development of a rating system for child care providers and an increase in pay for those who meet tougher state standards.
http://www.governor.state.az.us/cyf/school_readiness/index_school_readiness.html
California
The L.A. Times reports that Gov. Schwarzenegger plans to propose a 10% fee increase for Californians attending college at the University of California and California State University and a fee hike of up to 40% for graduate students at the universities. (See, "Schwarzenegger Pushing to Raise College Fees 10% to 44%." Registration is free.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget8jan08,1,1792474.story?coll=la-headlines-california
The California Budget Project analyzes Gov. Schwarzenegger's mid-year spending reductions, which would cap enrollments in the Healthy Families Program, the California Children's Services Program and reduce assistance for half a million of California's poorest families.
http://www.cbp.org
District of Columbia
Child advocates are concerned about new proposals to penalize parents of troubled youth. A letter by the Children's Law Center to D.C. Council members says the "proposed legislation addresses an important issue to the District, but in the wrong way." For more information, email [NDrane@ChildrensLawCenter.org].
Illinois
The Illinois Department of Human Services online calculator allows residents of Illinois to determine their eligibility and apply for Food Stamp, Medicaid or TANF benefits.
http://www.dhs.state.il.us/ts/fss/dhs_foodStamps_fsai.asp
Maine
Advocates helped create an ombudsman office to monitor Child Welfare Services in Maine.
http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/Template.cfm?Section=Browse_by_Publication_Type
Michigan
According to this year's Kids Count in Michigan Data Book 2003, child well-being improved over the last decade on most core outcome measures in its profiles all 83 counties and the City of Detroit. Some 13 percent of Michigan youth, ages 16 to 20, are affected by disabilities, including those that make them unable to leave the house independently for appointments or unable to work at a job or business. These outcomes may suggest unmet needs in earlier years, according to researchers.
http://www.milhs.org/information/default.asp?NavPageID=33804
New York
"Health Insurance: Is It Working for Immigrant Families in New York City" from the Children's Defense Fund-New York says despite recent expansions in public health insurance coverage for immigrants in New York, many immigrant families still face serious barriers to adequate health care.
http://www.cdfny.org/reports/ImmigrantReport_New.pdf
Pennsylvania
Federal law bars for life anyone with a drug-related felony conviction committed after August 1996 from receiving federal TANF and food stamp benefits, but states can opt out of this provision. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell signed a law restoring eligibility for TANF and food stamp benefits for some former drug felons, making Pennsylvania the 31st state to opt out of or modify the federal law. (See, "State Restores Food Aid for Recovering Addicts.")
http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20031225welfare1225p4.asp
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and the Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth are leading the Better Baby Care Coalition, a state-wide effort to raise the quality of the state's early child care services to support children's developmental needs.
http://www.papartnerships.org
West Virginia
The West Virginia Kids Count Databook shows the positive results of hard work: more children covered by health insurance and enrolled in Head Start, higher educational levels among new mothers, and declining rates of teen violent deaths. Challenges remain, including reducing the share of low-birthweight babies, reducing high school drop-out rates, and helping more students use the PROMISE program for college financial aid. Most of all, the state must improve the state's economic and workforce opportunities for families.
http://www.wvkidscountfund.org/databook2003/summaryandfindings.html
Virginia
A growing portion of parents in Virginia are raising children alone. Virginia Voices for Children profiles how the financial impact of single parenting is especially hard on single mothers.
http://www.vakids.org/Kids%20Count/Single%20Parents.pdf
PRIVACY POLICY
NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Nickels, Dimes and Big Bucks
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
**Ending Childhood Poverty: Not Rocket Science
KIDS AND POLITICS -- DECIDING WHERE THE MONEY GOES
**Restoring Fiscal Sanity
**After School Funding Needs a Boost in FY05
**16 Senators Send Letter to President on Child Nutrition Funding
**What's in Store for Secondary Schools in FY04?
**Petition for Juvenile Justice Funding in FY04!
** It's an Election Year! Are you Registered to Vote?
WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T -- A HANDY CHART
**Guide to Effective Programs for Children and Youth
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK!
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
**Helping Policymakers Walk a Mile in their Constituents' Shoes
**CACFP Building for the Future Award Nominations
**"Character's Cool" Contest
KEEPING KIDS FIT
**Starting Babies Out with Poor Eating Habits?
**Increasing the Guidelines for Children's Physical Activity in 2004
**Pediatricians on Soft Drinks in Schools
**Close to a Third of Children Eat Fast Food Daily
**Nutrition, Physical Exercise, and Obesity: What's Happening at Your School?
**Sugarplum Society
REACHING EVERY STUDENT, TEACHING EVERY STUDENT
**Count Me In: Special Education in an Era of Standards
**Attending Kindergarten and Already Behind: A Statistical Portrait
**School Funding Still in Jeopardy
**The State of the States: Equity and Adequacy of Funding Local Schools
**Charlotte Students Outperform their Peers
CONNECT FOR YOUTH
**White House Report on Disadvantaged Youth Released
**Inside the Black Box: What is the "Content" of After-School?
**How Are Foster Kids Faring?
**Youth Drug and Tobacco Use Down
THE LIVES OF LOW-WAGE FAMILIES
**Children Remain Poor Despite Working Parents
**Families Facing More Hardships
**Groups Take the Sting Out of Predatory Lending
**How Much Do Welfare Recipients Know about Time Limits
CHILDREN'S HEALTH COVERAGE LOSING GROUND
**State Budget Cuts Causing Cutbacks in Children's Health Coverage
**Increasing Red Tape Costing Medicaid and SCHIP Dollars
SPOTLIGHT ON BABIES AND TODDLERS
**America's Babies Data Book
**New Position Statement on Early Education Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation
**Coming Together for Children with Disabilities
PARENTING HELP
**Parenting Clashpoint Series: The Freedom of Limits
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State of the State Addresses
**State Fiscal Storms: Digging Out of a Deep Hole
**Stateline Taking Orders for "State of the States 2004"
**State-by-State News
NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Nickels, Dimes and Big Bucks
Every time you use your low-rate credit card to pay for a carload of groceries from Price Club, you're benefiting from an efficient market economy and a sophisticated financial infrastructure -- benefits that are out of reach for hundreds of thousands of low- and moderate-income American families. In the first of two articles, Caitlin Johnson looks at the high cost of living outside the financial mainstream.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=202855
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
Set your alarms for Wednesday at 1 pm, when CFK's Executive Director Cecilia Garcia will lead an online chat on effective strategies for finding nonprofit funding for children's programs. Visit Connect for Kids.org at 1 pm (EST) on January 14 to see the answers to yours, or others' questions.
http://www.connectforkids.org/usr_doc/OnlineChat.html
**Ending Childhood Poverty: Not Rocket Science
There are signs that President Bush will call for a national commitment to the goal of landing people on Mars in his State of the Union speech on January 20, 2004. Connect for Kids' Jan Richter suggests that an earlier president had a better idea for uniting and channeling our nation's energies.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=202856
KIDS AND POLITICS -- DECIDING WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Child advocates are doing more than following federal money -- they're weighing in on federal spending decisions still pending for FY04 (and anticipating the need in FY05) to push for funding for social programs. When Congress returns on January 20, the first order of business will be to finish FY04 appropriations. President Bush will present his FY05 budget in early February.
**Restoring Fiscal Sanity
If current policies continue, America will face annual federal budget deficits of over half a trillion dollars in the next decade, slowing economic growth, reducing household incomes, and imposing enormous burdens on today's children, who are the next generation of taxpayers. A group of Brookings scholars explains why growing federal deficits matter and what can be done in a report to be released January 13.
http://www.brookings.edu/
In her January 5, 2004 blog, CFK's Jan Richter wonders if the deepening deficits will turn the tables in national politics.
http://www.kidsandpolitics.org
**After School Funding Needs a Boost in FY05
After several years of flat funding, now's the time to make sure after-school programs get the level of federal funding that was authorized in the No Child Left Behind legislation, says U.S. Action.
http://www.usactionnetwork.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=14019
**16 Senators Send Letter to President on Child Nutrition Funding
Find out which lawmakers sent a bipartisan letter to President Bush, asking for new federal funding in the FY05 budget to support child nutrition programs, increase access to school meals and ensure the nutritional quality of meals offered.
http://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/sfsnews/decltrtobush.asp
**What's in Store for Secondary Schools in FY04?
The Alliance for Excellent Education charts the spending slated for education programs that help middle and high school students in the omnibus spending bill still pending for FY04.
http://www.all4ed.org/publications/StraightAs/straightas.html
The National Education Association says the current House-Senate omnibus appropriations bill shortchanges students and schools for FY04.
http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=4475001
Last week's Weekly has detailed information on the omnibus appropriations bill -- see the archives.
http://www.connectforkids.org/weekly
**Petition for Juvenile Justice Funding in FY04!
Rosalie Sundin offers a petition telling lawmakers not to cut the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant and other federal funding for prevention and other services in juvenile justice so deeply cut in FY04.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/994096610
** It's an Election Year! Are you Registered to Vote?
Let Connect for Kids help with our secure link to the Working Assets registration tool.
https://www.workingforchange.com/vote/index.cfm?ms=CFK002
WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T -- A HANDY CHART
**Guide to Effective Programs for Children and Youth
Early Head Start works, Second Chance doesn't. Child Trends charts the programs that show significant results for a range of desired outcomes and youth ages, and those that don't. The chart has links to the summaries of the evaluation research.
http://www.childtrends.org/Lifecourse/programs_ages.htm
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK!
**Join Connect for Kids' Online Chat on Finding Funding for Nonprofits!
Set your alarms for this Wednesday, January 14, 2004 at 1 pm, when CFK's Executive Director Cecilia Garcia will lead an online chat on effective strategies for funding nonprofit children's programs. Join us Wednesday on our homepage to post questions and read the answers.
http://www.connectforkids.org/usr_doc/OnlineChat.html
**Helping Policymakers Walk a Mile in their Constituents' Shoes
Walk a Mile, offered in 29 states and Puerto Rico, is a hands-on experience that brings policymakers and people receiving public assistance together for one month. Community organizations wishing to coordinate state-wide or local projects in 2004 will get trainings in Seattle on May 24 and 25 and receive ongoing support. Application deadline: April 15, 2004. For more information, contact Program Director, Natasha Grossman, at (206) 543-3027 or [natasha@walkamile.org].
http://www.walkamile.org
**CACFP Building for the Future Award Nominations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service is now accepting nominations for the Child and Adult Care Food Program's 2004 Building for the Future Awards, recognizing outstanding organizational practices that go beyond the basics to provide highly efficient, effective and accessible nutrition programs. Deadline: February 20, 2004.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/CACFP/Awards_2004.htm
**"Character's Cool" Contest
The MindOH! Foundation's third annual Character's Cool Contest helps middle and high school students reflect on what it means to have good character. Students can fill out an online survey or submit an essay for prizes. The school with the most student entries will win a computer and a one-year subscription to MindOH!'s Discipline and Life Skills Series. Deadline: January 31, 2004. For more information visit the contest Web site or send an e-mail to: [contests@mindohfoundation.org].
http://www.mindohfoundation.org/contest
KEEPING KIDS FIT
**Starting Babies Out with Poor Eating Habits?
A national longitudinal survey finds that infants as young as 7 months have similar poor eating patterns to those observed in older children and adults. Up to a third of babies between 7 and 24 months ate no discrete servings of vegetables or fruits. French fries were the most common vegetable eaten by toddlers 15 to 18 months. Almost half (46%) of babies age 7 to 8 months consumed some type of sweet, dessert or sweetened beverage -- and this percentage increased as they aged. (See "Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study.")
http://www.adajournal.org/scripts/om.dll/serve?action=searchDB&searchDBfor=art&artType=abs&id=as0002822303014949&nav=abs
**Increasing the Guidelines for Children's Physical Activity in 2004
The mistaken notion that time spent in physical education and recess is time wasted is a major roadblock in making sure 5- to 12-year-olds get the 60 minutes of exercise a day they need, according to revised guidelines from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Periods of two hours or more of inactivity should be discouraged.
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm?template=pr_123103.html
**Pediatricians on Soft Drinks in Schools
Sweetened soft drinks, the primary source of added sugar in children's daily diets, have been associated with increased risk of overweight and obesity, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' new policy statement. AAP recommends that pediatricians actively work to eliminate sweetened soft drinks in schools and that school districts consider restricting the sale of soft drinks, especially in vending machines and other venues that compete with the school lunch program.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/1/152
**Close to a Third of Children Eat Fast Food Daily
Fast food is fast becoming a prominent feature in children's diets. Researchers have found that when children eat fast food, they tend to eat less fiber and milk and fewer fruits and nonstarchy vegetables that day. (See the report, "Effects of Fast-Food Consumption on Energy Intake and Diet Quality Among Children in a National Household Survey.")
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/1/112
**Nutrition, Physical Exercise, and Obesity: What's Happening at Your School?
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools is gathering information from front-line school professionals. Add your input by answering their five-minute interactive survey.
http://www.healthinschools.org/obesitysurvey.asp
**Sugarplum Society
"There are brilliant marketing minds working constantly to come up with more powerful, more exciting ways to entice our children," says obesity researcher Marlene Schwartz. "I think parents really need to fight back and try to limit the industry's access to our children." Connect for Kids' Robert Capriccioso explores the concerns of health experts and parents in the battle against childhood obesity.
http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=201815
REACHING EVERY STUDENT, TEACHING EVERY STUDENT
**Count Me In: Special Education in an Era of Standards
Some 12 percent of the total school-age population -- 6.6 million students -- receive special education services, most in regular school buildings. Education Week's eighth annual state-by state report on public education explores how states test special education students, prepare teachers, pay for services, and hold schools accountable for results.
Testing and accountability remain the most contentious issues, especially with No Child Left Behind mandates requiring all students to be "proficient" within a decade. Most states with complete data found gaps of 30 percentage points or more on fourth-grade reading tests between special and general education students. Gaps in high school were even greater.
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc04/article.cfm?slug=17exec.h23
**Attending Kindergarten and Already Behind: A Statistical Portrait
How many kindergarteners are at high risk for falling behind in school learning? Child Trends analyzed the data on some 3.9 million kindergartners in the 1998-1999 school year to find that although 2.2 million children lagged in one area (health, cognitive achievement or emotional/social development), far fewer did so in multiple areas. (Only five percent lagged in all three areas.)
http://www.childtrends.org/PDF/AttendingKindergartenRB.pdf
**School Funding Still in Jeopardy
Education Week finds that 2004 will bring another struggle to keep state funding in line with the growing costs of public education. The potential for tight funding comes after schools have already scaled back their budgets, and when states face the new costs of complying with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=16Fiscal.h23
**The State of the States: Equity and Adequacy of Funding Local Schools
When it comes to how fairly state education dollars are distributed within a state, Hawaii earned the only "A" and Illinois flunked, according to this annual analysis by Education Week and the Pew Charitable Trusts. States are doing better when it comes to the issue of adequately per-pupil spending: eight states earned an A or A- and none failed. Find a profile or rankings for your state on these and other measures in the Quality Counts report.
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc04/article.cfm?slug=17sos.h23
**Charlotte Students Outperform their Peers
Black, white and low-income students in Charlotte's public schools students did better than their other big-city counterparts on math and reading scores in both the fourth- and eighth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress tests in 2003. Results from the other ten cities -- Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego and Washington -- were mixed. In reading, eighth-graders in Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York and San Diego outperformed their big-city peers; in math, eighth-graders in Boston, Houston, New York and San Diego tested above the average big-city scores.
http://nces.ed.gov/commissioner/remarks2003/12_17_2003.asp
CONNECT FOR YOUTH
**White House Report on Disadvantaged Youth Released
The long-awaited final report of the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth, submitted to the President on October 1, 2003, seeks to provide a framework for Federal youth policy that encompasses a comprehensive Federal response to the problems facing America's youth, with a focus on enhanced agency accountability and effectiveness."
http://www.nassembly.org
**Inside the Black Box: What is the "Content" of After-School?
After-school programs can foster a love of learning, problem-solving and other skills and improve academic achievement with different approaches -- with activities that explicitly emphasize academics or by "embedding" academic content in sports, cultural or other activities, says the Forum for Youth Investment. When it comes to the popular activity of helping with homework, much depends on the quality of help offered.
Given the current pressures on schools to show improvement and limited public resources for after-school programs, the Forum argues that determining what is realistic to expect from after-school programs in terms of in-school performance is key.
http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/
**How Are Foster Kids Faring?
Foster children typically have lower levels of well-being critical to their development than other children. Almost six in ten foster infants and toddlers are at high risk for impaired neurological and cognitive development. Nearly half of children ages 6 to 11 have behavioral or emotional problems. Almost of third of foster children under age 15 have a disability. The resilience of this population is evident in the low rates of delinquent behaviors in early adolescence and the high proportion of foster children who report having a positive, caring relationship with a foster parent or other adult. Cost: $5 (or download the free PDF version).
https://secure.webfirst.com/childtrends.org/onlinecart/product.cfm?id=904
**Youth Drug and Tobacco Use Down
The 2003 Monitoring the Future survey, which monitors drug, tobacco and alcohol use among youth, found continued declines in drug use for most categories of drugs among youth in eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade. Inhalant use by eighth-graders, however, rose slightly.
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/03data.html#2003data-drugs
THE LIVES OF LOW-WAGE FAMILIES
**Children Remain Poor Despite Working Parents
A common misconception is that children are poor because their parents don't work. The reality is that most impoverished children live in a family where at least one parent works, and 56 percent live in families where parents works full-time, year-round, reports the National Center for Children in Poverty. (See, "Parental Employment in Low-Income Families.")
http://www.nccp.org/pub_pel04.html
**Families Facing More Hardships
Unemployment, low-paying jobs and high housing costs are hurting families, according to the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors survey on hunger and homelessness. Almost six out of ten (59 percent) of those requesting emergency food assistance were members of families with children in 2003, and 15 percent of these requests were unmet. Among those experiencing homelessness during the year, 40 percent were families with children and five percent were unaccompanied youth.
http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/hunger_121803.asp
**Groups Take the Sting Out of Predatory Lending
Families, especially those with poor credit histories, can pay a high price for "loan shark" practices when they try to consolidate loans, buy a house or take out a payday loan. This Mott Foundation article describes the work of organizations trying to inform families and stop predatory lending abuses.
http://www.mott.org/publications/websites/mosaicv2n4/poverty.asp
This week's top story on Connect for Kids, "Nickles, Dimes and Big Bucks," takes a look at the impact of predatory lending on families.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=202855
**How Much Do Welfare Recipients Know about Time Limits
When welfare reform replaced the federal entitlement program with time-limited assistance, the goal was to use time limits to motivate welfare recipients to find work quickly. This Urban Institute report found, however, that in a 2002 survey almost four of ten recipients either did not know they had a time limit or did not know when their welfare benefit ended. Half of welfare recipients with two or more barriers to employment and three out of four Spanish-speaking recipients lacked information on their time limits.
http://www.urban.org/media/index.htm
CHILDREN'S HEALTH COVERAGE LOSING GROUND
**State Budget Cuts Causing Cutbacks in Children's Health Coverage
In thirty-four states, measures to close state budget gaps have caused unprecedented cuts in Medicaid and SCHIP health insurance coverage for low-income children and families, reports the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Children represent almost half of those losing health insurance coverage (490,000 to 650,000 children) and six states have stopped taking SCHIP applications for enrolling eligible low-income children, including newborns.
http://www.cbpp.org/12-22-03health-pr.htm
**Increasing Red Tape Costing Medicaid and SCHIP Dollars
Administrative burdens are costing states millions of dollars that could otherwise be used to provide health care to children in need, argues a new report from CDF-New York. The study argues that as states introduce administrative hurdles to slow or freeze enrollments of eligible children, they add to the administrative costs of Medicaid and SCHIP programs, taking away funds that could be spent on care for children while reducing the number of children enrolling in these programs. The abstract is available online.
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/237
SPOTLIGHT ON BABIES AND TODDLERS
**America's Babies Data Book
If children are our future, it's important to know how they are doing today -- especially in the earliest years when their minds and bodies are rapidly developing and most vulnerable. This Zero to Three Policy Center Data Book offers demographics, birth data, health and health care, safety, violence and protective systems, family and economic factors, early learning and care, and comparisons with other wealthy countries.
http://www.zerotothree.org/
**New Position Statement on Early Education Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation
How and what should young children be taught, and how do you evaluate early learning programs? Experts agree that because children learn by exploring, thinking about, and inquiring about all sorts of phenomena, good early learning programs offer children the opportunity to learn valued content through investigation, play, and focused, intentional teaching. When assessing young children, evidence should be gathered from realistic settings and situations that reflect children's actual performance. These and other guidelines appear in the new Joint Position Statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education.
http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/pscape.asp
**Coming Together for Children with Disabilities
State collaborations supporting high-quality, inclusive child care for children with disabilities -- especially from low-income families -- face serious challenges, according to this report from the Center on Law and Social Policy and Easter Seals. Without more federal help, states efforts will be in real trouble. There are opportunities to make improvements in two federal programs up for reauthorization this year: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families legislation.
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1070980704.1/ccdf_idea_rpt.pdf
PARENTING HELP
**Parenting Clashpoint Series: The Freedom of Limits
In this first in a series of parenting booklets, Allan Shedlin draws on plenty of conversations with kids, students and parents to offer clear explanations and concrete guidance to parents about establishing family rules and limits that help children learn to control themselves, leading to fewer control battles even in adolescence and beyond. Cost: $8.95 plus shipping and handling.
http://www.daddying.com/Products/products2.htm
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State of the State Addresses
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) have already given their state of the state addresses. More governors will be setting out their agendas soon. Stateline will be posting all state of the state addresses in the "Resources" section.
http://www.stateline.org/stateline/?pa=state&sa=showStateOfStateSpeech
**State Fiscal Storms: Digging Out of a Deep Hole
The National Conference of State Legislatures' report on state budgets for FY04 shows, after serious cutbacks in health, higher education and other areas of concern to families, 24 state budgets are stabilizing, compared with eight a year ago. Twenty-two states, however, see spending overruns in Medicaid, corrections, mental health community programs and early childhood care, and the outlook for FY05 is still precarious.
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2003/pr031121.htm
**Stateline Taking Orders for "State of the States 2004"
Stateline.org is taking orders now for hard copies of its "State of the States 2004" reference book, which includes profiles of new governors and useful maps and charts that will help you keep track of issues, important dates and swing states as the election campaign unfolds.
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=states04@stateline.org
**State-by-State News
Arizona
In his State of Education speech, Arizona schools chief Tom Horne calls for more professional training for teachers and more drama, dance and music for students, according to the Arizona Republic. (See, "Schools Chief Seeks Training, Arts Program.")
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0106hornespeech06.html
The Arizona State School Readiness Board has issued early child care and education recommendations, including calls for development of a rating system for child care providers and an increase in pay for those who meet tougher state standards.
http://www.governor.state.az.us/cyf/school_readiness/index_school_readiness.html
California
The L.A. Times reports that Gov. Schwarzenegger plans to propose a 10% fee increase for Californians attending college at the University of California and California State University and a fee hike of up to 40% for graduate students at the universities. (See, "Schwarzenegger Pushing to Raise College Fees 10% to 44%." Registration is free.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget8jan08,1,1792474.story?coll=la-headlines-california
The California Budget Project analyzes Gov. Schwarzenegger's mid-year spending reductions, which would cap enrollments in the Healthy Families Program, the California Children's Services Program and reduce assistance for half a million of California's poorest families.
http://www.cbp.org
District of Columbia
Child advocates are concerned about new proposals to penalize parents of troubled youth. A letter by the Children's Law Center to D.C. Council members says the "proposed legislation addresses an important issue to the District, but in the wrong way." For more information, email [NDrane@ChildrensLawCenter.org].
Illinois
The Illinois Department of Human Services online calculator allows residents of Illinois to determine their eligibility and apply for Food Stamp, Medicaid or TANF benefits.
http://www.dhs.state.il.us/ts/fss/dhs_foodStamps_fsai.asp
Maine
Advocates helped create an ombudsman office to monitor Child Welfare Services in Maine.
http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/Template.cfm?Section=Browse_by_Publication_Type
Michigan
According to this year's Kids Count in Michigan Data Book 2003, child well-being improved over the last decade on most core outcome measures in its profiles all 83 counties and the City of Detroit. Some 13 percent of Michigan youth, ages 16 to 20, are affected by disabilities, including those that make them unable to leave the house independently for appointments or unable to work at a job or business. These outcomes may suggest unmet needs in earlier years, according to researchers.
http://www.milhs.org/information/default.asp?NavPageID=33804
New York
"Health Insurance: Is It Working for Immigrant Families in New York City" from the Children's Defense Fund-New York says despite recent expansions in public health insurance coverage for immigrants in New York, many immigrant families still face serious barriers to adequate health care.
http://www.cdfny.org/reports/ImmigrantReport_New.pdf
Pennsylvania
Federal law bars for life anyone with a drug-related felony conviction committed after August 1996 from receiving federal TANF and food stamp benefits, but states can opt out of this provision. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell signed a law restoring eligibility for TANF and food stamp benefits for some former drug felons, making Pennsylvania the 31st state to opt out of or modify the federal law. (See, "State Restores Food Aid for Recovering Addicts.")
http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20031225welfare1225p4.asp
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and the Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth are leading the Better Baby Care Coalition, a state-wide effort to raise the quality of the state's early child care services to support children's developmental needs.
http://www.papartnerships.org
West Virginia
The West Virginia Kids Count Databook shows the positive results of hard work: more children covered by health insurance and enrolled in Head Start, higher educational levels among new mothers, and declining rates of teen violent deaths. Challenges remain, including reducing the share of low-birthweight babies, reducing high school drop-out rates, and helping more students use the PROMISE program for college financial aid. Most of all, the state must improve the state's economic and workforce opportunities for families.
http://www.wvkidscountfund.org/databook2003/summaryandfindings.html
Virginia
A growing portion of parents in Virginia are raising children alone. Virginia Voices for Children profiles how the financial impact of single parenting is especially hard on single mothers.
http://www.vakids.org/Kids%20Count/Single%20Parents.pdf
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PRIVACY POLICY
In an effort to better serve the subscribers of our electronic newsletters,
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http://www.connectforkids.org/information1537/information_show.htm?doc_id=9207
Jan Richter, Policy and Outreach Specialist, and the Connect for Kids team
Jan@connectforkids.org
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