CFK Weekly - August 15, 2005
Connect for Kids.org: Better Policies for Kids
August 15 , 2005
NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Building Community for Deaf Parents and their Hearing Kids
**Teen Speaks Out on Education, War and More
**Your Thoughts…
ADVOCACY TOOLS FOR ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
**Youth Policy Action Center: Call for Members
**Sharing Your Service Story: A Guide to Working with the Media
**CFK’s Talktime Live! On Working with the Media
**Budget Cuts Loom
THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO GO
**"Reweaving the Safety Net" Workshop
**"Do Something" Awards: Deadlines
**Save the Date: Making the Most of Our Pre-K Investment
**Search Institute's 9th Annual Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Conference
**Check Out More Dates on the CFK Calendar
KIDS & POLITICS
**Child Care Funding Action Alert
**Spare Children the Budget Cuts
**Social Security's 70th: "Cut the Cake, Not the Benefits!"
**Younger Voters Hold More Favorable View of Congress
SERVING AND SUPPORTING WORKING FAMILIES
**Tax Policy to Help Working Families: Project Background
**Working with Diverse Populations: Best Practices
THE STATE OF OUR YOUTH: HOW ARE THEY FARING?
**The State of Our Youth, 2005-2006
** Voices of Young People Reveal American Dream Gap
**Young, Unaccompanied, and Homeless: A Review
EDUCATION NEWS
**Higher Bar Tripping Schools
**Federally Funded “Reading First” Called into Question
**From Kindergarten Through Third Grade: Children's Beginning School
FEATURED FUNDING
**Support for Rural Schools
**US Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State-by-State News
**Building Community for Deaf Parents and their Hearing Kids
It’s a different kind of bicultural family, and one with special challenges – from safely supervising a toddler you can’t hear cry to heading off a teacher who wants to enlist your child as interpreter in a meeting about his own school performance. Robert Capriccioso reports.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3328
**Teen Speaks Out on Education, War and More
The second of four winning essays from Connect for Kids’ first essay contest, “Speak Out! Let Your Voice Be Heard” comes from Alex Morse, 16, of Greenfield, MA, one of more than 70 teens who wrote to share their ideas on what President Bush should know when making decisions that affect young people’s lives.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3329
**Your Thoughts…
Let us know what you think about what you're reading. Much of CFK's content has an option for comments. When you're finished reading simply click the "add a comment" link.
http://www.connectforkids.org/
ADVOCACY TOOLS FOR ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
**Youth Policy Action Center: Call for Members
The Youth Policy Action Center, a powerful resource for national advocates, is now opening the door to state and local advocacy organizations, enabling them to better harness the power of internet advocacy. More than 30 leading child and youth advocacy organizations in the country market Youth Policy Action Center, and the collective publicity drives significant traffic to the Web site. To benefit, apply by September 15. If you have any questions about the application process or the Youth Policy Action Center, please contact Sarah Chusid at 202.736.5744 or sarah@mobilize.org.
http://www.youthpolicyactioncenter.org
**Sharing Your Service Story: A Guide to Working with the Media
Getting positive press coverage for a volunteer program can be an uphill struggle but the payback is worth the effort, a panel of media experts told attendees of a forum at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service this month. At the forum, the Corporation for National and Community Service released a new publication designed to assist its grantees in their media outreach efforts. The 36-page booklet has pointers to help nonprofit organizations and volunteer groups conduct media outreach -- including tips for publicizing grant announcements, service events, and volunteer recruitment drives; ideas for writing news releases; sample media advisories and public service announcements; and a list of media contacts and resources.
http://www.cns.gov/about/media_kit/index.asp
**CFK’s Talktime Live! On Working with the Media
If you think that good work speaks for itself, think again. Every community-based organization could use the funding, potential allies, Board members or fresh volunteers that good publicity can bring. But good publicity doesn’t just happen—it takes careful planning and persistence, say the experts.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/2602
**Budget Cuts Loom
Check out the Action Alerts in CFK’s Action Central – advocates are gearing up to fight back against proposed cuts to Medicaid and Food Stamps.
http://www.connectforkids.org/action_central
**"Reweaving the Safety Net" Workshop
The National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics annual workshop will be held August 29-31 in Madison, Wisconsin. During this, the 45th annual workshop, presenters will address what the safety net should look like in light of the rising demand for human services over the past few years. They will also examine the role government might play in an environment in which workers and families are assuming an ever-larger share of the risks associated with a global economy. http://www.nawrs.org/Madison/
**”Do Something” Awards: Deadlines
Do Something is a national nonprofit organization that inspires young people to believe that change is possible, and trains, funds, and mobilizes them to be leaders who measurably strengthen their communities. The Do Something BRICK Awards program supports the efforts of dynamic leaders age 25 and under who have implemented innovative solutions to problems in their local communities in the areas of community building, health, and the environment. Winners receive higher education scholarships and grants for continued community work. The fall deadline for the Do Something Grants is September 2, 2005.
http://www.dosomething.org/
**Save the Date: Making the Most of Our Pre-K Investment
Across the country, investment in pre-kindergarten is on the rise. Nineteen governors fought for higher funding during the 2005 state legislative sessions, despite tight budgets. As a result, many are considering how to make the most of this investment. A special session on this issue -- to be held October 20, 2005 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Borge Auditorium, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY -- will examine how three school districts are aligning systems, standards, curriculum, and assessment to serve children from Pre-K to third grade.
http://fcd-us.org/about/index.html
**Search Institute's 9th Annual Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Conference
On November 3-5, 2005, national and international asset builders will gather in Dallas, Texas, for the 2005 Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Conference. This year's theme, “Creating Intergenerational Community,” was chosen to showcase the ways youth and adults are building bridges across generations and across differences within communities to create healthy communities. Early Bird Rates end September 16.
http://www.search-institute.org/hchy
**Check Out More Dates on the CFK Calendar
September features National Neighborhood Day and Grandparents Day. The CFK Celebrating Families calendar has historic date and current events for September.
http://www.celebratingfamilies.org/calendar/index.php?month=9&year=2005&PHPSESSID=ce5665d443e37fa52e3848200e7d7f99
**Child Care Funding Action Alert
Congress has not increased child care funding for four years. Current budget reconciliation bills will cut spending in many programs that impact the health, nutrition, and stability of working families – and may also affect the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) programs. Despite the August recess, many members of Congress are working on these bills. The National Association for the Education of Young Children urges concerned adults to contact their Members of Congress and ask that TANF/CCDBG reauthorizations add new money for child care.
http://www.naeyc.org/policy
**Spare Children the Budget Cuts
The most recent budget resolution instructed Congressional committees to recommend program cuts for a reconciliation bill by September 16 and to recommend additional tax cuts of $70 billion over the next five years by September 23. Advocates are working hard to make sure Food Stamps and Medicaid don’t take the brunt of these required cuts.
http://www.connectforkids.org/action_central
**Social Security's 70th: "Cut the Cake, Not the Benefits!"
There are hundreds of celebrations being planned for this week to celebrate the accomplishments of Social Security over the past 70 years -- accomplishments that include dramatically reducing elderly poverty, providing for workers and families living with disabilities, and lifting a million children out of poverty.
http://www.chn.org/issues/socialsecurity/index.html
Find an event in your state to celebrate Social Security's 70th birthday -- and to send a message that you're not going to let Congress dismantle this program!
http://www.americansforsocialsecurity.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=96&Itemid=165
**Younger Voters Hold More Favorable View of Congress
Congress remains unpopular with a majority of Americans, but younger, more educated voters have a far more positive view of the institution than older ones, according to a spring 2005 survey by the Center on Congress at Indiana University. The survey of 1,400 voters nationwide -- conducted between November 2004 and January 2005 -- found 57 percent of all those surveyed disapproved of the way Congress is doing its job, but younger voters were more likely to report feeling that elected officials acted with the best interests of the country in mind.
http://congress.indiana.edu/
SERVING AND SUPPORTING WORKING FAMILIES
** Tax Policy to Help Working Families: Project Background
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center -- a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution -- has just completed a project, financed by the MacArthur Foundation, to examine how federal tax policy could improve the economic prospects of low- and middle-income working families in cities. The results show how existing federal tax rules affect these families, and that a variety of public policies are available to provide better economic opportunities and incentives for these households. In particular, policies that expand and modify the child care and dependent care tax credit, the saver's credit, and subsidies for health insurance can improve economic prospects for millions of working families in urban areas.
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/newsevents/events_working_families.cfm
**Working with Diverse Populations: Best Practices
Reaching and serving our most vulnerable groups is one of our nation's biggest challenges. These groups may need intensive or specialized services, and often face difficulties in accessing services. A new Web page from Mathematica Policy Research examines the nonpartisan think-tank’s experience in collecting high-quality information from diverse populations, including low-income families, adolescents, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities.
http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/surveys/diversepopulations.asp
THE STATE OF OUR YOUTH: HOW ARE THEY FARING?
**The State of Our Youth, 2005-2006
This survey of the thoughts and opinions of American teenagers, conducted by the Horatio Alger Association, covers an array of topics on kids’ well-being. Administered nationwide in May, 1,005 students between the ages of 12 and 18 responded. Among the findings: 97 percent of students expect to continue their education beyond high school, with 76 percent planning to attend a four-year college. Students consider obesity and related issues of diet and exercise to be the biggest health problem facing young people today, followed in order by cigarette smoking, depression and other mental illnesses, drunk driving, and sexually transmitted diseases. Eighty-four percent say they engage in some type of exercise on a regular basis.
http://www.horatioalger.com/pubmat/surpro.cfm
** Voices of Young People Reveal American Dream Gap
To fill in a part of the picture that all too often is missing, America's Promise recently undertook a nationwide survey of America's young people, ages 10 through 17. Most report that they believe in the American Dream. They want for themselves the things adults want for them: to be healthy, productive citizens who give back to society. But they note a big gap between this dream and their expectations; more than 40 percent of those polled said they doubt that they can realize the American Dream for themselves. These findings cut across lines of race, geography and economic status.
http://www.americaspromise.org/files/AP%20VOICES%20STUDY.pdf
**Young, Unaccompanied, and Homeless: A Review
This National Center for Homeless Education literature review focuses on issues affecting unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness, and provides an overview of the challenges they face. It also includes research about why they leave their homes, how they live after leaving, and what interventions are being used to assist them.
http://www.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_youth.php
EDUCATION NEWS
Here’s a brief round-up of recent news coverage on education.
**Higher Bar Tripping Schools
Although student achievement is up or holding steady in most states, more U.S. schools than ever are expected to be labeled as inadequate performers this year under the federal No Child Left Behind law, according to a comprehensive article by Stateline.org. Ten out of sixteen states that have calculated 2005 ratings so far have found an increase in the number of failing schools since last year. The article includes background on the measurements, recent assessments, and possible sanctions that states may face.
http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=48297
**Federally Funded “Reading First” Called into Question
The U.S. Department of Education's internal watchdog has opened a preliminary investigation into possible mismanagement of President Bush's $1 billion reading program amid complaints of conflict of interest. Education Department officials would not confirm that the department's inspector general is investigating Reading First, but a spokesman for Senator Richard Lugar, R-Ind., confirmed that an audit was taking place. Lugar, a Reading First supporter, wrote to Education Secretary Margaret Spellings in June with "considerable concern" about the program, which a few opponents say pressures schools to adopt unproven, textbook-based reading programs. USA Today reports.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-08-07-reading-first_x.htm
**From Kindergarten Through Third Grade: Children's Beginning School
Experiences
Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, this report highlights children's gains in reading and math during their first four years in school and their achievement in reading and math at the end of third grade. It also examines whether differences in achievement identified in kindergarten persist two or three years later, comparing children by sex, race/ethnicity, number of family risk factors, and type of school experiences. The results? Achievement gaps identified at the beginning of school grew wider over the first four years of school attendance.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005612.pdf
FEATURED FUNDING
**Support for Rural Schools
The Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED) is a charitable foundation affiliated with the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO). FRED's mission is to promote activities that improve rural educational, social, and economic conditions. Grants, awards and scholarships are provided each year to rural students, residents and communities in OPASTCO members' service areas. FRED’s Technology Grants for Rural Schools help public schools in rural areas bring computers to every classroom, connect schools to the information superhighway and make sure that effective software and online resources are an integral part of the school curriculum. The next application deadline for this program is September 13, 2005. Visit the website listed below for more information.
http://www.fred.org/teachtech.html
**US Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seeking proposals for the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program. The program supports the development of new and innovative health care delivery systems in rural communities that lack essential health care services.
http://www.healthinschools.org
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State-by-State News
Alabama
More than 300 poor Alabama schools will have to offer parents a choice of what schools their children attend this year, under No Child Left Behind. The 313 schools on the list are there because they have large percentages of poor students who are struggling to meet standards in areas that include reading, math, language, writing and science. Last year, only 80 schools statewide ended up on the list. State school Superintendent Joe Morton said the increase reflects a big jump in the number of students who now fall under the federal law. Last year only students in grades 4, 6 and 8 in Alabama were tested as part of the law.
http://www.ecs.org/00CL6859
Arkansas
The Arkansas Board of Education ordered less pop and more pep for the state's public school students. The board approved strict new nutrition and physical activity guidelines in a step lauded by health officials and endorsed by Governor Mike Huckabee. The new regulations cut back on soft drinks offered in vending machines, ban junk food in elementary schools and mandate each student in kindergarten through 12th grade have at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
http://www.ecs.org/00CL6858
California
The California Council on Youth Relations Policy Roundtable will focus on prevention through improving mental health services and supports to young people in the juvenile justice system. Senator Romero will convene the roundtable. Time: August 18, 2005, 11:45 to 2:00 PM at the California State Library, 914 Capitol Mall, Room 500 in Sacramento. Contact Allegra Harrison for more information allegra@pacificnews.org. The California Council on Youth Relations (CCYR) is a project of Pacific News Service’s Youth Communications Team, http://news.pacificnews.org/news/.
Connecticut
Connecticut lawmakers have created a new working group of public officials, doctors, children's advocates and business leaders to find ways to provide health insurance to the state's estimated 71,000 uninsured children.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=31988
District of Columbia
As DC Action for Children reminds readers of the Weekly, the District's budget is the single most important legislation considered by the City Council and Mayor each year. Unfortunately, children and youth do not always receive the services and supports they need and deserve. Advocates can change this by participating in the initiative to Cast Your Vote for Kids! This effort will collect budget priorities from District residents and providers and share them with elected officials as they develop the FY 2007 budget, and with those running for elected office next year.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?A=93372082E33677
Illinois
You can read about how Voices for Illinois Children worked to make Illinois a much better place for children last year in the 2004 Annual Report.
http://www.voices4kids.org/annualreport04.pdf
Maine
Former Governor Angus King, who launched the initiative that put computers on the laps of middle schoolers, announced yesterday another program aimed at eliminating the so-called digital divide: free home Internet for kids who receive free or reduced-cost school lunches.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050812/REPOSITORY/508120366/1001/NEWS01
New Jersey
Efforts to reform the Division of Youth and Family Services began in June 2004. One year later, the Association for Children of New Jersey wants to hear from people involved in child welfare services about the results. The reform promised sweeping changes in many areas: staffing, caseloads, case practice, services to families, out-of-home placement and staff training. Your feedback in each of these areas will help gauge the results so far to ensure the reform effort lives up to its promise of a better system for children and families. Select the “Survey” icon on the Web page to weigh in.
http://www.acnj.org
For details on ACNJ's Make Kids Count Campaign, visit http://www.makekidscountnj.org.
Virginia
A new poll shows that Virginia voters want their state leaders to ensure that children’s needs – particularly in the areas of after-school, early childhood education and health care -- are met.
http://www.everychildmatters.org/site/R?i=cLQQrPqPxxkdSbPJ0DpV6Q
Keep up the good work – and keep us informed of the events and issues (and the successes) you’re focusing on!
Caitlin
Caitlin Johnson, sr. writer, and the Connect for Kids team
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