CFK Weekly - March 20, 2006

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG

Teens Help Teens Stay Safe Online
While parents worry about potential dangers to their children lurking in our web-surfing, IM-ing, text-messaging culture, their efforts to help can be hampered by their own lack of knowledge. The Teenangels program – which trains young people to protect their peers online – is one way around that problem. Tamekia Reece takes a look

How the Other Half Lives
We like to think to that all kids, no matter their race or their family income, have a fair chance at getting ahead. Natasha Santos, one of the young writers at Youth Communication in New York City, doesn’t buy that. Santos has a lot to say—about her anger at being one of the have-nots, and how meeting with some middle-class suburban teens helped. This story is reprinted with permission from Youth Communication.

TalkTime: DREAM Act
On March 22 Connect for Kids will host a Talktime Live! online chat with experts on education issues faced by immigrants and a student who will speak from experience. Our topic will be the “DREAM Act,” and the opportunities this legislation may provide.

KIDS & POLITICS

Senate Acts on 2007 Budget
Last week, the Senate passed the fiscal year 2007 budget, with cuts to many programs for kids and families. It also adopted (by a vote of 73-27) the Specter-Harkin Amendment, which added $7 billion to restore funding for education, nutrition, and social service programs like Head Start, child care, after-school programs, 21ST Century Community Learning Centers, job training and others. It brings many programs back to fiscal year 2005 spending levels, according to the Coalition on Human Needs.

The National Education Association is praising the amendment, and offers more information on the funding levels and ideas for action.

To see how your Senators voted, check out the roll call.

Next up in Congress
The House Budget Committee is expected to take up its version of the budget next week. In the meantime, Congress is in recess this week – which makes it a good time to contact local representatives. The Coalition on Human Needs reminds you to thank your officials if they voted for the Specter-Harkin amendment.

CFK’s Action Central
Connect for Kids’ Action Central has revolving action alerts, tips on volunteering and taking action, and fun, informative bogs from our own Jan Richter. See what’s new this week – we’re always updating the page!

COMMUNITY ACTION: PROFILE

Minding the Numbers and Making the Case in Michigan
In Michigan, advocates are making the case that it costs less to invest in kids up-front, rather than pay the price later, through justice spending and less-than-stellar workforce skills. And what better way to demonstrate this than with a Children’s Agenda that outlines how investments in the early years -- in pre- and postnatal care, child care, parenting education, child welfare, and school-based health services—can return $34 for every dollar spent! The Agenda also offers ideas to increase state revenues and revise taxes in ways that the Michigan Coalition for Children and Families says won’t discourage business.

SPOTLIGHT ON OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME

After-School Program Boosts Graduation Rates (California)
Quality after-school programs have been shown to cut crime, victimization, destructive behavior and even obesity among teens – and now there’s evidence that even beyond academic performance, after-school programs can boost graduation rates. Students in Los Angeles' Better Educated Students for Tomorrow (LA's BEST) free after-school program were less likely to drop out of high school than their peers – leading to at least a 20 percent improvement in the district dropout rate, according to a study by the UCLA National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing.

LA’s BEST serves kids ages 5 to 12 with homework help and activities, and is free. It focuses on areas with large numbers of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches. There are some 24,000 students in the program.

Shared Features of High Performing After-School Programs
What makes a good program tick? A follow-up study to a yearlong evaluation of The After-School Corporation in New York finds that non-academic enrichment activities can make a difference in school performance and scores. For programs and staff, administrative, fiscal, and professional development support from a sponsoring organization is key.

NEW TAKES ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Future of Children focuses on Obesity
The spring 2006 issue of The Future of Children includes nine articles on the high and rising rates of overweight and obesity among U.S. children – including examinations of the roles neighborhoods, recreation facilities, schools, food markets, and child care settings play in kids’ overweight and obesity.

KIDS COUNT Trends in Overweight and Obesity
A new KIDS COUNT data snapshot from the Annie E. Casey Foundation identifies state-by-state rates of overweight and obesity among youth according to demographics like gender, race, income and geography. The states with the highest rates of obesity also exhibit high rates of childhood poverty and poor child well-being.

“Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study” Examines Infants’ Food Habits
This study by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (sponsored by Gerber Products Company) looks at what, when and how much young children eat. In general, babies and toddlers aren’t getting enough fruits and vegetables, get too much sodium, and may get too many vitamins through supplements and fortified foods. Overall, Hispanic infants and toddlers have nutritionally adequate diets, similar to non-Hispanic infants and toddlers. However, both groups consumed more calories than their estimated requirements. Hispanic infants and toddlers were more likely to be eating fresh fruits and less likely to be eating baby food or canned fruits.

Breastfeeding or Age of Food Introduction Shows Little Affect on Obesity
Does breastfeeding or the age at which other foods are introduced to babies affect the risk of obesity in early childhood? Research is mixed, but a new study – the first to use a direct measure of body fatness -- found no relation between these factors and a child's fatness at age five. The data are discussed in a March 2006 article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (Abstract available for free.)

CFK’s Online Obesity Resource
Check out CFK’s Obesity Resource, compiled in cooperation with the Council for Excellence in Government Youth Obesity Results team.

SCHOOLS AND NUTRITION

Snack Time Sans Soda and Chips in Illinois Schools
This fall, the halls of Illinois elementary and middle school schools will be notably more bare: vending machines selling candy, chips, and soda have been banned by the State Board of Education. Schools cannot offer junk food to students in grades K-8 during the day; high schools are exempted. (USA Today, March 16.)

Nutrition Standards in Schools Discussion (Video)
In February, the Committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools held their third meeting on evaluating standards for schools. You can watch videos of the presentations online.

RECONNECTING YOUTH

Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men (Audio)
Between 2 and 3 million young people age 16-24 are "disconnected" from school and work. Young men -- particularly young black men – are particularly hard to reach. The audio files from this March 7 Urban Institute First Tuesdays forum are now available online. Tune in and learn.

EDUCATION NEWS

Every Child Deserves Our Best: Supporting and Staffing High-Needs Schools
Getting and keeping good teachers in high-needs schools is a challenge across the country. This North Carolina report examines what’s working, and where more work is needed. Among the recommendations: offer teachers professional development, curriculum resources, and opportunities to share successful strategies; ensure that administrators are appropriately trained and open to teacher leadership; and keep effective certified teachers in classroom positions.

Concern over Gender Gaps Shifting to Boys
After years of efforts aimed at girls, researchers and educators are increasingly concerned about boys, who are more likely than girls to earn poorer grades in K-12 and are disproportionately represented in special education and disciplinary cases. Boys are also the minority on college campuses now. Where did things change? Education Weekly reports (free registration required).

HIGHER ED

MDRC Launches New Online Higher Education Section
What works to help low-income adults succeed in community colleges and other postsecondary institutions? MDRC has launched a new policy area of its Web site to house the results of its many ongoing research projects in this area.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

The Puzzle of Autism: Guide for Schools
Many kids with autism spectrum disorders are in inclusive, general classroom settings. This free guide from the National Education Association is designed to help administrators and teachers understand children with autism who attend grades K-12. In addition to background and information, it offers concrete, evidence-based strategies to use in the classroom.

A Mother faces her child's learning disabilities
Identifying and treating a child’s special needs is not always an clear or simple process; it often challenges the entire family. A new memoir by a successful fashion designer describes how the family struggled to deal with a daughter's dyslexia.

MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

State Must Change Mental Health Services for Children in Foster Care (California)
More than 80,000 children are in foster care in California, and various studies find that as many as 80 percent may experience a mental health problem. Generally, these children receive treatment in hospitals, institutions, and group homes. Last week, the federal district court of Los Angeles ordered the state of California to provide appropriate mental health services in a manner that will allow tens of thousands to get care in their own homes and communities. The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has the story.

Children and Teens with Mental Illness: Mending a Broken System (Video-Cast)
Missed this February 2006 event at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta? Kaiser has posted an online streaming video-cast, so you can get the lowdown on the panels and discussions of the Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children and Mental Health: A National Agenda.

First Research Model to Study U.S.-born Latina Teen Suicide Attempts
In recent years, one in five U.S. Latina teens attempted suicide – but little is known about why or what interventions can be effective. A new article by in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry describes a new research model—developed by Washington University, St. Louis professor Luis H. Zayas—that examines cultural traditions, family structure, and adolescent development.

THINGS TO DO, THINGS TO SEE

Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars PBS Premier (March 21)
The latest in the award-winning PBS series, Independent Lens, is a film about a Girl Scouts program that brings girls into prisons to meet with their inmate moms—offering them a chance to rebuild their broken relationships and break the cycles of criminal justice involvement.

For local listings, check PBS

Challenging the Two Americas: New Policies to Fight Poverty (March 23-24)
What’s on the forefront of the battle to end U.S. poverty? Join researchers and scholars for this two-day discussion hosted by the Poverty Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The registration deadline for this conference is now Tuesday, March 21. Cost: $40.

Options for Tax Reform Conference (March 24)
This day-long Center for American Progress conference brings together academic and policy experts from around the country to highlight options for reforming the tax code. Location: Washington, DC.

Girls Incorporated 56th National Conference (April 1-4)
Register now for this conference, “Inspiring the Next Generation of Girls to be Strong, Smart and Bold,” at the Hilton Mark Center Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia.

Heads Up: National Youth Violence Prevention Week is April 3-7, 2006

Heads Up: May is National Foster Care Month
This year's theme is Change a Lifetime: Share Your Heart, Open Your Home, Offer Your Help and will focus on how to get involved in the lives of young people in foster care.

Join the REAL DEAL Film Selection Committee (April on)
Scenarios USA seeks young people and adults across the country to help select the winning stories that will be turned into Hollywood-produced short films, from the Scenarios USA 2006 “What's the REAL DEAL?” story and scriptwriting contest for 12- to 22-year-olds. It takes 90 minutes to read and rank the stories. Questions? Email brenda@scenariosusa.org or call 866.414.1044.

Watch for the latest on family income, state revenues, pre-K success stories, and much more next week. We also invite you to keep us updated on your work!
Caitlin

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