Latest News & Articles:

Race to the Top - Driving a Race to Reform?

Jan. 26, 2010 - Money makes a lot of things happen, but can it drive more states to tackle comprehensive school reform? States have been working hard to put in place the changes required to apply for the Race to the Top funds. Our Jan Richter looks at what it means, and what states are doing to try to earn the money. Read more.

The Next Most Underreported Health Reform Story

What will happen to SCHIP?
Dec. 16 - The health reform plan in the House repeals the popular, effective State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)—even though one of President Obama's first and much-touted acts in office was to reauthorize SCHIP after it was twice vetoed by President Bush. Trudy Lieberman looks at why it matters and why it's not getting much media coverage. Read more.

Hunger in an Obese Nation: Dispatches from a Webinar

Dec. 16 - How is it that in America, one of the world’s most obese nations, 17 million children don’t get enough to eat. Isn’t that a contradiction? Shané Gooding recaps a Dec. 8 Coalition on Human Needs webinar that shed some insight (and new data) on this paradox. Read more.

The Power of Positive Peer Pressure: a Q&A with Scott B. Peterson

Nov. 18 - We caught up with long-time juvenile justice advocate Scott Peterson, a strong proponent of teen courts that use peer pressure as a force for positive change. Here's what he has to say about one of the fastest growing trends in intervention, and juvenile justice in hard times. Read more.

The Good-News Challenge: How the Journalism Center for Children & Families Covers An Important Beat

Nov. 10 Update: JCCF's Gena Fitzgerald responds

Nov. 5 - Child Advocacy 360 blogger Ray Schultz goes behind the news with the the only journalism nonprofit that focuses exclusively on children, youth and families at risk. What do its leaders think about the state of mainstream media, the power of "good news" and what comes next?
Read the story  |  See more of Ray's blogs.

For Young Americans, Health Care Reform is Our Fight

In a surprising generational turnabout, a CNN poll finds that health care reform is significantly more popular among young people than among adults over the age of 50. Erica Williams of Campus progress explains why young people have so much invested in the issue. Read the article.

November 2009 - As Congress and the administration work to reform our nation's health care system, here are resources to understand what's happening, what's in it for kids and young people, and what you can do to get involved. Read more.

Columns:

One More Time: Don't Pit Preschoolers Against Teens
Karen Pittman's column
Karen finds commonalities between juvenile justice and the child welfare systems. Leaders from both systems convened recently to hear about efforts to strengthen supports for young people. Read Karen's column.

• Karen Pittman's columns

Case Study: How MomsRising.Org Uses Social Media To Get Its Message Out
Ray Schultz's blog

July 15 - Sure, social media can make or break movies—witness the Twitter-fueled Harry Potter frenzy or the crash of Bruno ticket sales—but can it help fuel a social change movement and engage concerned adults and young people around issues? Here’s a look at what MomsRising is finding. Read more.

Past Blogs:

• July 1 - Twitter/Facebook: Time Well Spent for Child & Youth Advocates?
• June 3 - Can Social Media Really Spark Social Change?

The Good, the Bad, and What’s Real about Social Media in Child Advocacy?
Hershel Sarbin's blog
All ‘a-twitter’ about social media in child advocacy communication? Lots of folks are. But to what end? Are we just looking for connections with like-minded people, or a chance to move people to action—and just how would you do that with 140 characters per message? How much time does it take each day to make social media effective? Read Hershel's column.

• All of Hershel Sarbin's communications columns.

• College Mental Health: A Different Diagnosis
• Parents Design L.A. Parent Involvement Model
• Middle School Youth Lead the Way: Creating "Pathways to Leadership" in After-School Programs
• Taking Stock: What the 2009 Children's Budget Says about Us (and Why it Matters)
• The Real Cost of Child Poverty, and What We Can Do About It
• “Hunger after the School Bell” as Advocates Gear Up for the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization
• A New White House Initiative to Strengthen Community College
• School Connectedness: A Video Highlight
• Witness to Hunger: A CFK Multimedia Story

>> More CFKArticles

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CFK Update | January 26, 2010

From the Field

Children and young people don't grow up in fragmented programs. That's why we're committed to bringing you best practices, news and policy developments from across the child and youth field. Here are a few of the highlights:

A Look at Community Schools
When public schools partner with nonprofits, local agencies and community members to offer services like health care and other youth development activities, without burdening school staff, they can work to reduce the impacts of poverty on students.

"Justices Will Scrutinize Life Sentences for Youths"
Twenty years after a 13-year-old was sentenced to life without parole for rape, the Supreme Court will consider whether "extreme sentences for juveniles" are Constitutional (Washington Post article).

Physical Activity Opportunities Associated With Fitness and Weight Status Among Adolescents in Low-Income Communities
A study in the November 2009 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine has good news about public policy’s ability to boost the health of low-income children and youth—yes, policy. Community environment is a changeable factor in the fight against obesity.

Local Governments Actions to Prevent Obesity
An Institute of Medicine report tallies the cost of childhood obesity and actions that local governments can take.

Take Action on Health Care with the FamiliesUSA Toolkit!
National health care reform is still within sight. Here's how you (yes, you) can make a real difference in your hometown and across the country.

Changing Systems: Outcomes from the RWJF Reclaiming Futures Initiative on Juvenile Justice and Substance Abuse
Here's a longstanding initiative that's showing real results in its latest evaluation.Get the details.

Action Central: Tools for Advocacy

• ABC's of Advocacy
• A Toolkit for Funding
• Advocating for Kids (Transcript)
• More Taking Action Toolkits

Got a minute to get involved? Check out our Action Alerts!

Featured Alerts:

Create a White House Office on Children and Youth!
The Federal government runs hundreds of critical programs to serve children and youth ages 0 to 24, which are spread across 12 departments and agencies. This fragmentation is getting in the way of effectiveness, but we can do better ... more.

>> Learn about this PSA campaign