CFK Update
The CFK Update provides the latest and most relevant information and resources on children's issues. We sift through an enormous amount of information each week so we can point child advocates and organizations working on behalf of children and families to the most up-to-date news, research and information on issues of concern.
Subscribe here for this free service.
Go to the CFK Update archive » (links to outside Web pages are not updated)
Latest CFK Update:
Untitled Document
|
Bringing you relevant news, research and policy updates
affecting children, youth and families.
November 18, 2009
|
|
|
Not a subscriber?
 |
|
Editor's Note
We're breaking some records, but it's not the kind to be proud of. A new USDA report finds that in 2008, a record number of households experienced some level of food insecurity. And this month's unemployment figures hit double-digits at 10.2 percent -- the highest rate in 26 years.
If there's a silver lining, it's that these data may have helped spark a White House jobs summit and Senate
passage of the unemployment benefits extension. This week's resources indicate the economic numbers have a grim, real-life impact on state and city budgets and on families, children and youth.
If this is what a "bottom" looks like, it's nice to think about a rebound. After all, in times like these, our efforts matters even more. So in this Update, we've also included a lot on what is working: successful strategies for connecting low-income youth to work opportunities and community success stories.
As the holiday season approaches, we are mindful that giving to others can take many forms -- from donating money to your local food bank to using your time to let lawmakers know where you stand on issues that affect the public good, like health care reform, climate change, teen literacy and more.
Finally, a couple of corrections: We have several steps for quality control, but that doesn't mean we don't make mistakes! Here are two corrected links from last time:
Thanks to those who pointed these out and we apologize.
With that said, have a healthy, family-friendly Thanksgiving, everyone!
Jan Richter, editor emeritus and the CFK team
jan@connectforkids.org 
Coming soon! CFK is merging with the Youth Policy Action Center and National Youth Development Information Center to bring you SparkAction: for children, for youth, for change.
--
CFK gathers, synthesizes and promotes news, research, and stories from the child and youth field. To suggest content, email weekly@connectforkids.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New on CFK
The State of Child and Youth Reporting - What's Your Take?
Gena Fitzgerald, executive director of the Journalism Center for Children and Families, had a thoughtful response to our November 5 article by journalist and Child Advocacy 360 blogger Ray Schultz.
It is hard enough to get journalists to consider children's issues a legitimate beat. When they do, they can find themselves criticized for what's perceived as "if it bleeds, it leads" stories. What do you think about this issue? Read Gena's response and share your own!
"Peer Pressure for Positive Change": a Q & A with Justice Advocate Scott Peterson
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. Along with a strategy of graduated sanctions tailored to the individual, Scott says staff that combine caring with firmness and programs with carefully chosen community service aspects are key to success.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Focus on Food, Nutrition & Learning
In the last Update, we followed the news that half of all children in the U.S. will use food stamps at some point in their childhood. This week brings more news on child and family nutrition.
 USDA Study Finds Highest Rates of Hunger Ever Recorded
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual study finds that in 2008, 17 million households were food insecure (had difficulty putting enough
food on the table) -- up from 13 million in 2007. This represents the highest level observed since such food security surveys began in 1995.
IOM Calls for New School Nutrition Guidelines
In its new report, School Meals: Building Blocks for  Healthy Children, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) says that school meal standards must be updated to meet the latest dietary guidelines, including: limiting sodium; encouraging children to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and replacing whole or 2 percent milk with low- or nonfat. IOM acknowledges that this will require additional money for training, food and equipment.
------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
 News from Washington, DC
NY Times Editorial Says Immigrant Children's Future is Our Future
America has stood as a land of opportunity for many generations of immigrants, but current conditions for young immigrants tell a different story -- one of dislocations and disrupted families, where bills to help immigrant families with a path to legalization have died repeatedly in Congress and small-scale reforms like the Dream Act (a path to college or the military for children of illegal immigrants) have been stymied for years.
Supreme Court to Rule on Life without Parole for Teens
Four years ago, the Supreme Court ruled against the death penalty for crimes committed during adolescence. On Mon, Nov. 9 the Court heard
arguments on whether sentencing a teenager to life without parole is unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment.
The Coalition on Human Needs (CHN) has ideas for President Obama's Jobs
Summit in December: direct investment in public jobs that meet
community needs, increased federal aid to states, and training and
supports so that low-income and vulnerable people can qualify for good
jobs.
Unemployment Extension Now Law
CHN
says that sticker shock -- a 10.2 percent unemployment rate -- helped
push through an extension of unemployment benefits, which President
Obama signed into law on November 6.
PolicyWatch: What's Moving in Washington
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Take Action, Make a Difference 
To Fight Hunger, Give Food -- and a Piece of Your Mind
This time of year, many of us donate generously to local food banks. Equally important, says Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest), is making the case for improving the laws that govern school lunches, summer meal programs, after-school snacks and the WIC program, all up for reauthorization in the child nutrition legislation.
Can We Make Canned Foods Safer for Families?
Just in time for the holidays, the Consumers' Union reports that canned green beans and canned soups may contain high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical associated with higher rates of breast and prostate cancer, diabetes and heart disease. You can eat fresh, choose food carefully and urge the FDA to revise rules regulating the use of BPA.
Letters to the Editor: Support Students over Banks (SAFRA)
The U.S. Senate is preparing to take up the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), designed to make college more affordable and accessible for young people. Campus Progress has a tool to help interested people write letters to local media in support of the Act, which "will cut wasteful subsidies to student loan companies and invest the $87 billion in savings" in access to college.
The House passed its version of SAFRA, and has an easy to read summary online.
Job Opening: Youth Development Coordinator in Oregon
The Oregon Commission on Children, Youth and Families is conducting a national search for a Youth Development Coordinator to staff the Multnomah Youth Commission.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
State & City Budget Crises Could Affect Recovery
 Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril
The Pew Center for the States reports on nine states experiencing the worst budget crises, after California. What happens in these ten states, which altogether account for more than a third of America's economic output, could impede recovery for all the states.
State Budget Woes Hit Low-Income Families Hard
As states struggle with the most difficult budgets in decades, the Center on Budget and Policies Priorities reports that 16 have taxed working-poor families deeper into poverty. The Center also reports that without the help of more federal stimulus dollars, states might have to cut 900,000 more jobs next year.
Kidsdata.org Is Now Statewide
Find data on the health and well being of children for every California city, school district and county.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
A Bleak Job Market for Youth (and Families)
 New Research Shows U.S. Economy Will Grow By Billions of Dollars if High School Dropout Rate is Reduced
The Alliance for Excellent Education argues that the U.S. economy would grow significantly if the number of high school dropouts was cut in half.
The current unemployment rate of 10.2 percent is provoking deep concern and a White House jobs summit -- so what would we say about a 40 percent unemployment rate?
That's the current year-round jobless rate among young high school
dropouts age 16-24, according to a Center for Labor Market Studies report that we covered back in October. (We thought that was worth another mention.)
Economic Changes and the Structure of Opportunity for Less Skilled Workers
In the latest newsletter from the Institute for Research on Poverty, Rebecca Blank, Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs, summarizes the good and bad news on jobs and wages for less-skilled workers since 1979. In brief: the 1980s saw declining wages for low-skilled men. Sustained economic growth in the 1990s kept unemployment low, though still at 9 percent for workers without a high school diploma.
To make work pay in the current economy, we need to help low-wage workers improve skills and gain financial security with the Earned Income Tax Credit and other benefits.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
What Works: A Look at Proven Successes
 Harlem Children's Zone Is Closing the Gap
A new National Bureau of Economic Research paper concludes that the Harlem Children's Zone, which combines high-quality schools with community investments, has helped improve achievement of the poorest minority children. The Obama administration has set aside $10 million to help replicate the Zone's success in other metro areas. (The report is free for journalists and government workers, $5 for others.)
Chula Vista Parents Block Power Plant Expansion
The California-based publication Children's Advocate looks at what parents taking action can accomplish.
Call for Stories: Top 10 Youth Activism Victories
Every year Wiretap publishes its "Top 10 Youth Activism Victories" from around the country. What do you think have been the most inspiring victories from the past year?
Build Your Own Success at Work: Bridging the Gap
Employers can help their low-wage employees get help for paying for heating bills, health coverage for their children, or food stamps with the help of National Assembly "Bridging the Gap" Benefit Blasts. Tell your staff about this helpful resource.
|
 ...And More Successes: Making Connections for Youth at Risk
Linking Data across Agencies: States that are Making it Work
As a condition for receiving ARRA State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, every state has agreed to build statewide longitudinal data systems that can follow an individual student from early learning through school and into the workforce.
The Forum for Youth Investment and the Data Quality Campaign report on how some states are implementing common data definitions, addressing privacy issues and driving coordinated data collection to answer key policy questions - like "does early learning boost kindergarten success" or "what are the key indicators that can provide warning signs for dropping out of high school."
Effective Employer Engagement: The Year Up Model
Our economy does well for the highly educated worker. But what about those who have not completed high school or college? Year Up offers a business model for increasing training and job opportunities with potential employers and works with urban youth for a win-win solution -- better jobs for youth and a better workforce for employers.
Using Data for Success
Culled from success stories among Edna McConnell Clark Foundation grantees, Public/Private Ventures describes five strategies that managers can use with frontline staff to boost successful outcomes for workforce development clients.
Springboard Forward
Springboard Forward recruits employment opportunities and uses workshops and one-on-one coaching to help workers use a low-wage job as a springboard for upward mobility, rather than one of a disconnected series of dead-end jobs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Funding Tools & Alerts
Corrected Link: Global Youth Justice Resources for Funding
Some of you let us know about our bad link for Scott Peterson's list of resources. Please try again - this one is good!
Race to the Top Education Funding
The Department of Education has issued the final priorities for the Race to the Top competition which offers funds to states. Early learning outcomes are now a priority.
General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids Grant Program
The General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids Grant Program will award 50 grants of $10,000 each to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies throughout the country that offer innovative programs to help youth adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle. Deadline: January 15, 2010.
Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP)
Applications are due December 3 for Brookdale Foundation grants to develop or expand services for grandparents or other relatives who are surrogate parenting when biological parents are unable to do so.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment
|
|
|
Subscribe to