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NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS
**Keeping Dads in the Picture
**Dads Chat
**A Letter to Live-Away Dads
**Dads Helping Kids
**100 Black Men
CONNECT TODAY
**Looking for a Few Good Stories
IMPROVING KIDS' LEARNING
**Rising to the Test Teleconference
**Failure is Not an Option: The Next Stage of Education Reform
TEEN LIFE
**Heads Up for Report on Teens
**Involving Youth in Civic Life
**Employment and Training for Court-Involved Youth
**Do Teens in Low-Income and Welfare Families Work Too Much?
**Youth and HIV/AIDS 2000: A New American Agenda
**Youth Talk about Their ?Anti-Drug? in USA Today
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
**Community Health Care Grants
**Investing Welfare Funds in Teen Pregnancy Prevention
**Finance Project Resources for Children's Programs
**Corning Foundation Funding for Kids and Families
**Yoshiyama Award for Teen Community Service
**Colgate Grants for Kids in Community Service
**Providing Environmental Info to Communities
REPORTS IN BRIEF
**HUD Needs Better Info on Housing Agencies' Management Performance
**Resources for Juvenile Detention Reform
**What Do Policy Makers Want to Know
**Disparities in Children's Oral Health and Access to Dental Care
FOCUS ON THE STATES
**The States in 2000: Major Actions on Reproductive Health-Related
Issues
**State Education Data
**State-by-State News
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
_________________________________
NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS
**Keeping Dads in the Picture
Imagine a single mother, and quite probably you picture her with her
child or children. Imagine a single father, however, and he is not just
single, but alone. This week, Connect for Kids takes a look at some of
the most recent research regarding single fathers.
http://www.connectforkids.org
**Special This Week: Dads Chat
Join our week-long discussion of what kinds of policies, programs and
supports are needed to help single fathers stay connected to their children.
http://www.connectforkids.org
**A Letter to Live-Away Dads
Loneliness, anger and grief color Bill Klatte's memories of the first
years following his divorce, living far away from his young daughters.
But Klatte, the author of Live-Away Dads, says that his persistent efforts
to stay connected were more than worth it.
http://www.connectforkids.org
**Dads Helping Kids
From child rearing to finding family-friendly work or handling single
parenting, fathers face important issues. Get connected to ideas, research
and online networks in our Fathers topic page.
http://www.connectforkids.org
**100 Black Men
Founded in 1963, the organization supports and advances African-Americans,
young and old alike -- and is active in fatherhood issues. Learn more about
this group, or get connected to your local chapter.
http://www.connectforkids.org
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CONNECT TODAY
**Looking for a Few Good Stories
Research shows parent involvement is a key ingredient for students'
success in school, but forging a real partnership between parents and schools
is easier said than done. Have you found a strategy that works to bring
educators and parents together to improve kids' learning, or good tools
or resources to help others along this path?
Help Connect for Kids gather these ideas, experiences and lessons learned
for a feature on parental involvement in schools, and help your colleagues
and peers across the country enhance parental involvement in the schools.
E-mail your suggestions and ideas to jan@benton.org.
_________________________________
IMPROVING KIDS' LEARNING
**Rising to the Test Teleconference
The National Education Goals Panel will host a teleconference on meeting
the challenges of standards, assessment and accountability on December
6, 2000. Call the panel at (202-724-0078) to find out how you can get involved.
http://www.negp.gov/teleconf/index.htm
**Failure is Not an Option: The Next Stage of Education Reform
The dilemma of social promotion or retention may be a ?false choice
between poor alternatives," according to a report by the National State
Boards of Education (NSBE). Citing such factors as inadequate educational
opportunities, low expectations, the consequences of living in poverty,
lack of parental involvement and negative influences from peers and the
culture, the NSBE says the answers lie not in decisions about social promotion
or retention alone, but in providing the instructional resources needed
by both teachers and students to ensure that all students achieve academic
success. The press release is online. Call 800-220-5183 for a hard copy
of the full report.
http://www.nasbe.org/socialnews.html
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TEEN LIFE
**Heads Up for Report on Teens
The latest analysis of 1996 Add Health data, the nation's largest survey
of teens and their families, will be released by Dr. Robert Blum of the
University of Minnesota at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on
Nov. 30. Dr. Blum's report will offer data on the role of race/ethnicity,
income and family structure in teen risk behaviors and on the factors that
protect youth against risky behavior.
http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth/
**Involving Youth in Civic Life
This Youth in Action Fact Sheet from the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention describes two ways to enhance youth civic involvement:
youth advisory councils and youth town hall meetings.
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/fact.html#yfs00005
**Employment and Training for Court-Involved Youth
In 1997 and 1998, a special task force met to address the special job
training and employment needs of youth in the juvenile justice system.
This report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
provides an overview of the juvenile justice system and the workforce development
system and how these and other major systems can best work together to
provide services to court-involved youth to prepare them for job market.
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/court.html#182787
**Do Teens in Low-Income and Welfare Families Work Too Much?
Looking at data on school engagement, work hours and income levels,
this Urban Institute analysis concludes that prohibiting teens from working
20 or more hours per week is unlikely to improve school outcomes for low-income
teens. According to the report, policies should focus on improving the
linkages between schooling and careers through such promising strategies
as career academy, internship and apprenticeship programs.
http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/series_b/anf_b25.html
**Youth and HIV/AIDS 2000: A New American Agenda
About 20,000 young people are becoming infected with HIV each year,
and most are not receiving the medical care they need, according to the
White House Office of National AIDS Policy. The office reports that many
of its previous recommendations have been implemented, but a more systematic
national action plan is necessary to address the problem of HIV/AIDS among
America's youth.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ONAP/hot.html
Interested in what American teens are saying about the risks of HIV?
Check out the November 2000 survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
http://www.kff.org/content/2000/3092/Teensurveyonhiv.pdf
**Youth Talk about Their ?Anti-Drug? in USA Today
Pick up a Nov. 27 USA Today and take a look at ?What's Your Anti-Drug,?
an 8-page color insert which features stories, poetry, photos and art pieces
by kids ages 10 to 17 telling their personal stories about living without
drugs. For free copies of the insert, call the Office of National Drug
Control Policy Clearinghouse at 800-666-3332.
http://www.mediacampaign.org
Contrary to public opinion, most teens succeed in school, contribute
to their families and even work to make their communities better places.
Learn more about the ?Teen Years? in this Connect for Kids feature.
http://www.connectforkids.org/content1555/content.htm
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
**Community Health Care Grants
If you live in Albuquerque, Cincinnati, Dallas, Delaware, New Jersey,
Philadelphia, Puerto Rico or Washington, D.C. and you have a project promoting
access to health care for the under-served, you may be eligible for a $50,000
grant through the Johnson & Johnson Community Health Care Program.
Projects impacting women and children (including adolescents and infants)
and focusing on diabetes or chronic pain will be strongly considered. Deadline:
Jan. 15, 2001. For a packet of information, contact Tina Rasheed, 404-752-1924
or by e-mail to rasheet@msm.edu.
**Investing Welfare Funds in Teen Pregnancy Prevention
A new booklet from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
guides states and communities on how to use available Temporary Assistance
to Needy Families (TANF) funds for initiatives to prevent teen pregnancy,
a practice that is gaining increasing attention in the states. Look for
?Ready Resources? in the alphabetical listing of publications and order
a copy online. http://www.teenpregnancy.org/campub.htm
Read a transcript of the October 2000 conference call offering technical
assistance in using TANF dollars for teen pregnancy prevention.
http://www.teenpregnancy.org/tanfcall.pdf
**Finance Project Resources for Children's Programs
The Finance Project not only offers guides to specific funding resources
for programs serving children and families. It also looks at trends in
financing strategies, key issues in federal, state, and local fiscal capacity
and public expenditures on behalf of children and families, and promising
strategies for improving the return on public and private sector investments.
http://www.financeproject.org/index.html
**Corning Foundation Funding for Kids and Families
The Corning Foundation funds hospitals and hospices, community foundations,
youth and women's centers, YMCAs, local chapters of Girl Scouts and Boy
Scouts of America and selected United Ways. Its grants to elementary
and secondary schools, community colleges and four-year institutions of
higher learning focus on community service programs for students, curriculum
enrichment, student scholarships, facility improvement and instructional
technology projects for the classroom. http://www.corning.com/employment/quality_of_life/foundation.html
**Yoshiyama Award for Teen Community Service
This Hitachi Foundation awards $5,000 to ten high school seniors around
the country for their community service activities. The Foundation accepts
nominations from community leaders, service providers, teachers, school
principals or members of the clergy.
http://www.hitachi.org/yoshiyama-theaward.htm
**Colgate Grants for Kids in Community Service
If you are between the ages of four and 19 and are a member of a youth
group like a Boys or Girls Club, 4-H or scout troop, you can win $1,000
for your program from Colgate Youth for America by doing something terrific
for your community!
http://www.colgate.com/cp/corp.class/colgate_cares/youthForAmer.jsp
**Providing Timely Environmental Info to Communities
EMPACT is an Environmental Protection Agency initiative encouraging
community-based monitoring of environmental conditions and subsequent information
distribution among these communities. For grant guidelines, e-mail Dr.
Charlotte Cottrill <cottrill.charlotte@epa.gov>.
http://www.epa.gov/empact/about.htm
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REPORTS IN BRIEF
**HUD Needs Better Info on Housing Agencies' Management Performance
The General Accounting Office finds that the Dept. of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) is measuring ?the right things? to assess management
performance by local housing authorities, but it cannot be sure that the
data it receives from the field is accurate because it lacks an independent
verification process.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/fetchrpt?rptno=gao-01-94
**Resources for Juvenile Detention Reform
Today, more than six out of ten youth admitted to juvenile detention
are placed in overcrowded institutions. This Fact Sheet from the Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) describes initiatives
by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and OJJDP designed to address this significant
problem.
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/fact.html#fs200018
**What Do Policy Makers Want to Know?
What are the poverty-related policy questions that policymakers would
like academics and researchers to help answer? That's the question the
Joint Center on Poverty Research posed to policy makers across the country.
Their November-December newsletter posts the responses.
http://www.jcpr.org/newsletters/vol4_no6/index.html
**Disparities in Children's Oral Health and Access to Dental Care
Dental care is the most prevalent unmet health need in U.S. children,
yet only one in five children covered by Medicaid received preventive oral
care for which they are eligible. This week's Journal of the American Medical
Association calls attention to disparities in children's oral health care
and recommendations for service improvements.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v284n20/abs/jsc00218.html
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FOCUS ON THE STATES
**The States in 2000: Major Actions on Reproductive Health-Related
Issues
In its review of year 2000 legislative and legal actions at the federal
and state levels, the Guttmacher Report on Public Policy notes that 13
states acted on infant abandonment, a new issue this year that joined the
arena of complicated and politically-charged questions on reproductive
health -- from abortion to pregnant women's behavior and fetal tissue research.
http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/journals/gr030509.html
**State Education Data
Want to know how your state compares with national averages on per
pupil spending? Or how your state compares with others on spending gaps
between school districts or teacher salaries? Stateline has charted the
information for you.
http://www.stateline.org/education/
**State-by-State news
Check out new reports and news about kids in your state in the ?state-by-state?
section of Connect for Kids.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1576/index.htm
Here's a sample of this week's additions to our state pages:
Arizona
Arizona voters redirected hundreds of millions of dollars in future
income from state trust land, which could pay for extra teachers, classroom
aides, tutoring and counseling to head-off dropouts.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=379
California
California's Department of Corrections opened its second Family Foundations
Program facility, the only alternative community sentencing program for
women in California administered by the Department. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=381
Connecticut
Connecticut Voices for Children reports that the Connecticut Association
for Human Services is concerned about rescissions in the state budget for
child care and the state's refusal to implement the approved 1999 subsidy
adjustments that flow to low-income families.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=383
District of Columbia
D.C. Action for Children held its annual convention to set policy priorities
for the coming year.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=385
Florida
To complement their monthly talk show, "The Village" WUFT-FM in Gainesville
has a new Web site with a place to post information about educational toys,
books, tapes and other resources.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=386
Hawaii
The Henry and Dorothy Castle Memorial Fund seeks proposals to improve
the quality of services to families with children, from birth to age 5.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=388
Illinois
Illinois Voices for Children opposes the permanent repeal of the state
sales tax on gasoline.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=390
Kentucky
Researchers, parents and experts will share lessons learned and suggestions
for improving elementary and secondary education during a Dec. 7 ?9, 2000
national conference on Kentucky's Education Reform. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=394
Maryland
The Abell Foundation reports on an approach to improve child well-being
in the state of Maryland by focusing on non-custodial parents.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=397
Michigan
The Michigan Child Care Task Force reports that the Michigan Legislature
has begun to recognize the importance of "high quality" parenting and child
care for young children.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=399
Minnesota
The Administration of the Minnesota School-Age Care Training Network
announces a $50,000 annual grant to manage its administration and to improve
its services. Deadline: January 3, 2001. Contact Julie Nash <child.care@state.mn.us>.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=400
Montana
The Montana Appleseed Center is using litigation, legislation and public
education to compel the state of Montana to provide equal educational opportunities
to American Indian children.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=403
Nebraska
Nebraska Equal Justice's welfare reform project is filing class action
lawsuits and civil rights complaints and helping hundreds of working families
in Omaha get a raise.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=404
New York
WBAI-FM Pacifica Radio in New York, NY and its partner, Global Kids,
Inc., are training youth to create and broadcast 12 radio programs on youth
substance abuse.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=409
North Carolina
The NC Child Advocacy Institute and the NC Institute of Medicine has
released a 2000 Child Health Report Card. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=410
Ohio
Dr. Steven Hawley of Wright State University looks at how three programs
combine mentoring and teaching with access to computers in a successful
approach to urban youth empowerment in Cincinnati.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=412
Pennsylvania
Business leaders and crime fighters have outlined a School Readiness
Initiative, seeking $50 to $75 million in first year.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=415
Washington
Faith communities in Washington are joining a call to renewal to reduce
the systemic causes of poverty.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=425
Keep in touch, everyone!
Jan Richter, Outreach Specialist and the Connect for Kids team
Jan@benton.org
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