Connect for Kids.org: Better Policies for Kids

May 23, 2005

Table of Contents. Click on heading to jump to that section.

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Mental Health and Juvenile Justice: Promising Practices in Texas
**Resources on Mental Health Needs and Juvenile Justice Youth
** Foster Care: No Cure for Mental Illness
**An Insider's Look at Juvenile Justice

ACTION CENTRAL
**Encouraging Student Volunteerism this Summer
**Paid Sick Leave AudioConference
**Help the Youth Crime Watch Spotlight Shine
**Action Central -- Your Spot for Funding and Action Alerts

KIDS & POLITICS
**Tough Choices Ahead for Congress
**Legislation Alert
**Chat Recap: High School Students’ Free-Speech Rights

CONGRESS MAKING HEADWAY ON HEAD START
**No Block Grant and Bipartisan Approval for Head Start in House
**More Information Needed on Head Start Reporting System

RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE AND WIA: BREAKING NEWS
** Minimum Wage to Increase?
**Increasing the Minimum Wage: An Issue of Children’s Well-Being
**States’ Experience with Raising the Minimum Wage
**Senate Committee Approves the Workforce Training Bill Despite White House Opposition
**How Have Children Fared in the Job Market Downturn?

WHAT GRADUATION CRISIS?
**Confronting the High School Graduation Rate Crisis in the South
**Only One in Ten Recognize a Crisis
**The Silent Crisis

IMPROVING K-12 EDUCATION
**Standards-Based Reform & Accountability: Getting It Right
**Community Partners for Better Learning
**States’ Role in Improving Low Performing Schools and Districts
**Improving High Schools: A Round-Up
**Education A-Z

ONE IN FIVE: SUPPORTING STUDENTS FROM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES
**Listening to Teachers of English Language Learners
**PBS Show Looks at Teaching English Learners
**Immigrant Children -- Results from the CHHCS Brief Survey

SUPPORTING YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE
**Young Adults Forced to Leave Foster Care at 18 Face Broad Challenges
**The Northwest Foster Alumni Study Found Similar Challenges
**House Hears Testimony on Protections for Foster Children Participating in Clinical Trials

FEATURED FUNDING
**Building a Youth Movement to Fight Global Poverty
**Find Funding Alerts on Connect for Kids

FOCUS ON THE STATES
**States face long-term budget gaps
**State-by-State News

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NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS

**Mental Health and Juvenile Justice: Promising Practices in Texas
Being young and mentally ill may not be a crime – but it often results in incarceration. In 2003, juvenile detention centers in most states reported routinely holding mentally ill young people, simply because treatment programs are not available. Texas has begun to put together the pieces of a better system. Connect for Kids executive director Cecilia Garcia reports.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3071

**Resources on Mental Health Needs and Juvenile Justice Youth
Many young people in the juvenile justice system have serious mental health problems that need treatment; and many young people with such problems end up in juvenile justice facilities because they lack access to treatment in their communities. CFK has compiled information on the challenges and effective solutions.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/2979

** Foster Care: No Cure for Mental Illness
Child welfare directors in 19 states and juvenile justice officials in 30 counties estimated that in fiscal year 2001 parents placed over 12,700 children into the child welfare or juvenile justice system for the sole purpose of getting mental health services for their children. New York, Vermont and Kansas have improved mental health services for children and reduced costs at the same time – decreases the chances that parents will be have to give up custody of their children to get them the services they need.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/571

**An Insider's Look at Juvenile Justice
Currently, 46 states have laws allowing for the transfer of juvenile criminal cases to adult courts under certain conditions. In Los Angeles, these young people have a vocal champion.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/523

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ACTION CENTRAL

**Encouraging Student Volunteerism this Summer
Volunteerism plays an essential role in our democracy, and can give young people experiences that boost their development and skills. As summer vacation approaches, students can plan to make constructive use of their extra time.
http://www.mindoh.com/docs/summer_vacation.pdf

**Paid Sick Leave AudioConference
Workers in low-wage jobs contend with lower pay and fewer benefits. The Center for Law and Social Policy will host a national audio conference on Paid Sick Days, featuring Senator Edward Kennedy, on June 17, 2005 from 12:30-1:30 (ET).
http://www.clasp.org/confdescriptions.php#11

A short video describing the conference is available to stream online.
http://www.clasp.org/Video/061705/061705-rev2.html

**Help the Youth Crime Watch Spotlight Shine
Youth Crime Watch of America regularly profiles inspiring young people on its Web site. This month’s Youth Spotlight shines on Tamika Johnson in Pembroke Pines, Florida, a leader in youth crime prevention whose watch group works to break down generational barriers and make her community safer. Learn more about Youth Spotlight, and nominate an outstanding youth online.
http://www.ycwa.org/features/spot/johnson.htm

**Action Central -- Your Spot for Funding and Action Alerts
Connect for Kids’ Action Central is the place to find the latest action alerts and funding notices for the child advocacy community.
http://www.connectforkids.org/action_central

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KIDS & POLITICS

**Tough Choices Ahead for Congress
Far from the finish line, the budget resolution (passed by Congress in April) was more like a starting gun for adults concerned about children, low-income families, people with disabilities and other vulnerable Americans. Some appropriations committees have already begun writing budgets that include the discretionary spending cuts mandated by the budget resolution. In June and July, Congressional committees are expected to finalize tax reductions and cuts in entitlement spending -- in some cases, even deeper cuts than those called for by the budget resolution. The Coalition on Human Needs has the details.
http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/050520a.html

**Legislation Alert
Among the many bills introduced in the Senate and the House in the past couple of weeks, here are few that advocates for children, families, and communities are watching.

Funding Full-Service Community Schools
On May 10, Senator Ben Nelson (D-NB), introduced a bill (S.986) which would authorize the Secretary of Education to fund full-service community schools, defined as "elementary or secondary schools that participate in community-based efforts to coordinate educational, developmental, family, health, and other services to students, families, and communities."
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:s986is.txt.pdf

Covering Kids Act: Medicaid, SCHIP Outreach

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced a bill (S 1049) that would provide $100 million in grants over two years to states, communities, schools, faith-based organizations and others to enroll eligible children in Medicaid or the state Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Ten percent of the grants would go to the Indian Health Service for outreach and enrollment programs for uninsured American Indian children. The bill also allows states to use an enrollment shortcut, using information from other public programs to determine applicants’ eligibility.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:s1049is.txt.pdf

Pre-K Teacher Compensation Bill
Efforts to upgrade training and credentials for Head Start and child care workers may make it hard for experienced teachers to remain on the job, unless they get help paying the costs of further education. Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Todd Platts (R-PA) have jointly introduced the FOCUS Act (HR 2000) to provide states with federal funds for scholarships to help child care workers attain higher education degrees and receive compensation rewards that will help them remain in their programs.  The legislation would also help provide health care benefits.  A companion bill will be introduced in the Senate soon.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h2000ih.txt.pdf

A minimum wage bill was also introduced, please see the section below.

*Chat Recap: High School Students’ Free-Speech Rights
Forty years ago, siblings and high school students John and Mary Beth Tinker stood up for their right to wear anti-war armbands, leading to a landmark Supreme Court decision protecting students' free-speech in school. Today, the Tinkers are free-speech advocates -- and on May 18, EdWeek brought them to a computer near you for a discussion about the current status of academic free speech. A transcript is available online.
http://www.edweek.org/chat/

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CONGRESS MAKING HEADWAY ON HEAD START

**No Block Grant and Bipartisan Approval for Head Start in House
Head Start is due for renewal. With bipartisan support a House committee unanimously passed a reauthorization bill on May 18. A move to block grant the program was prevented, but Democrats lost a bid to add an amendment to increase funding from roughly $6.7 billion in FY2006 to $16.7 billion by 2011.

http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/050520d.html

The bill puts an increased emphasis on academics and includes a provision that may allow faith-based groups to hire only employees of a certain faith. The National Head Start Association examined key components of the bill during the House deliberations. Watch for a statement about the final bill on their site.

http://www.nhsa.org/press/index_news_050505.htm

**More Information Needed on Head Start Reporting System

The National Reporting System (NRS) -- an initiative to systematically test the early literacy, language and numeracy skills of the preschool children enrolled in Head Start -- has been controversial from the start. Calling development “a process not a conclusion,” early childhood advocates say it’s unrealistic and inaccurate to use a standardized test to measure young children’s progress. Acknowledging that the Head Start Bureau has taken steps to address some of these concerns, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says problems remain and more information is needed before the GAO can support the use of NRS for accountability and further training.
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05343high.pdf

The Children’s Defense Fund and other early childhood organizations have long been calling for a moratorium on the NRS, pending further analysis to prove the test’s validity.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/050517.aspx

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RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE AND WIA: BREAKING NEWS

** Minimum Wage to Increase?
The minimum wage has remained at $5.15 an hour for the past eight years. During this period, inflation has eaten away nearly one-sixth of the minimum wage's buying power. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative George Miller (D-CA) have again introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over two years.
http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/050520h.html

The full text of the Senate bill is online.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:s1062pcs.txt.pdf

Rep. Miller’s site has more information on the House bill.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ed31_democrats/rel51805.html

**Increasing the Minimum Wage: An Issue of Children’s Well-Being

A report released on May 18 by the Children's Defense Fund shows nearly 10 million children could benefit from raising the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour. A parent supporting two children and working full time at the current minimum wage of $5.15 ends up with an annual salary $4,500 below the poverty line. In 2004, 9.7 million U.S. children lived in a household with at least one worker earning between $5.15 and $7.25 per hour.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/familyincome/jobs/minimumwagereport2005.pdf

**States’ Experience with Raising the Minimum Wage
With the conservative majority in Congress opposed to raising the minimum wage, sixteen states have set minimum wages exceeding the federal minimum. New Jersey, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland and Minnesota legislatures passed increases this year. Stateline.org reports.
http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=32199

**Senate Committee Approves the Workforce Training Bill Despite White House Opposition
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee unanimously approved S. 1021, the committee’s bill reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. The bill differs from the controversial version passed in the House (HR 27) in that it does not consolidate adult, dislocated workers, and employment services funding into one $3 billion block grant, nor does it contain a provision allowing religious organizations receiving funds to consider religion when making hiring decisions.
http://www.senate.gov (Click on “Legislation” and enter S.1021.)

In a letter to the HELP Committee, Elaine Chao, head of the Department of Labor (DOL), said the Administration would bring the fight to the Senate floor -- in the form of amendments to consolidate the funding streams and allow faith-based organizations to use religious preferences in hiring, among other reforms -- if the bill was approved in its current form.
http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2005/chaoLetS1021.pdf

The National Youth Employment Coalition says merging youth funding streams into a broader block grant will threaten the dedicated funding that supports job training and other services for youth.
http://www.nyec.org

The Coalition on Human Needs has a brief overview of WIA.
http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/050520e.html

**How Have Children Fared in the Job Market Downturn?
We covered this report in April, but it provides some context for this issue, so we thought we’d resurrect it. The Urban Institute says that during the recent “sluggish” economic recovery, employment rates have risen only slightly in recent months. As a result, full-time employment rates and earnings are still low and poverty has actually risen among households with children -- particularly those headed by single parents.
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311163_A-67.pdf

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WHAT GRADUATION CRISIS?

**Confronting the High School Graduation Rate Crisis in the South
Nationally, about 68 percent of students who enter 9th grade will graduate in four years – but rates in southern states are much lower, according to a new study by the Civil Rights Project.  In this region the graduation rates for minority youth and all youth in poverty rarely exceed 50 percent .
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/dropouts/dropouts_south05.php

**Only One in Ten Recognize a Crisis
A recent Communities in Schools survey finds that only one in ten Americans believe the high school dropout problem is a crisis. Most associate high school dropouts with economic and social problems but underestimate how many dropouts there are and underestimate the percentage of young prison inmates who failed to complete high school.
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/cisnet/21786/

**The Silent Crisis
Connect for Kids has the key reports on measuring graduation rates, including recent data and trends.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/2776

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IMPROVING K-12 EDUCATION

**Standards-Based Reform & Accountability: Getting It Right
Last year, an American Federation for Teachers survey found that two-thirds of teachers said the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law was having a negative effect on public education. But, by the same two-thirds margin, they said they wanted the law fixed, not scrapped. The spring issue of the American Educator examines the impact of NCLB, teachers’ commitment to accountability and reform, how the adequate yearly progress formula can identify the wrong schools as failing, and how NCLB can be improved.
http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/index.htm

**Community Partners for Better Learning
Schools work better when they’re linked to and supported by community partners -- but what’s the best way to make these connections? The new issue of Voices in Urban Education from the Annenberg Institute examines the latest thinking about community partnerships and how tapping community assets can expand learning opportunities for young people.
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/VUE/index.html

**States’ Role in Improving Low Performing Schools and Districts
Across the country, states and school districts are struggling to reach a diverse population of moderate- and low-performing students. The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, a think tank, examines the role states can play in improving low-performing schools and districts, and the tools, resources and assistance they need .
http://www.massinc.org/about/cerp/research/push_to_proficiency/

**Improving High Schools: A Round-Up
The Education Commission of the States offers a comprehensive new roundup of what they and other national education and policy organizations are doing to improve high schools, including links to a variety of projects, initiatives, and resources.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN2535

**Education A-Z
Okay, make that A-T, actually. Connect for Kids’ Education topic pages cover issues ranging from the arts, discipline, and gifted students to school reform, sports, technology -- and everything in between. But there’s no need to be overwhelmed; see the left sidebar for our diverse subtopic sections.
http://www.connectforkids.org/taxonomy/term/225

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ONE IN FIVE: SUPPORTING STUDENTS FROM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES
One in five American children have at least one foreign-born parent. New to this issue? Here’s a starting point. In the latest “Five Questions For…” feature on the Urban Institute Web site, researcher Randy Capps talks about how the growing number of citizen children of immigrant families are faring.
http://www.urban.org/content/Experts/fivequestionsfor/fivequestions.htm

** Listening to Teachers of English Language Learners
Under-prepared, poorly supported, and overworked – that’s the bottom line from this survey of 5,000 California teachers working with students learning English as a second language. Of those surveyed, 43 percent of teachers with 50 percent or more English learners in their classrooms had received at most one in-service or training session on teaching these students. Teachers often lacked textbooks and other materials, and 27 percent of K-6 teachers said they struggled to communicate with students’ families and communities.
http://www.cftl.org/whatsnew.php

**PBS Show Looks at Teaching English Learners
Actress Rita Moreno hosts Becoming Bilingual, a 30-minute PBS program that examines the challenges of teaching children to read in a new language. The show visits schools and programs in six cities across the country to learn about the different ways schools are working to create bilingual readers. Becoming Bilingual, the seventh episode of the award-winning PBS series Launching Young Readers, will air on public television stations across the country. You can also watch the entire show online.
http://www.readingrockets.org/tv/bilingual.php

**Immigrant Children -- Results from the CHHCS Brief Survey
In 2000, one in five children under age 18 was estimated to have at least one foreign-born parent, and these numbers are rising. A recent survey by the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools finds that many of these children are getting their health care in school-based centers. The Center’s survey of its e-subscribers found that e ighty-five percent of the 750 respondents said that they had students/patients from other countries. (Scroll down for the link to InFocus.)
http://www.healthinschools.org/immigrant.asp

See also “ Caring Across Cultures: Achieving Cultural Competence in Health Programs at School,” a report designed to help health professionals and their school colleagues respond adequately to the diverse needs of students and patients.
http://www.healthinschools.org/sh/cultcomp.asp

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SUPPORTING YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE

**Young Adults Forced to Leave Foster Care at 18 Face Broad Challenges

The largest and most comprehensive examination of young adults leaving foster care -- released in May by Chapin Hall -- study shows that 18-year-olds making the transition from foster care to adulthood face formidable challenges and often struggle to stay in school, find stable housing, support themselves financially, and access medical services. Lead author Mark Courtney says extending transition services to age 21 would make a huge difference for these young people.
http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract_new.asp?ar=1388&L2=61&L3=130

**The Northwest Foster Alumni Study Found Similar Challenges

In a conference call hosted by Connect for Kids, researchers for the Northwest Foster Alumni study found that improving the stability of home and school placements, providing continuing relationships and concrete help during transition, and improving mental health services for foster youth would improve their circumstances.
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3065

**House Hears Testimony on Protections for Foster Children Participating in Clinical Trials
In recent editions of the CFK Weekly, we reported on National Institutes of Health drug trials in the 1990s involving HIV-positive children in foster care that failed to appoint independent advocates for the children, as required by law. Through these studies, kids and teens had access to cutting-edge treatment but were also exposed to potentially serious side effects and other risks associated with research. The House Ways and Means human resources subcommittee is investigating whether stronger guidelines or regulations are needed.
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=409&comm=2

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FEATURED FUNDING

**Building a Youth Movement to Fight Global Poverty
In May and June, schools across the country will honor students’ academic achievement in graduation ceremonies. Here’s a different way to honor dedicated, compassionate and motivated students. NetAid Global Action Awards honor American high school students who have taken outstanding actions to fight global poverty with a cash award and all-expenses-paid leadership summit in July with youth leaders from around the country. Deadline: June 15, 2005
http://www.netaidadmin.org

Find funding alerts for summer learning for teachers, mental health resources, environmental education projects and more in CFK’s Action Central.
http://www.connectforkids.org/action_central

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FOCUS ON THE STATES

**States face long-term budget gaps
States' failure to modernize their tax systems from a manufacturing-based to a service-based economy puts many at risk for chronic budget gaps, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan think tank. Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming face the greatest threat, according to the state-by-state analysis.  

http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=32451

**State-by-State News

Arkansas
Arkansas believed it settled a long-running fight over school funding last year, but nearly a quarter of the state's school districts were back in court last week accusing the legislature of neglecting education. Lawyers for 47 districts -- from rich northwestern Arkansas and the poorer Delta -- told the Arkansas Supreme Court it was obligated to reopen a lawsuit that led to changes in the way the state funds its public school system. A lawyer for the Legislature and Governor Mike Huckabee said, however, if districts are unhappy with their appropriations, they should file a new lawsuit.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Arkansas-Schools.html

California
The Urban Institute and Mathematica have released the "Evaluation of the San Mateo County Children's Health Initiative: First Annual Report." The Children's Health Initiative launched Healthy Kids, a program for children not eligible for public- or employer-based insurance. Early findings from this five-year evaluation include rapid enrollment growth in Healthy Kids, with most of the children coming from poor immigrant families; some decline in hospital admissions and emergency room visits for uninsured children; and strengthened communitywide collaboration to address issues of the uninsured.
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411003_san_mateo_county.pdf

Colorado
School districts, community groups, foundations and think tanks across the country are working to improve high schools and address concerns about low graduation rates. Of particular concern are urban districts and those with poor and increasingly adverse student populations that don't always thrive in traditional high schools. Here’s a look at some of the approaches in Colorado.
http://www.ecs.org/00CL6513

Delaware
Governor Ruth Ann Minner has signed legislation establishing new high school graduation requirements and scrapping a controversial three-tiered diploma system that was to have been implemented this year.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN2527

District of Columbia
In DC, the New Communities initiative seeks to harness escalating property values by replacing bleak blocks of concentrated poverty with townhouses and apartments attractive to middle- and upper-income buyers. Profits would help subsidize homes for working-class families and improve the lives of the poor families who live there now. (See, “D.C.'s Poor Question Their Place in Housing Plan”)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/15/AR2005051500814_pf.html

Florida
A number of states have asked for flexibility in meeting the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act, but so far only Florida has succeeded. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings agreed to allow Florida to slightly alter the timetable by which its students must meet proficiency standards in reading and math, and to shift the state's definition of subgroups that must meet standards.
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/17/State/Education_official_le.shtml

Georgia
The Georgia Board of Education has adopted a new high school math curriculum based on a Japanese model that integrates elements of algebra, geometry and statistics, rather than treating them as separate subjects.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN2525

Illinois
Join Chapin Hall Senior Researcher Larry Joseph on Thursday, June 2 at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center for a lunchtime presentation on the new report “The Fiscal Side of Welfare Reform in Illinois,” which will examine the uses of federal and state funds to aid children and families in poverty since welfare reform. The briefing is free of charge and open to the public. Lunch will be provided. Online registration is required.
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=88551

A new plan to fix public school funding has passed a state Senate committee and next faces a vote by the entire chamber. HB755 would raise Illinois’ personal income tax to 5 percent (from 3 percent) as well as the state’s corporate income tax. This would produce $5.8 billion in new revenues to, among other things, increase school funding and relieve the school portion of taxpayer’s local property taxes by 30 percent.
http://www.voices4kids.org/

Iowa
Like a growing number of other places in America’s heartland, West Liberty, Iowa is watching its share of minority students shift into the majority, bringing challenges to the school system. Some West Liberty educators say they are learning lessons that other districts may need to follow in the near future, even in the smallest of towns. EdWeek reports. (Free registration required.)
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/05/18/37westliberty.h24.html

Louisiana

The Louisiana House on Thursday voted 101-0 to approve a bill (HB 565) that would allow state officials to seek federal permission to use local government health care funds to attract additional Medicaid money. The bill could bring in about $300 million in additional federal Medicaid dollars, and would create a "flexible funding" pool of local and federal money that local governments could use for direct care services or to help uninsured people purchase health coverage.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/052005/pol_medicaid001.shtml

The full text of the bill is online.
http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=304352

New York
One in six young women in foster care in New York City is pregnant or already a mother, according to a new estimate by the public advocate's office. These young women, ages 13 to 21, are not getting the housing or training that they need to become independent mothers, according to the report.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/nyregion/16foster.html?

On May 12, young people from throughout New York City testified before the New York City Council about the impact of the federal budget on the city's children and families. The Children's Defense Fund has a recap. 
http://www.cdfny.org/YIMCosponsors.pdf

Chances are, your interest in strengthening communities doesn’t take a summer vacation. Please keep us posted about the issues that matter to you, and keep up the good work, everyone!

Caitlin
Caitlin Johnson, senior writer, and the Connect for Kids team