CFK Weekly - February 13, 2006

The Weekly tracks and gives perspective on news, reports, and policy developments so you can make sense of issues affecting children, families, and communities.

February 13th, 2006

This week...
(click headings to jump to sections)

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK [1]
Strengthening Youth Policy in the States -- Web Conference Series
February 14 CLASP Audio Conference -- The 2007 Federal Budget Plan: An Interview with Bob Greenstein
February 15 Pre-K Now Call: Promoting Early Literacy
Changing a Community “For One Night” and Beyond: Essay Contest
Celebrating Family this Valentine’s Day, in English and Spanish

KIDS AND THE MEDIA [2]
“Where the Girls Aren’t” is in Kids’ Films
For Students, 'iTunes U'

CHILD POVERTY INCREASES [3]
Child Poverty on the Rise

WORKING FAMILIES [4]
Guide for Employers Promoting Tax Credits and Federal Benefits
New “Ways to Work” Web Site

CHILD CARE AND EARLY LEARNING [5]
Child Care as Economic Development Database Resource
Why Do Some Eligible Families Not Access Child Care Subsidies?
Understanding Early Care and Education Participation Among Immigrant Families: A Brief

EDUCATION NEWS [6]
Education Funding in the 2007 Federal Budget
Another Look at the President’s New Math and Science Initiatives
Our Science and Math Classes are Just Fine, Say Parents and Students

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS [7]
Connecting Families, Schools and Community Resources
StoryBook Corner for Family Involvement
Engaging Families in After-School Programs

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT [8]
Handbook on Community Visioning
Rebuilding America’s Core Older Cities

KIDS & POLITICS: THE BUDGET SECTION [9]
President Bush’s 2007 Budget Proposal
Is Half the Picture Hidden – with Deeper Cuts In Store Post-2007?
Ideas for Action
Behind the Numbers: Real People

Editor’s Note: To borrow a trite but fitting quip: it’s like déjà vu all over again. The big news last week was the budget: will the 2006 bill be thrown out for a technicality? And how would the President’s 2007 proposal affect communities – particularly in the face of a five-year rise in child poverty? But it’s not all politics and finance: girls (aren’t) on film, one university is turning iTunes into a teaching tool, and states are increasingly replacing the question, “Can we make the case for quality child care?” with, “We know it works, so how can we fund it?” To respond to our coverage or suggest content, please email Caitlin Johnson at weekly@connectforkids.org [10].

New: Headlines are now linked

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG

“The 65 Percent Solution”: School Finance Proposal Energizes and Alarms [11]
The idea is simple: Just require that school districts spend 65 percent of their budgets on “in the classroom” expenses. That, say supporters, would shift about $14 billion dollars a year towards those expenses without requiring any actual increases in school spending. Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips reports that the idea is catching hold across the country, but that opposition is also growing.

A Younger Take on the State of the Union [12]
We’ve all heard the pundits and politicians give their reviews of President Bush’s State of the Union Speech delivered on January 31. Children’s Press Line editor Emily Olfson, 17, offers a different take. She watched the speech and then talked about it with students from the United Nations International School in New York City.

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK

Strengthening Youth Policy in the States -- Web Conference Series [13]
The National Conference of State Legislatures and the Forum for Youth Investment are co-hosting a series of web-based audio conferences on several youth policy topics. Registration is free. All conferences will take place from 3-4:30 EDT. It kicks off today, February 13, 2006, with: Making Smart Investments in Youth: What’s Working? If you miss, check online for materials and a recap.

February 14 CLASP Audio Conference -- The 2007 Federal Budget Plan: An Interview with Bob Greenstein [14]
How can you make sense of the President’s new 2007 budget proposal, and what will it mean for your work? Join the Center for Law and Social Policy in a conversation
With Bob Greenstein, director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for a clear overview of how the new budget plan would impact kids, families, and low-income individuals. Cost: $16 (10 percent discount if you pay by credit card).

February 15 Pre-K Now Call: Promoting Early Literacy [15]
Pre-K Now is hosting a national conference call series to discuss the issues that state leaders face in securing pre-kindergarten legislation and developing sound, high-quality programs. Join this call on Wednesday, February 15th call from 2:00 - 3:00pm ET. The call is free, but registration is limited to 150. Please register by Monday, February 13, 2006. Questions? Email Heather See at hsee@preknow.org [16].

Changing a Community “For One Night” and Beyond: Essay Contest [17]
The Lifetime Original Movie, For One Night, tells the story of a high school senior who overcomes all obstacles to create the first racially integrated prom in her hometown. Lifetime is offering $500 for the best essay from a young person describing why it’s important to promote unity and tolerance, and what you would do to bring your classmates or community together, for a night and beyond. Limit: 300 words. Deadline: March 17, 2005.

Celebrating Family this Valentine’s Day, in English and Spanish [18]
Instead of heart-shaped candy on February 14, why not consider some healthy, non-caloric ways to celebrate and show your love to the children in your life? The American Academy of Pediatrics offers 14 ideas – ranging from using positive words to making a date with your child so you can spend time alone together.

KIDS AND THE MEDIA

“Where the Girls Aren’t” is in Kids’ Films [19]
The “G” in family movie ratings clearly doesn’t stand for “girl-power.” Researchers at the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California studied 101 kids’ flicks and found that they predominantly feature males in key, supporting and even “crowd” roles: three of four characters are male, and fewer than one in three of speaking roles overall belongs to a female. What might that mean to young viewers (most of whom, according to this study, watch at least one video or DVD per day)? There’s evidence that exposure to television is a “significant and positive” predictor of sex role acceptance and attitudes among children and adults. The study was study sponsored by the nonprofit Dads and Daughters and its See Jane program.

For Students, 'iTunes U' [20]
Is this the (sound) wave of the future? E-School News reports that students at the University of Michigan's School of Dentistry use their iPods and MP3 players for more than just listening to music -- they also listen to class lectures and review notes with a student-run project that uses iTunes technology for academic purposes.

CHILD POVERTY INCREASES

Child Poverty on the Rise [21]
Of the more than 73 million children in the United States, 40 percent -- or 29.2 million -- live in low-income families. After nearly a decade of decline, this number has been steadily rising since 2000. How does your state measure up? Find out in this interactive data book from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). It offers national and state-by-state data on poverty, parental education and employment, marital status, family structure, race and ethnicity, and many other demographics. Be sure to check out the Fact Sheets for great graphics and easy-to-read snapshots of kids, families, and income.

The gap between high-income and poor and middle-income families grew from the early 1980s through the early 2000s, according to a January analysis of state income trends [22] from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute, which the CFK Weekly covered last month.

WORKING FAMILIES

Guide for Employers Promoting Tax Credits and Federal Benefits [23]
Tax time is just around the corner. Did you know that the Earned Income Tax Credit lifts more families above poverty than any other federal program? Corporate Voices for Working Families recently released its 2006 Employer Guide that builds on its EITC toolkit and offers tips to get the word out to low-wage employees about federal programs that help with tax credits, health care, food, and home heating costs.

New “Ways to Work” Web Site [24]
Ways to Work, which provides small, low-interest loans to working poor families (sponsored by the Alliance for Children and Families), has launched a new Web site designed for various audiences, including loan coordinators and applicants, potential financial services partners, and the general public. Find out more about how they’re serving low-income families.

CHILD CARE AND EARLY LEARNING

Child Care as Economic Development Database Resource [25]
Child care and early learning efforts pay off for kids and for local and state economies – not only do they support children’s development, but quality child care settings facilitate employment, improve productivity, enable business’ and states’ ability to attract and retain good workers, and have an impact on the economy in their own right. This site offers a database of economic demographic and policy data for all 50 states and links to state and local studies to help researchers and advocates make the case that quality child care is an economic development tool.

The new Brookings Working Paper, “The Effects of Investing in Early Education on Economic Growth [26],” also examines this issue.

Why Do Some Eligible Families Not Access Child Care Subsidies? [27]
Which families are more likely to use the child care assistance they’re eligible for, and for what types of care? According to this literature review, Predictors of Child Care Subsidy Use, barriers and “hassles” often play a role in who elects to use child care assistance.

Understanding Early Care and Education Participation Among Immigrant Families: A Brief [28]
Immigrant families in particular may be less likely to use child care and child care assistance. Two weeks ago, we publicized this Center for Law and Social Policy report, Reaching All Children? Understanding Early Care and Education Participation Among Immigrant Families. The authors have distilled the findings into a two-page fact sheet, so we thought it was worth another mention.

EDUCATION NEWS

Education Funding in the 2007 Federal Budget [29]
President Bush’s 2007 federal budget proposal, released last week, cuts education funds by more than $3 billion (see the Budget section, below). Title 1 -- the largest source of federal education funds to states, which accounts for half of federal No Child Left Behind Act spending – receives no new funds. Stateline.org reports that Congress refused to cut most of these programs when Bush proposed doing so last year.

Another Look at the President’s New Math and Science Initiatives [30]
The new FY 2007 budget proposed by President Bush (see below) includes a strong push to improve American competitiveness by strengthening math and science education, as promised in his State of the Union Address. Last week, we brought you the reaction from the National Science Foundation. This week: an Education Week report about the American Competitiveness Initiative. (Free registration is required.)

Our Science and Math Classes are Just Fine, Say Parents and Students [31]
Despite the fact that American students lag behind many of their international counterparts when it comes to math and science achievement, a new Public Agenda poll finds that most parents and students (75 percent) say that their schools’ math and science classes are making the grade just fine. When asked, most support the President’s proposed American Competitiveness initiative, however.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS

Connecting Families, Schools and Community Resources [32]
The focus of most K-12 schools is on academic proficiency, not fostering the assets of kids and communities, according to this National Human Services Assembly brief. That’s where the school-community-family linked approach comes in. This brief looks at how schools and families can work together and encourage each other to create better outcomes for kids and families alike.

StoryBook Corner for Family Involvement [33]
The Harvard Family Research Project and Reading Is Fundamental have joined to create a Web resource designed to help parents and teachers use books to promote family involvement in education.

Engaging Families in After-School Programs [34]
Want to know how to get parents and family members involved in your after-school program? Read on. The Harvard Family Research Project's new guide, How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices in After School, offers a round-up of the research on why family engagement matters, concrete program strategies for engaging families, best practices, and an evaluation tool to help practitioners improve family engagement approaches.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

In March, the CFK Weekly will launch a regular section profiling innovative community-based programs that serve kids, families, and communities as a whole. Share your ideas for profiles to weekly@connectforkids.org. (We cannot promise to include the efforts, but we will examine each one we receive.) In the meantime, here are some tools for community-strengthening.

Handbook on Community Visioning [35]
Want to make a difference in your hometown? A good starting point is by mapping the resources and issues unique to your area. This guide from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania helps communities – and not just those in PA! – begin to undertake community planning and development. It includes a reading list for understanding how to develop a community vision.

Rebuilding America’s Core Older Cities [36]
A changing economy has hit certain areas of our country particularly hard (think: rust belt) – but it doesn’t have to stay that way. This PolicyLink guide, Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions: An Agenda for Rebuilding America’s Older Core Cities, looks at Baltimore, Cleveland Detroit, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh and offers more than 50 models and ideas for re-establishing older urban centers in a new age.

KIDS & POLITICS: THE BUDGET SECTION

President Bush’s 2007 Budget Proposal
Even as the potential for a re-vote on the 2006 budget looms in Congress (let’s not dwell on that for now, shall we?), analysts are turning their attention to the Bush Administration’s FY 2007 budget proposal, released on February 6. The budget cuts or eliminates 141 programs, many of which Congress has spared from the chopping block in previous years’ budgets. Over the next two weeks, the CFK Weekly and Jan’s Corner will continue to provide analysis and links to advocates’ reactions. In the meantime, here are some resources for making sense of this budget and what it means for kids, communities, and your work.

Here’s a link to the President’s budget and introductory message. [37]

Overviews:

1. The National Priorities Project has issued the "Impact on the States [38]" report, with an interactive map of the local impact of the budget plan.

2. The United Way of America’s summary includes a budget overview and program-by-program numbers [39] for selected major human needs initiatives.

3. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities [40] (CBPP) offers a preliminary analysis of the plan.

4. This CBPP report includes a state-by-state ranking [41] of cuts to state and local governments.

5. “Woman and Children Last, Again [42],” is an analysis from the National Women’s Law Center.

Specifics:

1. Education [43]. President Bush's budget funds the U.S. Department of Education at $54.4 billion -- a decrease of $3.1 billion (5.5 percent) from 2006. It would eliminate 42 education programs, including vocational education, after-school programs, and Perkins Loans. It also “shortchanges” the No Child Left Behind programs by $15 billion, according to the National Education Association.

It also eliminates Even Start, freezes Head Start at $6.876 billion [44] (which could mean that 19,000 fewer children go unserved next year), and cuts Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding.

2. Food Stamps, WIC and Community Food and Nutrition Program. Advocates count as a victory stripping food stamp program cuts and eligibility changes [45] (that would remove automatic eligibility for those on TANF) from the 2006 budget bill – but these cuts are back again this time around. The budget proposal also cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and eliminates the Community Food and Nutrition Program, which helps communities provide needy families with nutrition benefits. There’s a bright spot: a change allowing individuals and families to obtain food stamps even if they have retirement savings, which will add about 100,000 people to the program by 2008.

3. Medicaid and Health Care. The National Women’s Law Center reports that the proposal would cut $13 billion from Medicaid [46]over the next five years.

4. Child care assistance would be frozen for the fifth consecutive year, even as changes to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) welfare rules require families to meet increased work participation rates [47].

This means 400,000 fewer children [48] would receive child care assistance by 2011.

5. Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The 2007 budget plan consolidates funds for WIA -- which trains low-income workers and helps them find and advance in jobs -- into one stream and gives states more flexibility over how they run their programs. It also cuts WIA funds from nearly $4 billion in 2006 to $3.4 billion in 2007.

6. Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) would be eliminated under this proposal [49]. Last week, 140 Members of Congress signed a joint letter to the President to express their support for maintaining CSBG funding.

Is Half the Picture Hidden – with Deeper Cuts In Store Post-2007? [50]
The budget proposes cuts in to domestic programs for years after 2007 – but those aren’t in the documents provided by the Office of Management and Budget. Data have surfaced find that some programs face tremendous cuts or even elimination from 2008-2011.

Ideas for Action [51]
Lots of organizations are stepping into action, using the tools created for the last budget fight. Catch your breath, and visit CFK’s Action Central, which will house action alerts and updates.

Behind the Numbers: Real People [52]
Here’s a tipsheet from Coalition on Human Needs on how to talk about the real impact of budget cuts on families and communities in your state.

Celebrate your hard work on behalf of children and families, and keep it up, everyone.
Caitlin

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