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Editor's
Note
Happy New Year from Connect for Kids and Child Advocacy 360!
First, we'd like to thank everyone
(more than 1100 of you) who took the time to fill out our survey in
November. You told us that the Weekly keeps you up to date and
informed, saves you time, and helps you network with other like-minded
groups and find out what's happening around the country -- and that you
like our attitude! We're working to incorporate all of your feedback
and ideas for improvement.
Given how busy you are doing the wonderful work that you do, many of
you told us that you would prefer to receive the Weekly every two
weeks, so we're switching our format to biweekly. We'll still bring you
the best content from across the child and youth field and will keep
the Weekly chock full of the resources you rely on.
At the same time, we've made a New Year's Resolution to redesign the
Website in partnership with other organizations, so our library of
resources and "best of the field" content is easy to access. As we move
forward, we'll update you on timing of the new, improved site and what
you can do to help.
Now, what will you find in the first issue of 2008? Get to know
Children's Cabinets (what are they? how do they work?). Find Mentoring
Month resources. In Kids & Politics, we've got a round-up of
organizations working hard to make sure kids are a campaign priority in
2008.
Also: a new Casey Field Office Mental Health study looks at how teens
in foster care are faring, and how they feel about key identity issues.
RAND takes a comprehensive look at No Child Left Behind (NCLB), just as
an NCLB lawsuit has been revived. And don't miss the tools and grants,
and much more.
Here's to a great new year! Please continue to share your news and
projects with us.
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New on ConnectforKids.org
This week, from Connect for Kids and Child Advocacy 360:
Getting Beyond the Foster Care System: What
Works for Teens
 Could
you have made it entirely on your own at 18 or 21? Each year, roughly
25,000 young people "age out" of the foster care system, many without
family or economic supports. Without connection to a caring adult and
other supports, these youth face steep challenges, including higher
rates of unemployment, poor educational attainment, health issues,
incarceration and homelessness.
But those are the problems, the statistics -- what about the potential
of these teens, their desire to succeed? We spoke with Betsy Krebs,
co-director of the New York City-based Youth Advocacy Center, about
what works to help teens aging out of foster care succeed. |
Kids & Politics: Election Fever
As we gear up for this year's presidential election, many child and
youth organizations are working to make children's policies a campaign
issue. Here are just a few of them.
 It's About Our Kids.org
The Iowa Child and Family Center has created a one-stop shop for
information on child policy issues and the 2008 election. You'll find:
candidate's responses to a survey on children's issues and policies, a
round-up of candidates' statements on their own sites and links to
other organizations' surveys.
 Every Child Matters Election Watch
The Every Child Matters Education
Fund asked all the presidential candidates to describe their plans for
addressing six critical children's issues, from health care to child
abuse. As the responses come in, they are being posted on this site.
Also, check out Every Child Matters' booklet, Homeland Insecurity: Why Children Must be a
Priority in the 2008 Presidential Campaign.
Foundations Ask Presidential Candidates What
They'll Do for America
For more on where 2008 presidential candidates stand on issues that are
important to children and families, check out the Spotlight on Poverty
and Opportunity initiative.
"Be a Big Voice for Little Kids in the 2008
Election"
The latest Advocacy Developmental
Milestone from ZERO TO THREE offers three easy steps to help make very
young children a campaign priority in the 2008 election. It includes
some information from the IRS about advocacy and 501(c)(3) status. |
State Children's Cabinets and Councils: What They
Are, How They're Working
 The
Forum for Youth Investment has kicked off a publication series on
children's cabinets and councils, which are typically made up of heads
of government agencies and child- and youth-serving programs who meet
regularly to set and monitor common goals, outcomes and plans for
services/programs for children.
State Children's Cabinets and Councils:
Getting Results for Children and Youth
This paper delves into the "why"
question: why children's cabinets and councils should be taken
seriously, and why and how the way they work is consistent with the
Forum's assumptions about change. It also identifies challenge areas,
and introduces the Ready by 21 Change Model that is used to frame the
issue briefs and directory.
2008 Directory of State Children's Cabinets
and Councils
The 2008 Directory of State Children's Cabinets and Councils by the
Forum for Youth Investment provides at-a-glance responses to questions
such as: which states have children's cabinets and councils? Who is
involved in them? What do they do? The guide provides summaries of
interviews done with children's cabinet and council directors in the
latter half of 2007.
State
Children's Cabinets and Councils Capitol Hill Forum
In December, the American Youth Policy Forum and the Forum for Youth
Investment co-hosted a lunchtime forum on Capitol Hill to launch the
series and convene stakeholders to examine Children's Cabinets and
Councils. Speakers from Kentucky, Ohio and Maryland shared their
first-hand experiences with this sort of collaboration. Materials from
the forum are online. |
January is Mentoring Month
 National Mentoring Month
The National Mentoring Month campaign 2008 is a joint effort of the
Harvard Mentoring Project, The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR)
and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Get the latest
on what Congress has done to suppport mentoring, and find out what's
going on in your hometown -- or get something started!
- To learn about this year's
Congressional funding in support of mentoring programs, click here.
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Reconnecting Youth
 Young Men at Risk: Transforming the Power of
a Generation
Ashoka's Changemakers and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are
hosting a competition to find the most innovative approaches that
empower young men at risk to achieve a successful and healthy
adulthood. Contact Dana Frasz at dfrasz@ashoka.org. Deadline: January 23.
Safe Streets: Preventing Gang Affiliation
and Violence, Audioconference (January 17)
In this free YEF Institute audioconference, listeners will learn about
anti-gang strategies developed by local officials from several cities,
and which efforts are producing results. Municipal leaders will discuss
their work to combat gang violence through strategies that blend
prevention, intervention, enforcement and the moral voice of the
community. To register, send contact information to iyef@nlc.org
by
January 15.
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Foster Care News
Mental Health, Ethnicity, Sexuality and
Spirituality Among Youth in Foster Care
The latest Casey Field Office Mental Health Study examines findings of
a mental health survey of 188 youth (ages 14 to 17) in foster care in
five states. It goes beyond the basics to probe teens' perceptions of
their ethnic and gender identity and sexual orientation, including
their development of ethnic identity while in foster care and
experiences with discrimination.
- Rates of mental health disorders
were significantly higher among youth in care than among youth in the
general population.
- Females had notably higher rates of
several mental health disorders (including depression and panic) than
males.
- Youth currently in care had lower
rates of mental health issues than foster care alumni.
- Youth felt they had opportunities
to develop their ethnic identity in foster care but most wanted to
learn more.
The Executive Summary has a great discussion of specific findings and
recommendations; the full report is also online.
 Racial Disparity in the Child Welfare System
- Panel and Audio WebCast (January 10)
African American children and infants are disproportionately
represented in the nation's foster care system. This Chapin Hall/Urban
Institute policy forum will explore whether shifts in social policy and
economic conditions since the mid-1990s have reduced persistent racial
disparities in education, health and the child welfare system. Attend
in DC or online from anywhere; the event is free. |
Education News
 Passing or Failing? A Midterm Report Card
for No Child Left Behind
Six years ago this month, the No
Child Left Behind Act set the goal that "All children will be
proficient in reading and mathematics by the 2013-14 school year." The
latest RAND Review recaps the law's effects at nearly every level of
the education system. It also issues mixed grades, early warnings and
guidelines to help the law fulfill its promise.
Court Revives NEA Suit Against NCLB
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in
Cincinnati, ruled 2-1 that the states were not on clear notice of their
potential financial obligations when they agreed to accept federal
funding under the No Child Left Behind law. Education Week reports.
 Educating Children Without Housing: Primer
for Educators, Advocates and Policymakers
This manual, from the American Bar
Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, helps state
education officials, school districts and staff implement the
McKinney-Vento Act governing education for homeless children and youth.
It includes innovative ideas and strategies, and how the Act applies to
disaster response. (Cost: $14.95.)
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Tools for Your Work
Webinar: The Art of Getting Attention
(January 22)
The National Assembly is hosting
this session and one on February 19 on "How to Get Your Message Out in
the Digital Age" -- a mini-series on marketing for nonprofits presented
by the Ad Council. The details will be posted on the site soon.
Evaluating Out-of-School Time Programs
Child Trends has released two new briefs in its series on practical
evaluation methods for out-of-school time programs:
- Process Evaluations: A Guide for
Out-of-School Time Practitioners
- Outcome Evaluation: A Guide for
Out-of-School Time Practitioners
Online Fundraising: How to Social Network
Your Way to $50,000 (January 10)
This free training from Network
for Good will look at whether social networking tools like Facebook,
MySpace and blogs can be effective, and how. Get the scoop from their
experts, then hear from the Case Foundation about the $50,000 America's
Giving Challenge.
Register online. Or if you can't attend, download the free
audio transcript at www.Fundraising123.org. |
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Ideas for Funding
USDA
Food Stamp Outreach Grants
At least $1 million in grants are available for the public and private
nonprofit community and faith-based organizations to improve awareness
of USDA's Food Stamp Program for low-income households. State and local
food stamp offices and for-profit organizations are not eligible.
Deadline: February 19.
Cigna Foundation
The Cigna Foundation provides support to nonprofits for projects in
five areas, including women, child and family health, obesity
prevention and reduction of gender disparities in health care.
Deadline: Rolling
Other
Sources Worth Checking Out This Year:
Connect for Kids is updating our online Funding Ideas toolkit. If you
have resources to share, send an email to weekly@connectforkids.org.
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Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment
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