CFK Update March 19

Untitled Document

Bringing you relevant news, research and policy updates
affecting children, youth and families.

March 19, 2008

In This Issue

(click to jump to section)

New on Connectforkids.org [1]

Resources for Reconnecting Youth [2]

Foster Care Resources [3]

Child Safety and Well-Being [4]

Education News [5]

Health and Health Care News [6]

Government Budgets... [7]

...Family Budgets [8]

Stop the Silence [9]

Tools for Your Work [10]

Grants and Funding [11]

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Join Our Mailing List

[12]

Quick Links

Connect for Kids [13]

Forum for Youth Investment [14]

Youth Policy Action Center [15]

Editor's Note

Welcome to the first issue of the newly designed CFK Update! Although congress is currently on break, they'll return at the end of the month to tackle the fiscal year 2008 federal budget, which sets spending for many programs for children and families. We've linked you to the latest news and analyses in our budget section below.

Speaking of budgets, there are new FAQs, stats and resources for understanding and fighting child poverty. There's also a new global comparison of child well-being from the United Nations -- you can see how the U.S. measures up.

There are two great opportunities to hear from youth themselves as they weigh in on the high school dropout crisis and major education issues. Don't miss the new interactive clearinghouse of successful education interventions, Public School Insights.org.

You'll also find tools for turning set-backs into successes (see the Tools section), and funding alerts below.

Keep us posted on your work, everyone!
Caitlin Johnson
weekly@connectforkids.org [16]

PDF

[17]To read PDF files, download the free Adobe Reader [18].

[19]New on Connectforkids.org

The Scorecard: Tracking Reach and Results [20]
For many child and youth organizations, tracking the reach and results of the work is a challenging task. As part of our ongoing Scorecard series, CFK and Child Advocacy 360 are sharing examples of organizations' efforts to measure impact and results.

This week, Children's Rights, Inc. shares its follow-up to the groundbreaking Hitting the M.A.R.C. foster care reimbursement study, and our own Hershel Sarbin offers his take on the difficult yet important job of keeping score.

Profiles in Action: Moms' Walking Group Leads Push for a Walkable Neighborhood [21]
In Bakersfield, California, parents formed a walking group that turned out to be good for the health of their community, as they took on dangerous litter, crime and traffic to make their streets more "walkable." This grassroots -- and pavement-pounding -- snapshot from The Children's Advocate has the story.

[22]Resources for Reconnecting Youth

America's Promise Alliance Launches National Dropout Prevention Campaign: April 1 [23]
On the 25th Anniversary of the landmark education report, A Nation At Risk [24], the America's Promise Alliance warns that "our educational system remains in peril -- with more than one-third of high school students dropping out before graduation." On April 1, the Alliance will launch a two-year national campaign that will include more than 100 summits nationwide to prepare our youth for college, work and life. Get involved in your hometown!

Y [25] Childrens Aid Society

[26]outh Conference on High School Dropout Rate - What do Teens Think? [27]
This winter, about 200 teens gathered to discuss the school dropout rate in New York City, covering such factors as peer pressure, lack of support from parents, schools and the community, barriers for immigrants and gender inequities. The Children's Aid Society has posted recommendations from the conference on its Website.

Second Chance Act Passes [28]
The Senate has passed the Second Chance Act (HR 1593), which is designed to help former prisoners -- both adults and juveniles -- receive housing, employment, education and health care assistance and family strengthening services where possible. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law, the Child Welfare League of America reports.

[29]Foster Care Resources

Foster Care Central [30]
Here's a new nonprofit social network (think MySpace or Facebook) for social workers, foster parents and others interested in improving the lives of foster and adoptive youth.

Youth with Disabilities in the Foster Care System: Barriers to Success and Proposed Policy Solutions [31]
At least one-third of children in foster care have physical or mental disabilities and are at higher risk for poor educational, employment and well-being outcomes. This report from the National Council on Disability finds that federal investments are undercut by lack of coordination across programs and agencies. It offers recommendations for policymakers.

Recommendations for Policy, Practice and Research on Youth Permanence [32]
Casey Family Services has released a report from the research roundtable held during the last National Convening on Youth Permanence in 2006. The report offers an overview from national experts of how to document and understand youth permanence strategies for children in foster care. (See left sidebar of this site.)

Child Safety and Well-Being Child Welfare .gov

[33]

Promoting Healthy Families in Your Community: 2008 Resource Packet [34]
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Children's Bureau has an update and enhanced version of the 2007 packet offering (1) guidance for service providers in exploring protective factors with families, (2) tipsheets in both English and Spanish, (3) ideas for engaging the community in strengthening families and other tools to prevent child abuse and neglect.

World Youth07

[35]World Youth Report 2007 [36]
From the United Nations Programme on Youth, this report examines the challenges and opportunities existing for the roughly 1.2 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the world. It also summarizes major youth development trends in the 15 priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth.

Safety and Risk Assessments Breakthrough Series Collaborative (Deadline March 24) [37]
The Breakthrough Series Collaborative is a partnership between Casey Family Programs and the American Humane Society to support and evaluate rapid, small-scale testing of new strategies in child welfare systems across the country. The deadline for applications for the latest round of the Collaborative has been extended. Contact Donna Parrish at 303-925-9427 for information.

Education News WKCD

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Youth Voices on Education Issues
Among the great new resources from What Kids Can Do are two new sections that bring young people's perspectives into the discussion on schools and learning.

Tips on Helping Us Learn: From Binders to Homework [39] -- diverse middle school students talk about what helps them grow into confident learners.

The Big Score: Chicago High School Students Debate College Admission Tests [40] -- the city's Oak Park and River Forest High School sends almost 90 percent of its graduates to college; here are the students' perspectives on standardized tests.

[41]Native Education 101: Basic Facts about American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Education [42]
From the National Indian Education Association and the National Education Association, this report looks at achievement barriers facing American Indians, Alaskan natives and native Hawaiians in schools. It finds that policies and resources are needed to preserve indigenous languages and cultures, recruit and retain quality teachers and support safe, effective schools.

What's Working: Public School Insights.org [43]
This new site from the Learning First Alliance offers "a fresh vision for public schools in the 21st century," along with real stories about what's working in public schools and school districts around the country. It includes a feature that lets users upload their own accounts of what's working locally. A site to spend time on!

Health and Health Care News

Phys Ed May Boost Girls' Academic Achievement [44]
As recess and gym classes decline in schools across the country, a new Center for Disease Control study found that girls who get more than an hour a week of physical education scored consistently higher on standardized tests than those getting less than 35 minutes a week. There was no significant change for boys.

New Medicaid and SCHIP Rules -- Impacts on Children
Two new reports look at recent changes in the regulations and administration of government health insurance programs for children. These changes include a requirement that states prove that they have enrolled at least 95 percent of all uninsured children eligible for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) or Medicaid before they can expand coverage to other children, and prohibiting the use of schools to administer Medicaid. The summaries offer clear explanations of the new rules.

New Report Indicates Medicaid Rules Would Hurt Special Needs Children (First Focus) [45]

Children Are the Real Victims of the CMS August Directive (Shriver Center) [46]

Government Budgets...

More than Half of States Face Budget Problems; Many Are Imposing Cuts [47] CBPP map

[48]
Some important news from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP): at least 17 states facing deficits have made or proposed budget cuts that threaten vital services, including key programs for children and families. Learn more in CBPP's special section on state budget issues. Policy staff, check out Helpful Hints for States Dealing with Deficits [49].

Families and the Federal Budget
Congress is on break until March 31, but House and Senate negotiators will still work to reconcile the two budget resolutions. "The resulting joint resolution sets overall spending allocations between programs and does not have to be signed by the President," CWLA reports. Here are some resources for understanding and keeping an eye on the budget process as it unfolds:

Budget Process Move Forward, Long Spring Ahead for Congress (CWLA) [50]

Federal Budget: Fact Checks and Analyses (CBPP) [51]

Heath Resources Related to the 2008 Budget (Kaiser) [52]

Budget and Appropriations Backgrounders (Coalition on Human Needs) [53]

...Family Budgets and Fighting Poverty

NCCP

[54]Child Poverty and Family Economic Hardship: 10 Important Questions [55]
Are Americans who experience poverty now better off than a generation ago? What are the effects of economic hardship on children? What's working to reduce poverty? The National Center for Children in Poverty answers these questions and more.

2007 Poverty Scorecard: Rating Members of Congress [56]
The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law offers "the only national analysis that ranks Members of Congress solely on their performance in fighting poverty..

date

[57]Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America (March 20) [58]
How much opportunity to get ahead is there in America, with our growing economic inequality? Center on Children and Families at Brookings and the Pew Charitable Trusts' Economic Mobility Project will hold a forum to discuss recent findings on gender, race and immigration, as well as new findings on education, international comparisons, trends and wealth. (See Related Content for the recent studies.)

[59]Stop the Silence

Pep [60]si's Fifth Annual Race to Stop the Silence (April 13) [61]
If you're in the Washington, D.C., area you can register to get your heart pumping in this event to raise awareness and funding for the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse. For more information, contact Pamela Pine at ppine@stopcsa.org [62] or 301-464-4791.

[63]Tools for Your Work

The Mistakes, Learning, and Adaptation Project [64]
The best laid plans ... can be fertile ground for learning! This project from the Casey Foundation and MDC, Inc. is documenting a range of mistakes (e.g., failures of capacity, collaboration, replication or efforts to scale effective programs) in order to challenge assumptions and gather insights. A new round of submissions is currently open.

Revising Inquiries and Proposals: A Language-Based Approach [65]
This GrantStation series explores writing techniques that can help nonprofits craft effective letters of inquiry and grant proposals.

Monthly Funding Tip [66]
The Finance Project's Youth Programs Resource Center offers strategies and approaches to help programs finance and sustain their work.

[67]Grants and Funding

Captain Planet Foundation Grants for Youth [68]
This program supports hands-on environmental projects for children and youth to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Deadline: March 31.

ESA Grants for Youth Programs [69]
The ESA Foundation is dedicated to supporting geographically diverse projects and programs that benefit American youth (ages 7 to 18) of all races and denominations and make a difference in the quality of their life, health and welfare. Deadline: April 15.

Building Healthy Teen Relationships [70]
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program will support the creation and evaluation of comprehensive community-based models of prevention that aim to decrease relationship violence and increase positive, protective relationship skills. Deadline: April 16.

Intergenerational Grant Project [71]
This project will support the creation of one unique intergenerational program in which youth serve elders in New York City or Boston. The grantee will receive a one-time grant of $10,000 to develop or expand an intergenerational program. Deadline: April 30.

Staples Foundation Education Programs for Disadvantaged Youth [72]
This fund supports programs that provide job skills and/or education for all people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Deadline: June 16.

Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment