CFK Update May 28

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

May 28, 2008

In This Issue

New on Connectforkids.org. [1]

Youth Development Resources [2]

Education News [3]

Creativity, Learning and Connection [4]

Health and Health Care [5]

Foster Care and Child Welfare [6]

Spotlight on Youth Employment [7]

Tools for Your Work [8]

Grants and Awards [9]

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[10]

Quick Links

Connect for Kids [11]

Forum for Youth Investment [12]

Youth Policy Action Center [13]

Editor's Note

As we head into June -- the month for dads and grads -- it's worth noting that too many young people fail to graduate. Not all states measure graduation and dropout rates the same way, which can confuse efforts to improve schools. Grad 4 All's latest e-bulletin can help. A separate report from Public Agenda looks at how leadership can transform a school.

You might also want to check out Toward Positive Youth Development, a new book that offers strategies for transforming entire communities (CFK Readers get a 20 percent discount to boot!).

Yes, it's nearly summer, but as you can see, the focus in the child/youth field is on acting -- not relaxing just yet. Some other ideas for action: as Congress works to block recent Medicaid regulations that would remove funding from the program, concerned adults can still weigh in with their elected officials. To get informed, check out Kaiser's round-up of what we know about SCHIP, Medicaid and kids.

On Capitol Hill, there's a kinship care event on June 2 to share the latest research and policy news. In addition, the 2006 child maltreatment numbers are in, and so is an analysis of the key health care issues facing foster care children.

Also this week: recent graduates and teens looking for summer jobs are finding the weakest market since we started tracking youth summer employment in 1948. Teens -- especially minority teens -- risk losing not just spending money but key development opportunities.

Keep working for kids, everyone!
Caitlin Johnson
weekly@connectforkids.org [14]

PDF

[15]To read PDF files, download the free Adobe Reader [16].

New on Connectforkids.org

"We Are Speaking Up" -- Parent Voices Activists Push for More Child Care Funding [17]
Marla Campos, a single mom in Antioch, California, spends $900 a month for child care. Although her two daughters are eligible for state-subsidized child care, they, like more than 360,000 children across the country, are on a waiting list because there is not enough funding. In California, a parent-led activist group, Parent Voices, is working to change that.

hershel

[18]Communication as Catalyst: What Messages, News and Insights Must Get Through? To Whom -- and How to Measure Impact? [19]
It is clear that there is a huge gap between the good work being done to improve children's lives in communities across America and the communication required to demonstrate the results being achieved -- and we're going to do something about this, writes Hershel Sarbin in his latest CFK/CA360 column.

Youth Development Resources

youth dev cover

[20]Toward Positive Youth Development: Transforming Schools and Community Programs [21]
Social settings can promote or hinder positive youth development. This book offers detailed strategies for transforming classrooms, schools, after-school programs and other community-based programs. CFK readers can get a 20 percent discount on the book at Oxford University Press by using the code 26987 at checkout.

Pass it On: Interviews by Youth with Mentors that Matter [22]
Who are the significant adults in teenagers' lives, beyond the home and classroom? How do they reach out to youth and why? (Nobody calls them "mentors," teens remind us -- it's usually far less formal than that.) The answers from youth are surprising and moving, as this What Kids Can Do article illustrates.

Harms Way

In Harm's Way 2008: The Fatherhood Solution (June 12) [23]
This conference, co-sponsored by the Children's Institute, First 5 LA and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, will address topics such as the impact of war and PTSD on fatherhood, as well as fathers' incarceration and gang involvement and their children's development.

Education News

Public Agenda cover

[24]Mission of the Heart: Leaders in High-Needs Districts Talk about What It Takes to Transform a School [25]
What's the best way to recruit and sustain top leaders in high-need schools? This Public Agenda report finds, in general, two types of principals: 1) "transformers" who have an explicit vision for their school and a can-do attitude about change and 2) "copers" who, although well-intentioned, often struggle to do more than just "cope" with the turmoil of the day.

Count Every Student; Make Sure Every Student Counts [26] IDRA

[27]
Are undercounts and a confusing mix of reported dropout and graduation rates keeping people in your school or community from taking decisive action? The IDRA Grad 4 All bulletin gives a great overview of the dropout measurement issues and how you can get informed, get connected and get results in your community. Some tips are tailored to Texas, but can be adapted to just about any state.

Reading First Impact Study: Interim Report [28]
Reading First is a key component of the No Child Left Behind Act. This report from Abt Associates and MDRC finds that although Reading First did not improve students' reading comprehension on average, there are some indications that some sites had impacts on both instruction and reading comprehension.

Teach for America Expands by 28 Percent in 2008-2009 [29]
Teach for America, which places college graduates for two years in challenging public schools, will place 3,700 new teachers this September. This is a 28 percent increase from last fall (and a big jump from the 500 teachers placed in the first year, 1990), according to this New York Times article.

Creativity, Learning and Connection

Finding Inspiration in Literature & Movies (FILM): Prince Caspian Curriculum [30]
What works to engage youth? Movies for one. This site, a partnership of the National Collaboration for Youth, offers free youth curriculum that uses movies to promote literacy, learning and service. The newest addition centers on the Disney movie Prince Caspian and includes discussion prompts, activities and service projects.

[31]Lights, Camera... Leadership! Vermont Youth Document Their Communities [32]
In eight Vermont towns, students and teachers have been recording stories from their communities as part of a statewide project called "Lights, Camera... Leadership!" developed with the Orton Family Foundation and the Vermont Rural Partnership. What Kids Can Do has the scoop.

[33]The 2008 Generations United Intergenerational Photography Contest [34]
There were more than 100 photos submitted for this year's contest, says Generations United. The grand prize winner is Julianna B., age 16, of Worcester, Pennsylvania. Check out her photo, the other winners and honorable mentions online.

Heads Up: The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2008 [35]
June marks the 85th anniversary of these awards, which have encouraged more than 13 million students and distributed more than $25 million in awards and scholarships.

Health and Health Care

Kasier Health on the HIll

[36]Attempt to Block Medicaid Rules Still Kicks in Congress [37]
Many members in Congress are working to pass a one-year moratorium on seven new Medicaid regulations enacted by the Bush administration that "would reduce federal spending on the program by about $20 billion" according to Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat. The Senate added the moratorium to its war supplemental bill; the House has passed similar stand-alone legislation.

On May 23, a federal judge also set aside a regulation covering safety net payments to hospitals -- a temporary delay cheered by advocates who say the rule would harm hospitals and low-income families.

Listen to Carey discuss these developments in a Kaiser podcast [38].
National Partnership for Women & Families has more on the regulations and Congressional efforts to block them [39].
The April 30th CFK Update [40] has more on the Medicaid rulings in question.

Bad Medicine: The President's Medicaid Regulations Will Weaken State Economies [41]
Families USA has released a series of state-specific reports quantifying how changes in Medicaid regulations will affect state economies.

Ten Years and Counting: What Have We Learned About Enrolling Kids in SCHIP and Medicaid? [42]
This panel covered the findings of a forthcoming National Academy for State Health Policy paper -- speakers used a decade's worth of data to try to answer the question, "how we can become more effective in enrolling the kids who are eligible for public programs?" Three states also shared their experiences in improving health and health care for children.

Foster Care and Child Welfare

child maltreatment cover

[43]New Online: Child Maltreatment 2006 [44]
An estimated 905,000 children in the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect in 2006, according to this major report from the Children's Bureau (a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

Addressing the Health Care Needs of Foster Care Children [45]
Children who have been abused or neglected often have greater physical and mental health needs and developmental delays than other high-risk populations. In fact, studies suggest that nearly 60 percent of children in foster care experience a chronic medical condition, and one-quarter suffer from three or more. This First Focus policy brief analyzes some of the key health care issues facing foster care children.

Heads Up - Supporting Child Well-being: New Research Confirms that Children Benefit from Kinship Care (June 2)
Two briefings will be held on Capitol Hill to discuss findings from a new Children's Hospital of Philadelphia report on the benefits of relative care and pending legislation in Congress; the events are sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Center for Law and Social Policy, Child Welfare League of America, Children's Defense Fund and Generations United. For more information, contact Tiffany Conway at the Center for Law and Social Policy at tconway@clasp.org [46].

Details about: the House meeting [47] and the Senate meeting [48].

Improving Outcomes for Children through Performance-Based Contracting: Web Conference (June 10) [49] date

[50]
Performance-based contracts shift the focus of fees from services to outcomes. This free Governing for Children and Families Web conference will explore the advantages and policy challenges of states implementing this approach in child welfare systems. Sponsored by Chapin Hall and the NGA Center for Best Practices. Register online. [51]

Spotlight on Youth Employment

Inhospitable Job Market Greets College Graduates [52]
The labor market for recent college graduates (ages 23-29) was weaker in 2007 than before the last recession in 2001 -- and a college degree does less to guarantee receiving health and retirement benefits on the job, according to this Economic Policy Institute Snapshot.

Toughest Summer Job this Year is Finding One [53]
"The job market of 2008 is shaping up as the weakest in more than half a century for teenagers looking for summer work" reports this May 25 New York Times article. We're likely to see the smallest share of employed teens since the government started tracking teen work in 1948; rates are particularly low for minority youth.

National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) [54]
For teens, jobs do more than provide spending money, they are an important part of development and can teach key skills for life and the transition to adulthood. NYEC has the latest research and context, as well as policy updates, tools and ideas for getting involved locally.

Tools for Your Work

Getting Connected for Kids: Tips on Finding Data and Research to Improve Policy and Practice [55]
This DC Action for Children guide has practical, easy-to-use advice on the policymaking process and how to influence it, as well as a round-up of the best sites, blogs and research tools for your work!

May Funding Tip: Using TANF to Support Out-of-School Time Initiatives [56]
The Finance Project's latest monthly funding tip for youth programs looks at how states and programs can use Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds to maintain, improve and expand existing out-of-school time initiatives.

Grants and Awards funding

Gang Prevention Coordination Assistance Program [57]
From the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, these grants can be used for a wide range of anti-gang (youth development) strategies. Deadline: June 13.

Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants [58]
The U.S. National Endowment for the Arts offers grants for small and mid-sized organizations to extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations, including youth whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability. Deadline: June 2.

Child Welfare Training: National Child Welfare Workforce Initiatives [59]
The U.S. Administration for Children and Families offers funds for higher education institutions with workforce programs that train child welfare professionals and seek to improve the systems that recruit, train, supervise, manage and retain these workers. Deadline: June 5.

Neighborhood Builders [60]
Bank of America offers leadership development assistance to two outstanding nonprofit/charitable organizations located in 45 markets. Deadline: June 27.

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