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Editor's Note
Connect for Kids' redesign is in full swing, but the news just won't quit long enough for us to take a break. (That's a good thing!)
This week: the Senate is debating its version of a bill to expand national service, but advocates worry that a controversial amendment attached to the House version will mean a giant leap backwards for nonprofit advocacy efforts.
Also on Capitol Hill, the 2009 federal appropriations affecting children and youth have been signed into law, the 2010 budget proposal is out (and expected to be taken up in the House and Senate today, March 25) and we've got a look at how the stimulus package would directly affect children and youth.
In health news, teen pregnancy rates are ticking up, even as experts are debating health care reform -- does the State Children's Health Insurance Program offer ideas for where we can go from here?
Late-breaking news: Yesterday, March 24, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act reauthorization (S. 678) was introduced
in the Senate by Senators Leahy, Specter, Kohl and Durbin. Here's Sen. Leahy's press release. We'll continue to track the bill online and in the next CFK Update.
And as we all settle in to spring, a quick heads up: the Week of the Young Child is April 19 to 25 and this year's theme is "Bring Communities Together for Children - Children Bring Communities Together."
Keep up the great work, everyone!
Caitlin
Caitlin Johnson, Managing Editor
caitlin@connectforkids.org
CFK gathers, synthesizes and promotes the best news, research, and stories from the child and youth field. To suggest content, email weekly@connectforkids.org
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 New on Connectforkids.org
A "5 Star" President Who Happens to be Bi-Racial
Karen Pittman's Youth Today Column
The crowd shots showed a diverse America coming together to celebrate the historic election of a person of color -- but Karen Pitman,  Executive Director of the Forum for Youth Investment, wonders whether the media coverage of the inauguration left voters feeling somewhat betrayed.
"Barack Obama inspired and mobilized young people in a way that no president, not even John F. Kennedy, has done before. His was, and is, a message of inclusion, optimism, vision, integrity and service. . ." Read the column. The Good News: A 'Multiplier Effect' in Child Advocacy
Hershel Sarbin, Child Advocacy 360
When people and organizations succeed in improving policies that affect disadvantaged children and young people, it makes a huge difference in many lives -- and a new report offers real results from New Mexico.
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Expanding National Service
 This week, Congress is considering bills to expand national service and volunteer programs. Here's the scoop.
Serve America Act Moves in the Senate
The U.S. Senate continues debate on its Serve America bill (S. 277) to expand national service opportunities, eventually funding 250,000 volunteer positions through AmeriCorps and other programs that it would create. It is expected to cost $5.7 billion over five years, according to the National Collaboration for Youth.
- Read a summary of the Act from Senator Mikulski (D-MD), one of the sponsors of the bill
along with Sens. Kennedy (D-MA), Hatch (R-Utah) and Enzi (R-WY).
- AmericaForward has information and tools to help you write letters to the editor and contact local officials.
An Amendment to the GIVE Act Restricts Nonprofit Advocacy
The House-passed GIVE Act (H.R. 1388) includes an amendment sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) that would limit advocacy activities among any nonprofits receiving National Service funds.
- The progressive organization OMBWatch calls this a "poison pill" and has released information and an action alert to urge senators to oppose any similar language in S. 277.
- YouTube has video of Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) presenting her amendment to the GIVE Act.
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The Budget, Stimulus & Bailout - Oh My!
 Okay, we've all had just about enough of the bailout, but here's some news you can use to stay on top of all the other federal spending provisions that affect children, youth and families.
First Up: the Economic Stimulus
On February 17, President Obama signed the American Recovery Act of 2009 into law. According to the advocacy organization First Focus, $142.2 billion of the stimulus will directly benefit children and youth, including $45 billion for local school districts.
For more on the stimulus and young people, check out:
Paying the Bills for FY 2009
On March 11, President Obama signed into law the remaining fiscal year 2009 appropriations bills, which included nearly all of the discretionary children's spending in the federal budget, First Focus reports. Overall, the appropriations total $410 billion for fiscal year 2009. How did children and youth fare? Find out:
The President's FY 2010 Budget Proposa l
President Obama released his proposed FY 2010 budget, which promises a 55 percent increase in the Department of Education's discretionary budget by 2014. ("How ya like them apples?") The National Collaboration for Youth reports that the House and Senate are expected to mark up their bills this week and begin debate next week.
Learn more:
- The Office of Management and Budget has details on Obama's proposal.
The Budget and Young People: A Multi-Media Show
 When it comes to making children and family issues a federal budget priority, what are the needs and what, really, can be done about them? The nonprofit advocacy organization Every Child Matters has two videos that attempt to answer those questions: Presidents Helping Children is a 7-minute look at kids and politics throughout history and Homeland Insecurity is an 11-minute exploration of why investing in young people matters for all of us.
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Health & Health Care
Teen Pregnancy Rate Up Again in 2007
New data from the National Center for Health Statistics
shows a 1 percent rise in the teen birth rate from 2006 to 2007 -- it may seem like a small increase, but this is the second year in a row
that the teen birth rate has risen after 14 years of consistent
decline. Hispanic teens saw a 2 percent drop in the teen birth rate, while all other racial and ethnic groups' teen birth rates increased.
These
resources offer several potential explanations for this uptick as well
as the data, policy and practice questions to answer:
Closing the Gap on Health Disparities in the Age of Reform
Two great tools from Families USA:
- Who says you can't have a little fun while learning about health disparities and what's being done to address them - not Families USA, certainly, whose online game, So You Think You Know Minority Health? includes sections called "Dude, Where's My Care?" and "Debate and Legislate."
 Health Reform in the US - Get Informed
The
Kaiser Family Foundation has a special new section of its Web site
devoted to health care reform, including public opinion polls, a primer
on costs and a new brief, An Overview of the History of Health Reform in the US.
What Are the Lessons of SCHIP For The New Round of Health Reform?
 An
article in the journal Health Affairs examines the political and
legislative history of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and
analyzes the lessons for policymakers who are contemplating broader
health care reform. |
Spotlight on Child Care in the States
We Can Do Better: A 2009 Update of State Child Care Center Regulation and Oversight
In this update to its 1997 study, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) reviewed state child care laws and regulations and scored states according to 15 key criteria related to standards and oversight. The findings: states have made modest improvements but most still score a failing grade for weak standards and oversight and too many children are left to chance under inadequate state licensing systems. |
Beyond Graduating: Finishing Ready
 Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success
This new report and policy brief examines the physical, sociological and psychological impact of poverty on students (and related issues of schools that continue to be segregated by income, race and ethnicity) and makes the case that schools alone cannot overcome poverty-induced barriers -- more comprehensive social policies and extended learning are needed.
Getting the Most Out of Your Dropout Summit - Guide
 The America's Promise Alliance is supporting 50 state and at least 50 city Dropout Prevention Summits to be held by 2010. The primary purpose of these summits is to increase public awareness of the dropout and college-readiness crisis. The Forum for Youth Investment and the Ready by 21 National Partners wrote this guide to provide the cities and states who will be hosting summits over the next two years with steps to getting started.
 Submit a Proposal for the 2009 Global Youth Enterprise Conference
Sponsored
by Making Cents International, this conference will take place in
Washington, DC, on September 29-30 and will convene 350 leaders
in the fields of youth enterprise, employment, education and health to
share promising practices for helping youth
develop the necessary skills and opportunities for quality employment. Proposal deadline: April 17th.
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Improving Education: Voices, Views & Observations
'No Picnic for Me Either'
In his New York Times op-ed, David Brooks re-examines a well-known anecdote from President Obama's childhood and what we need to reform American education -- specifically, relationships and rigor.
To Improve Education, Improve Teacher Training
In this New York Newsday op-ed, superintendent Marc Bernstein says Obama's new initiatives are, really, stopgaps. "What we need most is a total revamping of teacher-preparation programs..."
Preschool in Oregon
What's happening to Oregon children who are on waiting lists for state-funded pre-kindergarten during this time of budget cuts? Susan Nielsen, columnist for The Oregonian, says, "many of these kids do time in substandard care while their parents scramble to make ends meet..."
Lessons in Solving Big Problems: Think Systemically, Act Individually
What can business and government leaders learn from a think tank working on New York City's public schools? The Gallup Management Journal interviews Robert Hughes, president of the local education fund New Visions for Public Schools.
What Bernie Madoff Can Teach Us About Accountability in Education
In this Education Week commentary, Walter M. Stroup, an associate professor of curriculum and
instruction at the University of Texas at Austin, says the Madoff case "stands to teach
us at least four basic lessons we might use in reflecting on the role
high-stakes testing has in driving current education reform."
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Grants and Funding Resources
Youth Today's Guide to the Stimulus Funds and Youth Work
A continuously updated report on where the money is and how to get it (free and open access).
Southern Poverty Law Center - Mix It Up Grants Program
This program funds small-scale, youth-directed activist projects that focus on identifying, crossing and challenging social boundaries in schools and communities. Projects must promote collaboration across social boundaries. Deadline: open.
DoSomething.org and Subcity Records - Take Action Grants
Do Something has teamed up with Subcity Records to offer Take Action grants. Two Take Action general grants are available for recently created sustainable community action projects, programs or organizations. Three grants of $1,000 each are available to applicants age 25 or younger. Deadline: April 1.
Youth Mentoring in the Recovery Act - Office of Justice Programs
Public agencies and private organizations that form community partnerships are eligible for Recovery Act funds for local mentoring programs that lead to "measurable, positive outcomes for at-risk youth." There are also funds for mentoring projects that reduce juvenile delinquency and child victimization and improve the juvenile justice system. Deadline for both: April 20.
iMentor Grants for Mentoring to Improve Graduation Rates
The purpose of this grant is to help improve graduation rates through mentoring by providing technical assistance to small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations serving high-school students. Deadline: April 30.
Target Early Childhood Reading Grants
Reading grants are awarded to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations, supporting programs such as weekend book clubs and after-school reading programs that foster a love of reading and encourage children from birth through age 9 to read together with their families. Deadline: May 31.
 Find more on the Connect for Kids Funding Resources topic page!
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Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment
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