When you hand out flyers for an upcoming election, you hear a lot about how people are feeling about politicians. This past Saturday, I manned a booth at our little town's big event -- the Taste of the Mountains Street Fair. It was an intense morning!

Most people seemed to be very engaged about Virginia politics -- I didn't hear a single person this year say they don't pay attention. There was a lot of back and forth on health care reform, Obama's presidency and the economy.

But the most divisive split was between those who say "those politicians in Washington are all alike" and those who see differences. If you're part of the former group, there's no point in making yourself known to your representatives in Washington.

But if you think there are differences in your politicians' priorities and politics, now is the time to speak up as Congress returns to Washington to continue its work on health care reform, next year's appropriations and the reauthorizations of child nutrition programs, juvenile justice and the massive No Child Left Behind act.

With the Census Bureau poised to release new income and poverty data September 10, we bring you information on children and poverty. Also in this Update, you'll find progress reports on addressing the nation's graduation crisis and a number of efforts to engage students themselves in improving their schools and their learning.

If you're scrounging for funding for your local efforts, you might find some suitable grant opportunities in our Finding Funding section, supplementing our Funding Toolkit that we updated in July.

Keep up the good work, everyone,
Jan Richter, CFK editor emeritus
jan@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.

Military Calls for More Early Ed Investments to Meet Recruitment Standards
In 1946, the federal government launched the National School Lunch Program in part in reaction to the numbers of malnourished young men trying to enlist. Now, Mission: Readiness says national security is at risk because of the poor health and education of a large majority of new recruits -- over 72 percent. Last June, retired military leaders in Pennsylvania called for more investment in early education to boost educational attainment, including better high school graduation rates; last week, Virginia military leaders followed suit.

The Truth About Play
Play, not flash cards, is vital for early learning -- this Zero to Three "cheat sheet" offers parents a quick explanation of how children learn through play and how to make the most of playtime.

PreK-3rd: Teacher Quality Matters
When children consistently have good teachers, they can make great strides. But when children are exposed to mediocre or poor instruction, their development and learning suffer. This Foundation for Child Development Policy to Action Brief describes how schools can sustain effective teaching, including fostering collaboration and sharing of student products and activities among teachers.

Early Learning Challenge Fund
Early Ed Watch reviews the politics of passing the Early Learning Challenge Fund, included in the sweeping student aid bill that cleared the House Education and Labor Committee July 22. The bill opens the door to providing federal dollars for construction of early learning facilities.

Spotlight on Poverty Twitter Campaign
Spotlight on Poverty is spearheading a campaign on twitter.com to raise awareness of the importance of the Census 2008 data released September 10. The goal is to get as many people and organizations as possible to "tweet" about the new poverty figures.

Cash Assistance Since Welfare Reform
In 1996, welfare reform made cash assistance time-limited and conditional on work. But how has this core safety-net program served vulnerable families in a deteriorating job market? The Center on Law and Social Policy reports that in the early years, caseloads and poverty declined and employment grew. But, child poverty rates have begun to rise again and many jobless families are discouraged, prohibited or diverted from applying for or receiving cash assistance.

A New Agenda for Tough Times
It's commonplace that education can help lift kids out of poverty, but how does poverty affect on their ability to get an education? A special feature in the September issue of American Prospect looks at the wealth gap, race and the impact of poverty on education.

American Prospect also sums up what we've learned about fighting poverty since the War on Poverty and welfare reform.

Revitalizing Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Benefits Low-income Children
Pew Charitable Trusts examines prospects for future economic success among black and white children who live in high-poverty neighborhoods. Findings suggest that anti-poverty efforts focused on revitalizing disadvantaged neighborhoods could advance the economic well-being of low-income children.

Updating the Official Poverty Measure
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity looks at proposals to modernize the official poverty measure, which sets the bar for many government benefits and services.

Think Long-Term Commitment in Mentoring Programs
Mentoring works to improve kids' outcomes, but good outcomes depend on sustaining good relationships and programs that screen, train and support long-term mentor commitments.

Lights On Afterschool!
October 22 is the Afterschool Alliance's 10th annual Lights On Afterschool! celebration. This nationwide rally calls attention to the importance of after-school programs in keeping kids safe, inspires them to learn and helps working families. Is your community turning on the lights?

Making the Case for Out-of-School Programs
You need good talking points and research when you try to persuade your schools, mayors or politicians to invest in good after-school programs. This 2009 summary gives you what you need.

Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation
Facing a variety of challenges, 41 percent of Latina students do not graduate with their class in four years -- if they graduate at all. The National Women's Law Center and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund spoke with Latina students and the adults who work with them to identify key causes and actions needed to improve Latina graduation rates.

Connecting Foster Youth to Career Development Opportunities in High School
New Ways to Work has developed a guidebook on learning more about career opportunities in high schools so that foster youth can get the most out of their high school experience.

"I Am What I Learn" Video Contest
The Department of Education has launched the "I Am What I Learn" video contest. Students 13 and older can respond to the President's challenge to take their education seriously. The videos must describe the steps they will take to improve their education and the role education will play in fulfilling their dreams; entries must be uploaded to YouTube by October 8. Finalists will be chosen by popular vote; 20 winners will be chosen by a panel including Education Secretary Duncan.

Photo and Essay Contest on School Facilities
Here's another way to engage high school students in assessing their school's hits and misses. Critical Exposure is co-sponsoring a national photo & essay contest on school facilities They are looking for images and writing that tell powerful stories about the importance of providing safe, healthy schools for all children. Deadline: September 14.

Children in Immigrant Families Data
There are some 16.4 million children with foreign-born parents in the U.S. You can generate detailed charts about children from immigrant and non-immigrant families in your state using the Urban Institute's Children of Immigrants Data Tool.

The State of the World's Children 2009
This year's UNICEF report focuses on maternal and neonatal health and outlines ways to strengthen efforts that support primary health care, especially in Asia and Africa.

Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders
This manual provides an overview of how child welfare and other related professionals can assist families affected by substance use disorders.

A Pivotal Moment: Sustaining the Success and Enhancing the Future of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice reports most states have worked to voluntarily comply with Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJPDA) federal standards, but states need more funding and technical assistance to continue making progress. As JJDPA reauthorization approaches, the report identifies two areas that need improvement: safeguarding status offenders and reducing the disproportionately high rates of contact minority youth have with state and local juvenile justice systems.

Many point to Missouri's model juvenile justice system, which emphasizes educational and counseling services instead of punishment, an approach that dramatically cuts recidivism rates.

One Mother's Story
Last spring, Susan Mullen's son was detained for violating probation by receiving a lunchtime detention at school. Mullen was shocked that such a minor infraction could lead to such a drastic punishment, especially since her son had just begun to thrive in school. Youth Today takes a look at one mother's experience with the juvenile justice system.