A new survey by the National League of Cities shows that child care and early childhood education are high on the agenda for city leaders. That heightened attention to the early years also has some mayors worried about Bush administration efforts to change Head Start.

In some police departments, cops are told to get tougher on crimes like graffiti. In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Officer Mike Gosha is taking a different approach to reducing vandalism. His nonprofit United Youth Arts Partnership brings "taggers" and local artists together to sharpen skills and help break barriers between kids and the community.

Using marketing, business, and lobbying techniques relatively new to the field of child advocacy, Connecticut's Promise is breaking new ground for a generation of statewide, citizen-based children's campaigns.

An experienced political advisor shares his insights on helping Connecticut's Promise communicate its message effectively while staying true to its cause.

The mission of this organization is to help youth who have experienced trauma develop into healthy and responsible people. Y-US provides peer support programs which promote positive youth development.

The mission of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance is to promote a safe, effective and equitable continuum of services for children and youth involved in, or at-risk of involvement in, the juvenile justice system.

The mission of this organization is to help communities build their capacity for mutually beneficial problem solving by helping them to discover and share the strengths and assets of all their members.

The mission of Soul Friends, Inc. is to provide innovative clinical and educational programs for children and teens at-risk that promotes the healing benefits of the human-animal bond.

One out of every five U.S. students is a recent immigrant or born to parents who are immigrants. The Center in Child Development and Social Policy at Yale University describes in-depth how four very different schools -- in Greenbay, Wisconsin, Leadville, Colorado, Stamford, Connecticut and Columbus Junction, Iowa -- are changing their strategies and programs to meet their students' needs.

Issue Areas:
Adolescent and Youth Development
Data and Trends
Employment and Career Raediness
Family and Parenting
Foster Care
Juvenile Justice
Life Skills
Mentoring
Minority Youth
Model Practices and Policies

CT Model for integrating work, learning and mentoring
Use of entrepreneurship and work to motivate hard-to-reach youth
Leveraging under-utilized community assets
Creating community and extended family support structures for at-risk youth
Positive youth development and youth leadership

CT Model for integrating work, learning and mentoring
Use of entrepreneurship and work to motivate hard-to-reach youth
Leveraging under-utilized community assets
Creating community and extended family support structures for at-risk youth