Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - CFK Articles, Family Income

Parents Preserve Affordable Housing for Low-Income Families

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:24:38 -0600

In California, the journey from parent to activist starts at home: the Los Angeles Community Action Network won a citywide law to preserve affordable housing in residential hotels targeted for luxury development.

KIDS COUNT 2008: A CFK Overview

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:47:35 -0500

To make positive change for kids, you need to know where things stand, what’s working and what needs to be improved. The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book offers both data and context for 10 indicators of child well-being—and drills down to a state and local level. This year’s essay offers a “roadmap for reform” in juvenile justice. CFK summer intern Maria Allen attended the June 2008 launch event in DC and has this overview.

How Kids Fare in the Federal Budget: the Lowlights

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:15:00 -0600

President Bush's fiscal year 2009 budget proposal includes $2.8 billion in cuts to programs that impact children—a 3 percent drop from last year's federal budget. First Focus, a bipartisan children's advocacy organization, takes a reader-friendly look at the numbers and what they say about our nation's priorities.

Choosing Care for a Child with Special Needs

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:00:00 -0500

Finding quality, affordable child care can be difficult for any parent. For those with a special needs child, it can also be a very confusing and emotional experience. Rebecca Freshour looks at what the law says, and what parents need to know to find care for their children.

Anti-Poverty Advocates Cheer Minimum Wage Increase

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:19:02 -0500

For the first time in 10 years, the federal minimum wage will get a boost—from $5.15 to $7.25 in 2009. It’s not enough to end poverty in America, but it is a start. Just ask Julie Smith, who took a job as cashier after dropping out of college to raise her daughter. The increase is also expected to benefit an estimated 6.4 million children whose parents earn minimum wage, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In an article for OneWorld, Caitlin Johnson reports.

Marriage as Anti-Child-Poverty Program

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:31:09 -0500

Congress recently allocated $750 million over five years to promote marriage and fatherhood initiatives among low-income groups. As a result, federally-funded marriage promotion programs are springing up around the country, including in Washington, DC. Roshin Mathew, an Emerson Hunger Fellow working with Connect for Kids this year, wondered about the connection between marriage promotion and better lives for low-income children. Here are her findings, and her thoughts.

World of Opportunity Welcomes All Comers

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:55:01 -0500

Low-income students who drop out—or are pushed out—of school without a high school diploma face long odds in their search for a path to a successful and stable adult life. In Birmingham, Ala., a former public school teacher is waging a fierce campaign to give such students a second chance. Gin Phillips reports on the World of Opportunity School.

The Changing Face of Child Poverty

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 09:39:26 -0500

Child poverty is changing, as more low-income parents enter the workforce yet remain impoverished. The Urban Institute has a team of researchers investigating why work is no longer a ticket out of poverty, what that means for kids, and what kinds of programs might help. UI�s Gregory Acs, a senior research associate in the Income and Benefits Policy Center, offers this overview.

Sticker Shock: Student Loans Get Pricier

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:39:29 -0500

College students (and their parents) need to brace themselves: interest rates on federally-subsidized student loans will go up dramatically this summer. Student aid has also been cut. Connect for Kids' Martha Pitts spoke to David Smith of Mobilize.org about the changes, and about the Mobilize.org campaign to raise awareness.

How the Other Half Lives

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 10:04:48 -0600

We like to think to that all kids, no matter their race or their family income, have a fair chance at getting ahead. Natasha Santos, one of the young writers at Youth Communication in New York City, doesn�t buy that. Santos has a lot to say -- about her anger at being one of the have-nots, and how meeting with some middle-class suburban teens helped. This story is reprinted with permission from Youth Communication.

Even Start Under Fire

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:10:28 -0500

Even Start is a federally funded effort to improve literacy in very low income families, so that kids will do better in school, and parents can participate in their children's educations and improve their own life prospects. Now, a 56 percent cut in fiscal 2006 and a proposal from President Bush to eliminate all funding in fiscal 2007 has Even Start on the ropes. Cecilia Garcia takes a look at the program, and at the Bush administration's claim that it doesn't work.

D.C.'s School Voucher Program: Lessons Learned & Continued Questions

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:53:50 -0500

With the nation's only federally-funded school voucher program well into its second year, those involved in getting this controversial experiment up and running say they've learned a lot. But it's still too early to answer the really big question: is the program helping low-income students achieve? Susan Phillips takes a look.

The 65 Percent Solution: School Finance Proposal Energizes and Alarms

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:53:08 -0500

The idea is simple: Just require that school districts spend 65 percent of their budgets on 'in the classroom' expenses. That, say supporters, would shift about $14 billion dollars a year towards those expenses without requiring any actual increases in school spending. Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips reports that the idea is catching hold across the country, but that opposition is also growing.

Clear Vision for Low-Income Kids

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:41:48 -0500

Early detection can be the key to quick and effective treatment of many common eye problems—but often, low-income children don't have vision screening until kindergarten. In Alabama, FocusFirst has organized a statewide corps of volunteer college students to catch vision problems early. Gin Phillips explains how it works.

Detroit's Tough Times Spur Effort to Help Schools

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:52:19 -0500

The national spotlight is shining on Detroit, as Superbowl XL roars into town. But after the glitz and glitter are gone, nearly half of the children in this beleaguered city will still be living in poverty, and Detroit will still be hard-pressed to provide basic services they need. Connect for Kids' Cecilia Garcia looks at how one nonprofit organization, Communities in Schools of Detroit, is trying to pick up the slack.