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

Boosting Your Recruitment and Enrollment, Lessons from a New York Beacon Center

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:51:17 -0600

Engaging young teens in quality out-of-school time programs is no easy feat. Cypress Hills-East New York, a Beacon Center located in Brooklyn, has developed a strategy for recruiting and enrolling youth ages 9 to 14 for its school-year program. What works best? The Youth Development Institute shares some of the secrets of success.

Boosting Your Recruitment and Enrollment, Lessons from a New York Beacon Center

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:01:12 -0600

CFK PolicyWatch: What Adults Who Care About Kids are Cheering—and Watching—in 2008 and 2009

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:15:05 -0500

To borrow a tagline and flip it: what happens in Washington, doesn’t stay in Washington—far from it. Budget and policy decisions on Capitol Hill (and in state capitals across the country) have a big impact on even the smallest neighborhoods.

Toward a Brighter Future: NCY Announces National Children and Youth Policy Agenda

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:01:39 -0500

September 15— The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), a 40 year old coalition of youth-serving nonprofits, has proposed a national policy agenda, “Toward a Brighter Future: An Essential Agenda for America’s Young People.”

COMING SOON! Toward a Brighter Future: An Essential Agenda for America’s Young People

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:57:46 -0500

While most would agree that “children are our greatest asset,” the federal government’s investment in children and youth continues to decline. The National Collaboration for Youth offers an agenda and policy recommendations to help states and our nation meet the needs of America’s children and youth in 2009 and beyond.

Step Up for Kids Day 2008

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:29:12 -0500

The Every Child Matters Education Fund and its local, state and national partners are hosting a nonpartisan event on the capitol steps in Washington, DC, and all 50 states to draw public attention to issues affecting America's children—poverty, health care, juvenile incarceration, early care and education, child abuse, and after-school programs.

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.

Scorecard: Children’s Rights & Hitting the MARC

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:19:13 -0500

Tracking the reach and results of the work is a challenging task for many child and youth organizations. In our ongoing Scorecard series, CFK and Child Advocacy 360 highlight examples of organizations' efforts to measure impact and results. Here, Children's Rights, Inc., shares its follow-up to the groundbreaking Hitting the M.A.R.C. foster care reimbursement study.

A“Ticket to Work” for Transitioning Youth – and Those Working With Them

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:12:55 -0600

If you work with teens with disabilities, you’ll want to know about the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work (TTW) program. Its Youth Transition portion offers funds for organizations that help students receiving Social Security disability benefits find employment. Is it right for you? Melody Goodspeed, Youth Transition Specialist for TTW answers some common questions about the funding.

Who's Doing What That Works: Readers' Choice Stories

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:27:12 -0500

October 2007—Our partner Child Advocacy 360 brings you "Readers' Choice Stories," in which readers vote with their eyes, clicks and emails on the best of Who's Doing What That Works.

Iowa Leads the Way in Building a Case for Quality Youth Programs

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:18:03 -0500

Measuring and improving quality is one of the main challenges facing the field. A comprehensive quality assessment program in Iowa is beginning to uncover lessons about measurement and whether quality can drive policy and funding decisions. This Forum for Youth Investment Ready by 21 profile takes a look at the early results.

Connecting with Congress: For Beginners

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:24:38 -0600

Now's the time to make 110 your lucky number—and get in touch with your representatives in the 110th Congress. Seasoned policy specialists and former Congressional staffers Tony Peyton and Alan Lopatin have some advice on how to establish a relationship and make the case for action on the issues that matter to you.

Grassroots How-To: S.F. Parents Win Cleaner School Buses

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:59:00 -0500

Asthma is a large and growing health problem for kids. So San Francisco parents are breathing easier now that city school buses are using new air filters to reduce asthma-inducing pollutants. This article by Elisa Gahng from the January-February 2006 issue of the Children's Advocate explains how parents pushed for the change.

Teens Lead Drive Against Hunger

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:22:05 -0500

Every year, teens in a region of western Illinois and eastern Iowa launch a six-week race to collect as much donated food as they are able. Lee Nelson reports on a 20-year history of friendly competition in the service of fighting hunger.

A Hurricane of Action

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:13:06 -0500

As evacuees from Hurricane Katrina started pouring in to the Houston Astrodome, a youth development trainer from Washington D.C. named Charles Modiano found himself working side by side with energetic young volunteers to help the displaced. In those hours, Modiano decided that needs created and uncovered by the storm could be the focus of a new effort to strengthen youth volunteerism nationwide. He spoke to Rob Capriccioso about his vision.