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

Middle School Youth Lead the Way: Creating “Pathways to Leadership” in After-School Programs

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:18:09 -0500

Middle school is a critical period of vulnerability—and opportunity. Here's a look at how one New York-based Beacons out-of-school time program is successfully engaging young people from age 9 through 21 in a deliberate pathway from participant to "professional" and preparing them for success in high school and beyond.

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

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

Hockey Scores with Special-Needs Kids

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:26:28 -0500

Ice hockey fans are devoted to their sport, unfazed by the game's physical demands, cumbersome equipment, and the red-hot competition for ice time. Massachusetts is one of the centers of hockey fever in the U.S. So it's only fitting that the gradually growing list of hockey clubs for children with special needs now includes The Boston Bear Cubs, which hit the ice in February. Lisa M. Cataldo explains how the Cubs got their start, and what the club means to its players and their parents.

A New Take On School-to-Career Connections: MUSE

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:47:14 -0500

It's a question that pops out during a ride in the car, at the dinner table, through a recently-slammed door after a fight about finishing up homework: "What good is all this stuff I'm learning in school going to do me in the real world?" Programs that make a strong, direct connection between school learning and future career options can be powerfully motivating for students, even those who eventually choose a different path. Gayle Hargreaves reports on one such program that introduces teens to museum careers.

Summer: Sunshine and Stress

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:23:48 -0500

Summertime. For many, it�s a season of carefree memories colliding with stressful, expensive realities, as busy parents try to figure out how to keep the kids busy, safe and entertained. Linda Baker looks at the challenges, especially for low- and moderate-income families.

Leonardo�s Basement: Hands-On Haven for Kids

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:28:23 -0500

Imagine it. Plan it. Make it. That�s the basic formula for the popular after-school and summer classes offered by Leonardo�s Basement, a Minneapolis, Minn. program started by hands-on guy Steve Jevning seven years ago. Harvey Meyer takes a look.

Storm Story

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:31:01 -0500

Among the many organizations that have stepped up to help youngsters traumatized and displaced by Hurricane Katrinia, the Houston-based Writers in the Schools program has sent writers to help evacuees work on personal essays and journals about their experience. Sharon Ferranti recounts her experience, in this story from Writers in the Schools.

Dragon Slayers, the Sequel

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:14:59 -0500

It's been two years since Connect for Kids first profiled the Dragon Slayers, an all-girl firefighting and emergency medical team in Aniak, Alaska. Since then, the girls have been growing up, and so has the program. Holly St. Lifer revisits the group.

In Need of Leave

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:26:18 -0500

Caring for a sick child or bringing home a newborn baby can be daunting responsibilities. Worries about lost income can add to the stress. Rob Capriccioso reports on how paid family leave programs can help.

Patriotism For Children, Then and Now

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:40:01 -0500

Dorothy Rich, founder and president of the nonprofit Home and School Institute, Megaskills Education Center reflects on her experiences as a child during World War II— and what she sees as the very different experience today's children are having of growing up in wartime.

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.

A Natural Learning Environment

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:54:27 -0500

For students at Minnesota's School of Environmental Studies, it's all happening at the zoo. Andrea Grazzini Walstrom looks at an unusual high school that makes the most of its unique location at the Minnesota Zoo.

Parents Speaking Up in California

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:05:48 -0500

It seems obvious that any organization that serves kids will benefit from understanding parents' perspectives. But it's not always easy to include the parent voice. This article by Casey Flaherty from the May-June 2005 issue of Children's Advocate looks at three examples of bringing parents into the discussion.

Helping Girls Bloom

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:31:57 -0500

In a notoriously troubled New York City neighborhood, Isis Sapp-Grant has created a supportive haven for girls besieged by drug dealers, sexual predators, family violence and gangs. Holly St. Lifer spoke with Sapp-Grant about her Blossom Program for Girls.

A Head Start Testimonial

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:59:47 -0500

At age 30, the Head Start program is on the defensive, facing criticism and efforts to change its basic structure. But Head Start also has its passionate defenders such as Jerrie deRose, who sent us this e-mail after seeing a profile of the Rosemount Head Start program in Washington DC on our Web site.