Teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as older drivers, and auto accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers, resulting in thousands of deaths each year. In Maryland, a recent spate of high-profile teen traffic fatalities has spurred a wide-ranging discussion of how to reduce the death rate. Rob Capriccioso takes a look at how policymakers, educators, parents and students are working to find solutions.

As key lawmakers mount a major push to reauthorize the nation's welfare law, a long-term study carried out by pediatricians and child health researchers has found that existing welfare policies are having a direct negative effect on some young children's health. Connect for Kids spoke with pediatric researcher Deborah Frank about the findings.

About 1.3 million new cases of cancer were reported in 2003. While there are no firm figures on how many of those diagnosed were the parents of minor children, there's no doubt that each year many kids must face the news that a parent or guardian has cancer.
Letitia Star reports on a program that tries to help.

Reactions to the new federal dietary guidelines released on Jan. 12, 2005 have ranged from surprised to frankly skeptical as the gap between the recommendations and reality sinks in. Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips went looking for advice on putting the guidelines to work for children and teens.

How did a Nintendo Gameboy become a diabetic child's ally in the daily struggle to keep blood sugar levels under control? Rob Capriccioso reports on this and other developments in the emerging field of using video game technology to fight childhood disease and promote healthy behavior.

It might be an unexpectedly high electric bill on the heels of the expensive dental emergency, or a slip-sliding winter fender bender just when you need to pay the fuel oil bill -- for too many families, such minor but unexpected financial shocks can spell disaster. For some of them, the Modest Needs Foundation comes to the rescue. Jim Daniels reports.

It's small, soggy, and froggy. Wetlands Estonoa is also the centerpiece of an award-winning environmental preservation and education program in the little mountain town of St. Paul, Virginia. D.J. Mathews reports that it was St. Paul's teens who put Estonoa on the map.

The chances that a mentally ill child will wind up in the juvenile or criminal justice system rather than in treatment are disturbingly high. But Laurel Stine, director of federal relations with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, says the legal landscape is changing for the better.

An unexpected shortage of flu vaccine means that many children will not be getting flu shots this year. Few kids will be upset at that news, but parents worry about the risks. Connect for Kids has collected information and resources.

Most low-income families with children don't get all of the help they should, partly because it is so hard to find out what's available and fill out the paperwork. This article, originally from the September-October 2004 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children, shows how in California, community agencies are helping.