August 2009Connect for Kids is merging with the Youth Policy Action Center, the National Youth Development Information Center, and Child Advocacy360 to create a new one-stop online spot for stories, news and action opportunities from across the child and youth field. Learn more about our new site, launching fall 2009.

A clickable "cheat sheet" list of on foundations, foundations and more foundations that give grants in areas related to children, youth, families and community improvement.

Scott Peterson, founder of Global Youth Justice, has compiled links to hundreds of funding ideas and public and private resources and to support work in juvenile justice, foster care, youth development, youth service and leadership, youth and family employment and much more! Updated regularly.

A bill introduced in Congress by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), called the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (SAFRA), aims to make sure federal college aid really helps students. Here's a round-up of reactions, and related student loan resources.

A July 8 Congressional briefing hosted by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and the Afterschool Alliance laid out some surprising facts and inspiring optimism about this fall’s opportunity to build a better food program for the nation’s vulnerable children. CFK has this field report.

Community colleges across the country are struggling to meet an unprecedented surge in enrollment, largely driven by the economy—even as states are slashing funds needed to serve these students. The Obama administration has unveiled a two-pronged plan to sustain community colleges and measure their effectiveness. CFK's Maria Allen joined a July 14 teleconference with White House officials to bring you the scoop.

At this time of tight budgets and high price tags, overlooking opportunities to invest in youth is the biggest mistake Americans can make, according to a July 2009 Capitol Hill briefing hosted by the Coalition on Human Needs and co-sponsored by Sen. Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. McDermott (D-WA).

Child Poverty and the Federal Budget
A blog by Jan Richter
“Poverty”—the word alone suggests a problem that won’t go away, one that we cannot fix.
Data suggests otherwise. For example, researcher Timothy Smeedling has compared child poverty rates in the U.S. with other industrialized countries, before and after government programs to address the problem. He finds that while the wealthy nations start out with about the same levels of child poverty, they end up with very different outcomes precisely because of differences in how much they spend on reducing child poverty.

A CFK summary and list of some key issues in health care reform. This is constantly evolving, so check back often.

Numbers only get you so far—12 million children, 17 percent of U.S. households with children—the real story of fighting hunger in America is best told by families themselves. Check out this CFK video coverage of an intimate and moving new project to "keep the children at the center" of policy debates.