How does our social, economic and physical environment affect our health? And how close are our kids to reaching "optimal health"? A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation chartbook looks at children from different socioeconomic backgrounds in every state to document how healthy our nation's children are now and how healthy they could be -- if we as a nation were realizing our full health potential. Where the biggest gaps are may surprise you.

A new report from Global Issues Resource Center documents the status of youth and teen courts, a juvenile justice prevention and intervention program that uses volunteer youth to help sentence their peers. In 1993, fewer than 75 local youth and teen courts existed in a dozen states -- in 2008, more than 1,000 communities operate these local juvenile justice programs.

This Public/Private Ventures guide draws upon lessons learned from seven years of experience in Philadelphia to describe how cities and other jurisdictions can plan and carry out an initiative like the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership. The program focuses on youth ages 14 to 24 who are at greatest risk of killing or being killed, and melds supervision and supports to steer them away from violence and toward productive
lives.

CLIMB is a program founded by the Children's TreeHouse Foundation to aid in facilitating communication between parent and child when the parent has cancer. It is also created to help children realize their emotions and feelings are okay and normalize those feelings through activites and group discussions. Dr. Elbow, DSW,LCSW, facilitates the group.

PROJECT ROCKIT is an interactive anti-bullying and youth leadership program that is run by young people for young people. They strive to achieve positive, lasting change by empowering young people to tackle the issues that are important to them. PROJECT ROCKIT sessions are designed to reflect a 'show me don't tell me' approach to learning. Through an array of dramatic role plays, group activities, student performances, creative writing, and real-life stories, P-ROCK sessions embody key messages and strategies that are relevant for young people.

The nonpartisan Every Child Matters Education Fund surveyed 800 registered voters and
found that regardless of party, strong majorities are concerned about a recent UNICEF
report ranking U.S. child well-being near the bottom of the industrialized world. The
majority of those surveyed agree that "we need bold leadership to address poverty,
child abuse, health, and education." A quarter of registered voters could not give any
response when asked about the two candidates' strengths on children's issues.

A simplified version of the USDA Summer Food Service Program has just gone national. It lessens the paperwork involved for groups or out-of-school time programs that want to incorporate summer meals.

The Spring 2008 issue of Evaluation Exchange from the Harvard Family Research Project looks at promising practices in family involvement. In particular, it highlights the importance of partnerships within communities for better child outcomes, and how family involvement fits into a broader approach to children's success in education and in life.

Check out this blog from the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) for the latest happenings in child nutrition, with easy-to-digest writing about policies, research and what we can all do to help kids eat and live more healthily in and out of school.

Children who have been abused or neglected often have a range of unique physical and mental health needs and developmental delays, far greater than other high-risk populations. In fact, studies suggest that nearly sixty percent of children in foster care experience a chronic medical condition, and one-quarter suffer from three or more chronic health conditions. This First Focus policy brief analyzes some of the key health care issues facing foster care children.