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.

Released in 2008, this interactive chart and report from the Center for Law and Social Policy includes updated information on programs, participants, families, and staff for all Head Start programs in each state.

MindOH! offers free advice on ways to encourage students to get involved in their communities suring the summer.

A once-a-week adult-student mentoring meeting does not an after-school program make, according to this brief from the Forum for Youth Investment. But perhaps, with a little help, it could. The question is not which makes more sense, mentoring or after-school, but how can we utilize both strategies to increase the likelihood that young people have the supports they need to thrive. The 8-page brief offers some ideas.

The Finance Project and the Council of Chief State School Officers have released this strategy brief. It describes how six major funding streams included in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) can support extended learning opportunities. The brief provides important context for those seeking to access these funding streams, and includes a discussion of strategies, considerations and tips for accessing each source.

This report from the Extended Learning Opportunities Project profiles five summer learning programs that have contributed to improved student achievement in high-poverty schools.

Today, President Bush submits his FY2006 budget proposal to Congress. The administration has said it plans to halve the deficit within five years, despite declining federal revenues. In his State of the Union address, the president called for cutting or eliminating 150 domestic government programs—among them anti-poverty programs like housing, food stamps and Medicaid. Children's advocates are also watching for cuts to USDA food and nutrition services. Concerned adults can use President Bush's FY2006 budget as common ground to jump start discussion about public service programs, and how America might balance federal spending and deficit reduction.

The Coalition on Human Needs' Opportunity For All Campaign examines the budget from a community advocacy standpoint.

America's Second Harvest and the Food Research and Action Center offer information and action steps on the FY2006 budget.

This National Academies' Transportation Research Board report explores the link between the "built" environment—buildings, roads, parks, and other structures that
physically define a community—and physical activity levels.

Advocates often note that high-quality, comprehensive early childhood development programs are cost-effective in boosting outcomes for children. New data from the Economic Policy Institute offers proof. According to this report, investments in these programs would pay for themselves in 17 years and, in 30 years, would give taxpayers a $2 savings for every $1 invested. Within 25 years, the offsetting budget savings for all levels of government combined would reach $31 billion.

Parks give kids good places to play outside, but - based on the experience of a new generation of youth programs in urban parks - they can also go far beyond recreation to provide high-quality programs that foster healthy youth development, according to an Urban Institute report published in June 2004.