Looking at youth violence in small town and rural America, this Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention bulletin finds that high rates of violence were not correlated with high rates of poverty per se, but with higher community rates of single-parent households, population turnover, and ethnic diversity. The report suggests these factors could make it harder for parents to have the time or mutual relationships to work together in the joint supervision of children.

Babies born suffering the effects of their mothers' use of illegal drugs often suffer further from poor parenting. In Dallas, Texas, an intensive program helps mothers be better parents to their drug-affected children, with benefits to both. Esther Bauer reports on New Connections.

The majority of the guns used in school-related firearm deaths in the 1990s were obtained from perpetrators' homes or from friends or relatives, according to this March 2003 CDC report, 'Source of Firearms Used By Students in School.'

Project Safe Place provides access to immediate help and supportive resources for all young people in crisis through a network of sites sustained by qualified agencies, trained volunteers and businesses.

According to the latest report card from the Brady Campaign and others, some states have successfully strengthened their gun laws, but a number of states continue to drag their feet on gun safety measures.

Violence prevention, childhood depression, the importance of mentors and more—these are some of the stories from Connect for Kids that drew reader response over the past month. See what everyone had to say, and feel free to join the conversation.

Parents and others concerned with keeping children from harm must balance the need to warn children of real dangers against the need to allow children to feel safe, not scared. This article from the November-December 2002 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children, looks at a program that aims to do both.

This report funded by the Packard Foundation offers concrete suggestions, from educating parents about safely storing guns to training health providers on the signs of substance abuse among parents and advocating for a refundable pre-tax child credit.

This resource details the changes in state and federal laws that can help communities take a greater responsibility for protecting children and strengthening families.

Research shows that violence is learned, and often it's learned in the early stages of life. A new program called ACT (Adults and Children Together) Against Violence aims to help adults show kids through their own actions how to behave positively and avoid violence.