What's happening in schools -- and in statehouses -- to keep students healthy and ready to learn? A January 12, 2005 stakeholders briefing on school wellness policies, held in Washington, DC, brought a broad range of organizations together to discuss local school policies, federal legislation and programs, and other tools to address obesity and change school environments to promote healthy eating and physical activity. The Food Research & Action Center Web site offers a summary of speakers' remarks, information on legislation (including the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition program), and resources like a Local School Wellness Policies Index from the School Nutrition Association, and a School Foods Toolkit.

Whatever your party affiliation, child advocates are urging concerned adults to contact U.S. senators and insist that the 2006 Senate Budget Resolution preserve programs for low-income families and children. Budget decisions are expected to be finalized by March 2005 and will have a long-lasting impact on services for families and communities. Medicaid, in particular, faces cuts.

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.

When two community organizations in Detroit -- one geared towards Latino families on the southwest side of town, and another centered on the needs of African American families on the east side -- took on a joint public health project, the results reached beyond the realm of health. Cecilia Garcia explains.

The number of uninsured Americans rose to 45 million in 2003, the highest level on record, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The availability of health insurance coverage under Medicaid and SCHIP was essential in a year in which employer-based coverage continued to decline.

Not all eligible kids are enrolled in the state Children's Health Insurance Program. Community organizations can help reach out to eligible families using the posters, bookmarks and public service announcements developed for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Covering Kids and Families initiative.

A weak economy and rising insurance costs eliminated employer-paid health insurance for millions of working families in the early years of the 21st century, but public insurance programs like Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program softened the blow for children. Almost 5 million children were added to public insurance programs between 2001 and 2003, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change. As a result, there was a slight increase in the total number of children covered by insurance
at a time when many of their parents lost their health benefits.

How can you give illiterate or limited-English parents the information they need on children's health and development? Julieta Santana reports on how local radio fills a critical informational need in immigrant communities. This article originally appeared in the May-June 2004 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

In national measures of public health, Arkansas consistently ranks near the bottom, with high rates of heart disease and obesity. But a broad new effort aims to change that, starting with kids. Rob Capriccioso reports.