Despite extensive research documenting the benefits of investing in young children, infants and toddlers are underrepresented in the federal budget, a new study from the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution found.

The nation’s 12.5 million children under age 3 are 4.2 percent of the population, but they received just 2.1 percent—$44.1 billion—of federal domestic spending in 2007. Domestic outlays, which exclude defense, homeland security, and international affairs, totaled $2.1 trillion.

Too many children experience abuse and neglect with negative lifelong consequences. Too few children get the services and supports they need to heal. Yet, proven and promising practices can reduce maltreatment and ameliorate harm. Taking these practices to scale will require federal investment and leadership in five strategic areas. We must: (1) increase prevention and early intervention services that help keep children and families out of crisis; (2) increase specialized treatment services for those children and families that do experience crisis; (3) increase services to support families after a crisis has stabilized (including birth families, as well as kinship and adoptive families created when parents are unable to care for their children); (4) enhance the quality of the workforce providing services to children and families; and (5) improve accountability both for dollars spent and outcomes achieved. Together these efforts will improve the lives of millions of children across the nation

On any given day, scores of young people with limited individual and social capital are simultaneously struggling to exit some systems and enter others: foster care, residential treatment centers, higher education, mental health programs, gainful employment.

This report provides a comprehensive review of state efforts to support youth transitioning out of foster care. As part of the review, Chapin Hall administered a web-based survey of state independent living services coordinators that covered a number of domains including conditions under which foster youth can remain in care after turning 18, independent living and transition services provided, opportunities for youth to reenter care, and how state dollars are used to supplement federal funds.

The 20th National Youth Crime Prevention Conference and International Forum
April 19-22, 2009 in Orlando will brings youth and adults together to strengthen and explore new crime prevention skills.

The Job Corps serves youth aging out of foster care with a residential program that provides access to earn a high school diploma or GED, training and preparation for a career, housing, meals, basic health care, and a living allowance twice a month – all at no cost to the student.

The Society for Research in Child Development says we can improve the transition to independent living for foster teens. Measures include revising eligibility requirements so they no longer exclude high-risk populations, strengthening transition services, and allowing states to extend adoption assistance or guardianship payments through age 21 if the adoption or guardianship was arranged before the child’s 16th birthday.

Children’s Express reports on this toolkit that helps child welfare courts define goals, collect data and measure their performance to improve child and family outcomes of safety, permanence, and well-being.