The Kaiser Family Fund survey of state Medicaid directors finds that most states are facing the prospect of mid-fiscal year 2009 program cutbacks in this program that serves vulnerable families.

Here are some useful, age-appropriate “cheat sheets” to help parents and caregivers get the most out of their time with their children, boosting reading skills and enjoyment.

In 2007, 1.7 million children under age 18 had a parent in prison—an 82 percent increase 1991, disproportionately affecting children of color. Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to drop out of school, engage in delinquency, and subsequently be incarcerated themselves. This Sentencing Project brief evaluates Department of Justice data and offers policy recommendations to support parent/child relationships and minimize the harm to children.

February 4, 2009 is National Girls and Women in Sports Day. On his blog, "The Dad Man" Joe Kelly has tips on what fathers can do with daughters tips on what fathers can do with daughters.

Project Play is an initiative to inspire families and neighborhoods to play traditional backyard games like "Follow the Leader," "Treasure Hunt," or "Kick the Can"-games that demand imagination and foster creativity. Through a series of lively hardcover children's books featuring a group of active neighborhood kids, Project Play provides guidance to parents and children for getting back to basics and enjoying the joy and freedom of playtime. In addition, Project Play encourages parents to make play a priority-for as founder and author Marlene Byrne believes-it is as equally important to be creative and imaginative as it is to be smart.

The National Center for Special Education Research has released a dynamic website that lets the public generate tables and comparisons using data from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS). The system includes over 1,000 variables related to child and family characteristics; special education programs and services; and academic, social and functional performance for preschoolers with disabilities.

Children of incarcerated parents are often an invisible population, but analyzing and mapping local data on these families can help policymakers and advocates understand these children's experiences and needs. This Urban Institute brief has the who, what, why and how for cities and governments interested in embarking on such an initiative.

In this October 2008 blog entry, Hershel Sarbin reacts to a recent CFK article on Hope Meadows, an intergenerational community launched in 1993, and how “smartly its founders have adapted to changing conditions over the years.” Therein lies a model for all of us, he says.

This article is an excerpt is from the first chapter of Finding Hope in Despair: Clinical
Studies in Infant Mental Health, edited by Marian Birch, was published by ZERO TO THREE
in June 2008. In this excerpt, the editor describes the core concepts, techniques, and
challenges of therapeutic intervention with infants and very young children and their
families. In the other chapters in the book, clinicians provide detailed case studies of
interventions that felt like “heartbreaking failures.” Each case study is followed by a
response from another clinician who comments on the challenges and the outcome of the
intervention.

Here’s a personal glimpse at the importance of local programs for children and families, as three stressed-out parents share how they found help and education in support groups. The California-based Children’s Advocate reports.