States are struggling. Children’s lives, too often, are truly in the balance as states and localities decide where to make cuts, often sacrificing long-term investments to achieve short-term cost savings. And a new National League of Cities report, City Fiscal Conditions 2009, suggests that the situation will worsen over the next two years.

CNN’s poll released [in August] shows a striking generational divide over support of Obama’s health care plan, with the reform being significantly more popular among young people than among adults over the age of 50. Nevertheless, every day I try new responses to those that ignorantly assume I don’t care about health care reform because I’m under 30 and supposedly invincible.

This report by Children’s HealthWatch highlights the implications of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on very young children. The report details research indicating that WIC improves children’s health as well as reduces the risk of developmental delays.

This fact sheets provides information as to whether children’s outcomes are better if they live in environments that are supportive in terms of family, peers, and community. Results indicate that children from supportive neighborhoods are more likely to have stronger connections compared to their counterparts from less supportive neighborhoods.

This guide is a resource for coaches who are currently working on or are planning to work with communities to promote change.

This Making Connections Peer Technical Assistance Match report summarizes the learnings from a meeting of two Making Connections sites -- Hartford, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island -- when key members from the communities came together to exchange ideas and experiences about engaging youth in community change.

Harlem Children’s Zone,®Inc. has experienced incredible growth - from the number of children we serve to the breadth of our services. But one thing has stayed the same: the agency’s “whatever it takes” attitude when it comes to helping children to succeed.

The organization began 1970 as Rheedlen, working with young children and their families as the city’s first truancy-prevention program.