To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the federal 21st Century Community Learning
Centers, the Afterschool Alliance is creating a storybook featuring people whose lives
have been improved through out-of-school time programs. Share your stories and program
nominations and check out sample stories online.

Released in 2008, this interactive chart and report from the Center for Law and Social Policy includes updated information on programs, participants, families, and staff for all Head Start programs in each state.

Finding quality, affordable child care can be difficult for any parent. For those with a special needs child, it can also be a very confusing and emotional experience. Rebecca Freshour looks at what the law says, and what parents need to know to find care for their children.

A once-a-week adult-student mentoring meeting does not an after-school program make, according to this brief from the Forum for Youth Investment. But perhaps, with a little help, it could. The question is not which makes more sense, mentoring or after-school, but how can we utilize both strategies to increase the likelihood that young people have the supports they need to thrive. The 8-page brief offers some ideas.

Newsflash is it isn't—many families know this too well—but a new national survey finds that child care is expensive. In fact, in 49 states, child care fees for two kids of any age exceed the median cost of rent. Low-wage families with very young children are especially hard hit. The report calls for more federal, state, and local investment in high-quality child care. (The 2006 federal budget has been criticized for failing to provide adequate child care funds for all low-wage workers.)

When it comes to meeting the costs of child care, many low-income families eligible for help don't access it, and some states may not be doing enough to reach families not already involved in benefit programs. This National Center for Children in Poverty research brief looks at what's known about the characteristics of families using public subsidies for child care—and finds that, for example, families with children ages birth through 5 are more likely to use subsidies than those with older children, and African American mothers appear more likely to tap into child care help than mothers of other racial/ethnic backgrounds.

The 2006 National Smart Start Conference will be held March 7-9 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) will hold its annual conference in Arlington, Virginia.

While paid child care is very safe overall, centers are much safer than all other forms of child care, according to a new national study from the City University of New York Graduate Center. The fatality rate for children who receive child care in private homes is sixteen times higher than the fatality rate for children in child care centers.

The Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego law school has released its 2005 Children's Legislative Report Card, which describes the year and examines several child-friendly bills in the areas of economic security, nutrition, health and safety, child care, and child protection. Legislators' floor votes are detailed. Of the 20 child-friendly measures featured in the Report Card, 18 were sent to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for his consideration; he ultimately vetoed over one-third of them.