Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - Child Care

Youngest Children Are Underrepresented in Federal Budget

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:12:42 -0500

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.

Infants and Toddlers in State and Federal Budgets: Yesterday's Choices, Today's Decisions, and Tomorrow's Options

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:25:33 -0500

On March 30th, 2009, the Urban Institute, with support from the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, conducted a roundtable discussion entitled "Infants and Toddlers in State and Federal Budgets: Yesterday's Choices, Today's Decisions, and Tomorrow's Options." The event brought together about 40 leading state and federal budget experts, practitioners, and policy-makers including experts in early childhood, health care, and nutrition policies and programs.

Neighborhood Factors Influence Youth Participation in Programs

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:37:21 -0500

A new Child Trends brief finds that youth who have not participated in out-of-school time programs are significantly more likely than are their participating peers to live in an unsupportive neighborhood; to spend more than two hours a day watching TV or playing video games; and to have parents who are in poor health, who don't exercise, and who have less than a high school education.

How Program Administrators Can Support Out-Of-School Time Staff

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:36:58 -0500

From recruitment to ongoing training and troubleshooting, this Child Trends brief argues that good management is key to maintaining well-trained and well-prepared frontline staff in after-school programs. Good directors create a positive climate and supportive environment for participants and staff and they use relevant data to set new goals.

Making Every Day Count: Boys & Girls Clubs' Role in Promoting Positive Outcomes for Teens

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:33:47 -0500

In this analysis Public/Private Ventures found that teens who participated more often each week in their Boys and Girls Club showed positive change on 15 of 31 measures. More important than specific p

Out of School Supports Critical to Student Success

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:17:29 -0500

The Harvard Family Research Project reports on how out-of-school complementary learning, particularly for children in low-income families, is a key component to help students gain the skills necessary

Afterschool Programs and Edcuational Success

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:39:41 -0500

Multiple Choices After School: Findings from the Extended-Service Schools Initiative

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:36:10 -0500

Building Better After-School Programs

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:37:49 -0500

While the evidence on the impact of after-school programs on academic and other outcomes is unclear, kids who do not attend at all - some 7 million unsupervised children - tend to have more academic a

Summer Changes Everything Conference

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:53:01 -0600

Hosted by the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, the Summer Changes Everything (April 16-17, 2009 in Chicago) covers how to build and strengthen summer programs. Preconfe

Job Opening for Principal Early Childhood Research Specialist in Palo Alto

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:17:44 -0600

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) seeks an early childhood education or child development practice leader to join our Palo Alto, CA office.

Finding Quality Child Care

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:23:05 -0600

A recent NACCRRA survey found that parents look for quality when they seek child care, but until now it has been hard to find out if a program has been inspected and licensed.

Baby Matters: A Gateway to State Policies and Initiatives

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:08:43 -0600

Zero to Three offers a searchable database with information on state policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers and their families.

The Kids Carpentry Program

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:20:55 -0600

Kids’ Carpentry is a year-round after school program designed especially for boys and girls, kindergarten through the sixth grade. Since 1982 we have been teaching kids the safe use of woodworking hand tools. Children work together and independently on boats, trucks, bird feeders, clocks, doll furniture, airplanes, games and many other projects. In addition to the fun these kids have, they also gain quality experiences in measuring, applied mathematics such as fractions, and hands-on experience with a variety of carpentry tools. By visualizing, planning and building projects, children develop valuable abstract reasoning capabilities and fine motor skills. Children can select from a wide range of project choices supplied by the teacher and are also encouraged to design and build based on their own needs and imaginations. Our Socratic style of teaching empowers the children to become good problem-solvers and independent thinkers!

Implementing School-Based Services: Strategies from New Mexico's School-Based Health and Extended Learning Services

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:52:28 -0600

This Child Trends brief distills lessons from roundtable discussions for improving the reach and effectiveness of New Mexico's school-based services like after-school programs and health services.