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

Middle School Youth Lead the Way: Creating “Pathways to Leadership” in After-School Programs

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:18:09 -0500

Middle school is a critical period of vulnerability—and opportunity. Here's a look at how one New York-based Beacons out-of-school time program is successfully engaging young people from age 9 through 21 in a deliberate pathway from participant to "professional" and preparing them for success in high school and beyond.

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.

Nashville Coordinates After-School for Middle School

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:33:58 -0500

The Forum for Youth Investment (our publisher) says Nashville, Tennessee has launched a quality-based citywide coordination of after-school services for middle school students.

Get Help, Give Help: New Summer Service Initiative

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:26:25 -0500

President Obama recently announced a new summer service initiative in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service. Local service projects can find volunteers and volunteers can find projects in education, health, energy, the environment and more.

When Schools Stay Open Late: The National Evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:36:34 -0500

After-school programs have grown rapidly in recent years, spurred by rising employment
rates of mothers, pressure to increase academic achievement, and concerns about risks to
children who are unsupervised during after-school hours. The percentage of public schools

More Things That Do Make A Difference for Youth: A Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Pratices

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:29:31 -0500

This compendium contains evaluation briefs on 49 youth programs that were assessed by the American Youth Policy Forum. The programs were selected because they demonstrate that careful application of the following principles can lead to powerful results for youth.

Community Counts: How Youth Organizations Matter for Youth Development

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:24:12 -0500

Over 10 years, the researchers studied community-based organizations (CBO) for young people, eventually examining the work of approximately 120 youth-based organizations in 34 different cities. A look at these organizations and the young people they serve shows that CBOs offer a means of reaching at-risk youth, and that they can have a significant impact on the skills, attitudes, and experiences of young people.

America’s After-School Choice: The Prime Time for Juvenile Crime, Or Youth Enrichment and Achievement

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:19:20 -0500

Report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids that outlines the necessity for after-school programs and effectiveness in positive youth development.

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.

Parent Tip Sheets for Reading with Young Children

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:26:58 -0600

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.

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!