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

How Does the US Measure Poverty? A Child-Focused Perspective

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:29:29 -0500

The National Center for Children in Poverty has a 2008 fact sheet that outlines how the federal poverty measurement works, why it is inadequate and examines alternative ways to measure poverty—and child poverty—more effectively.

SCHIP - State Child Health Insurance: 10 Years in the Making

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:47:52 -0500

CFK Reports From: Senate Subcommittee Hears Testimony About SCHIP Reauthorization
Event: Hearing
Organized By: Senate Finance Subcommittee on Healthcare
When: July 25, 2006

The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Healthcare met to discuss the future reauthorization of the State Child Health Insurance program (SCHIP).

The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:17:44 -0500

CFK Reports From: The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool: Using Early Education to Improve Economic Growth and the Fiscal Sustainability of States and the Nation
Event: Forum
Organized By: Committee for Economic Development
Where/When: Willard Inter-Continental Hotel; July 25, 2006

Believing that early childhood education does more than prepare kids for kindergarten, an organization of business leaders, the Committee for Economic Development (CED), made the economic case for publicly funded high-quality universal preschool for all kids through their report, The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool.

Food Companies Target Online Kids

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:39:24 -0500

CFK Reports From: It�s Child�s Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children
Event: Forum
Organized By: Kaiser Family Foundation
Where/When: Barbara Jordan Conference Center; July 19, 2006

The seemingly innocuous online games kids play at the Web sites of companies such as McDonald�s, Kraft, and Hershey are targeted marketing tools for food products, according to a study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Paths to Success: A Forum on Young African-American Men

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:39:33 -0500

CFK Reports From: Paths to Success: A Forum on Young African-American Men
Event: Forum
Organized By: Kaiser Family Foundation , The Washington Post and Harvard University
Where/When: Barbara Jordan Conference Center; July 18, 2006

Comedian Bill Cosby, armed with sunglasses and a tell-it-like-it is approach, joined a 16-member panel made up of politicians, educators, activists, and young men to discuss the issues and challenges facing young black men, and the strategies to help overcome the obstacles.

Ten Years of Leaving Foster Children Behind

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:47:42 -0500

CFK Reports From: Ten Years of Leaving Foster Children Behind
Event: Press Conference
Organized By: Child Welfare League of America
Where/When: Murrow Room, National Press Club; July 17, 2006

An outdated eligibility requirement for foster kids to receive federal assistance under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act is leaving out nearly 50,000 children per year, according to a report by the Child Welfare League of America.

Expanding the Envelope of Anti-Poverty Initiatives: State Innovations and Innovators

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:02:58 -0500

CFK Reports From: Expanding the Envelope of Anti-Poverty Initiatives
Event: Symposium
Organized By: Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program
Where/When: July 18, 2006; The National Press Club
Report By: Kate Carta

This symposium focused on the often overlooked opportunities that public and private leaders have to assist lower income families by bringing down the prices for basic necessities in their everyday lives.

Not Just Talk: Incorporating Youth Voice into Juvenile Justice Reform and Practice

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:35:39 -0500

CFK Reports From: Not Just Talk: Incorporating Youth Voice into Juvenile Justice Reform and Practice
Event: Conference Call
Organized By: Connect for Kids
When: 3:00 pm EDT, June 21, 2006

Should systems that deal with and serve young people actively engage them in developing youth policies and programs?

Keeping Our Edge: Americans Speak on Education and Competitiveness

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:41:04 -0500

CFK Reports From: Keeping Our Edge: Americans Speak on Education and Competitiveness
Event: Briefing
Organized By: Educational Testing Service
Where/When: Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill; June 21, 2006

In this briefing, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) presented the results of its sixth annual nationwide poll of the public's views on the role of education reform in supporting American competitiveness.

Violent and Explicit Video Games: Informing Parents and Protecting Children

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 15:01:37 -0500

CFK Reports From: Violent and Explicit Video Games: Informing Parents and Protecting Children
Event: Hearing
Organized By: Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
Where/When: June 14, 2006; 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

When it was revealed last year that a popular video game �Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas� contained a hidden graphic sex scene unlocked by downloadable software, members of Congress waged a war against graphic content in video games.

The Impact of Meth on Foster Care, Children, and Families

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:08:05 -0500

CFK Reports From: The Impact of Meth on Foster Care, Children, and Families
Event: Panel Discussion
Organized By: Generations United
Where/When: June 8, 2006; Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC

The discussion at this congressional briefing on the impact of methamphetamine abuse on foster care, children, and families paid special attention to the role being played by grandparents who step forward to become legal guardians for children who are removed from their homes due to a parent's methamphetamine abuse.

Child Welfare and Well-Being

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:42:15 -0500

CFK Reports From: Child Welfare and Well-Being: Building a 21st-Century System for Kids
Event: Panel discussion
Organized By: The Urban Institute and Chapin Hall Center for Children
Where/When: June 8, 2006; Urban Institute, Washington, DC

This event, the last in a series, was a useful discussion of one of the central tensions within the child welfare field: between the imperative to keep children physically safe from harm and the understanding that removing children from their parents, homes and neighborhoods damages them.

Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers and Their Parents

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:39:51 -0500

CFK Reports From: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers and Their Parents
Event: Panel
Organized By: Kaiser Family Foundation-Program for the Study of Entertainment and Health
Where/When: May 24, 2006; Barbara Jordan Conference Center

The debate on the impact of electronic media�television, computers, DVD, etc.�on children and their development was the focus of this panel and the subject of a new Kaiser report that showed how parents use children�s media to help them cope.

Oversight Hearing on Suicide Prevention Programs and their Application in Indian Country

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:40:01 -0500

CFK Reports From: Oversight Hearing on Suicide Prevention Programs and their Application in Indian Country
Event: Hearing
Organized By: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Where/When: 485 Russell Senate Office Building; May 17, 2006

The statistics are grim: American Indian youth have the highest suicide rate among all ethnic groups, a rate that is almost twice the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To address this issue, youth suicide prevention programs have been created to better serve the community. Two panels presented written testimony about their experiences, findings, and goals on suicide prevention programs to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

Parental Power

Mon, 15 May 2006 13:49:19 -0500

CFK Reports From: Parental Power: TV Indecency, the FCC, and the Media's Response
Event: Policy forum
Organized By: Cato Institute Center for Constitutional Studies
Where/When: Cato Institute, Washington, DC, Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Jack Valenti, one of the key architects of the much-maligned but much-relied-on movie rating system, argued at this Cato Institute event that despite concerns about violence, language, sex and general crudeness on broadcast, cable and satellite TV programs, technology already gives parents near-total control of the TV content that comes into their homes.