In the border state of California, many of the area’s children feel close ties to Mexico, Asia and other countries. This Children Now fact sheet examines issues children face on the California-Mexico border, provides characteristics of families and children, and offers recommendations for investments and policy improvements that can strengthen family well-being in the region.

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.

Mathematica gives good marks in its report to Congress on the State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIPs) that offer health care coverage to children in families with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level and beyond. In almost all areas examined—outreach, enrollment and access to services—the programs are succeeding. In the 10 states studied, programs were put in place quickly, and overall, families were satisfied with the ease of enrolling children, many of whom remained enrolled for 12 months, depending on the state.

A new report from Mathematica examines the Santa Clara County Healthy Kids Program, an ambitious effort to close gaps in health insurance coverage for children. Researchers identified many significant improvements in medical, dental, and vision care among children who participated in Healthy Kids.

This video from WITNESS and Books Not Bars details human rights violations and abuses in CYA institutions and calls for closing CYA's nine facilities and replacing them with community-based alternatives and small rehabilitation centers that give youth a chance to succeed on the outside. Some footage highlights the differences between CYA and model community-based, service-rich facilities in Missouri.

Published by the American Correctional Association (2002), this book by Lisa Boesky, Ph.D. not only has information on screening/assessment and mental health treatment, but also describes how to recognize and manage juveniles with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Psychosis, Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders, Suicide, Self-Mutilation, and other mental health issues to help juvenile justice personnel understand what they are seeing and how to deal with difficult behaviors. A study guide is currently in development.

The nation's first large-scale study of the effects of long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution in children found evidence that pollution reduces children's lung growth and function, and increases the incidence and severity of asthma. Kids who move out of high-pollution areas show improved lung function growth rates, indicating that small improvement in air quality can have immediate benefits.

In the wake of Michael Powell's resignation, Children Now of California called on President Bush to appoint a new Federal Communications Committee (FCC) chairperson who will make protecting children's interests a top priority. Among the issues the new chair will face are determining whether digital broadcasters will be allowed to target children with interactive advertisements and collect personal information for marketing purposes.

A new study finds higher education is a good investment for low-wage parents on welfare and their communities. Under the CalWORKS program -- which allows participants to satisfy the work requirements mandated by federal welfare law by attending a California community college -- job rates doubled and earnings rose significantly for women who'd earned an Associate or certificate degree.

An analysis of government spending in the late 1990s shows that despite an economic boom and rising state spending, few public funds reached children in need in five economically distressed cities: Baltimore, Detroit, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Richmond. In these areas, state per capita expenditures rose 12 percent -- but spending by all levels of government for services to children rose only an average 2 percent per child.