CFK home September 10
Featured Articles:
 September
15—In an election season, there’s no shortage
of rhetoric—but the National Collaboration for Youth takes
us beyond sound bites to concrete action steps with its
new cross-cutting policy agenda. The agenda offers a unifying
strategy and specific policy and investment recommendations
to help the federal government do a better job of meeting
the needs of children and youth, and improving the well-being
of and opportunities for all young people. Read more.
To help you stay informed and take action,
Connect for Kids is creating an easy-to-use guide to national
and state policies that adults concerned about kids and
youth should be watching—look for that on September 24.
 September 10—Step Up for Kids Day is September 16! The Every Child Matters Education Fund and its local, state and national partners are hosting this nonpartisan event on the capitol steps in Washington, DC, and all 50 states to draw public attention to issues affecting America's children—poverty, health care, juvenile incarceration, early care and education, child abuse, and after-school programs. Read more.
 August
6—Here’s
a personal glimpse at the importance of local programs
for children and families, as three stressed-out parents
share how they found help and education in support groups.
The California-based Children’s Advocate reports. Read article.
 July
23—With
school out and election campaigns gaining momentum,
it’s a great time to consider the importance of
early childhood and parent education. The Parents
as Teachers National Center has information about
getting the early childhood message out to key
decision-makers. Read article.
  July
23—Too few young people
are ready for college, work and life. But
what do we know about the programs designed
to "reconnect" youth and ensure all
youth finish high school ready to be successful?
A July 18, 2008 Working for
Change forum looked at
what’s being done and how well it’s working. Read article.
|
September
10 issue—Fannie and Freddie got a bit of hand-up, but it looks like the more than 13 million children living in
poverty in the United States may have to wait—new Census data shows the child poverty rate climbed to its highest level since 1998, while government investment in kids has dropped by ten percent in the past five years.
This makes the case that workers in this field are a dedicated lot. So what keeps us here despite tight resources and how can we improve professional conditions? The Next Generation Youth Work Coalition studied nine cities and states that have gone beyond the basics of professional development to make real workforce advances.
Also this week: promising models to help young people leave high school prepared; a webinar on how to bring business into the Ready by 21 efforts to improve the outcomes for youth; and new evidence that transferring young people to adult jails doesn't deter crime and, in fact, increases the likelihood of recidivism. What's more, SAT scores have stopped their drop—and kids are taking the test in record numbers—but ethnic gaps persist. For these and more, read
the Update.
 Hershel
Sarbin, CFK/Child Advocacy 360
Do you care about communications? Think the child and youth field is full of inspiring stories of local impact, real results and systems change—but not so skilled at communicating successes and engaging a broader audience?
Hershel Sarbin, founder of the Child Advocacy 360 Foundation, has a challenge for you: join the conversation, share stories of effective work, and together we’ll lean on “the Good News Lever.” Listen to the YouTube version of this column -- then read the text and tell us which you prefer—read/listen to Hershel's column.
Recent Columns:
>>Learn
more about CFK and Child Advocacy360.
Karen Pittman's Youth Today Column
Karen Pittman recently sat down with the real experts on the "high
school dropout crisis"—seven students from Des Moines,
five of whom had dropped out and another who had come very
close. In her latest Youth Today column, Karen shares what
these young people had to say about why they left, what made
them return to school and what they recommend for education. Read
Karen's column.
Recent Columns:
>> Learn about this PSA campaign
|
|
About CFK
Connect for Kids makes the best use of communications technologies, specifically the Internet, to give adults—parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, advocates, policymakers...
Take the Ready by 21 Challenge
The Ready by 21 Challenge isn't a program, campaign or even an initiative, but it's working hard to change the way we do business so we can improve the outcomes for youth.
So just what is Ready by 21 and how can it help youth work? Find out here.
|
What if you Ran CFK?
Subscribe to