Return-Path: <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id PAA18155; Tue, 8 Feb 2000 15:38:12 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 15:38:12 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <004501bf7266$7a33a9a0$3d0da8c0@MainOffice> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: hkosoff@nburlington.com (Helena Kosoff) To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:2700] Re: Excerpts from Connect for Kids Weekly -- February 7, 2000 X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 12340 Lines: 249 I cannot access this HELP -----Original Message----- From: Nancy Sledd <nsledd@famlit.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Date: Monday, February 07, 2000 2:31 PM Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:2695] Excerpts from Connect for Kids Weekly -- February 7, 2000 >********************************************** >Connect for Kids Weekly--February 07, 2000 >********************************************** > >The Connect for Kids Weekly is your source for the latest news on issues >affecting kids and families. Feel free to forward this information. Please >attribute the source to "Connect for Kids published by the Benton >Foundation." <http://www.connectforkids.org/> > >*************************************** >NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS www.connectforkids.org > >**For Schools, Smaller is Better >In our monthly column, Nick Geisinger explores class size, and why >super-sizing our schools may not be the best deal for America's students. > >** Mom's Vote 2000 >Voter choices in the upcoming primaries in February and March will not only >deliver delegates for specific candidates, but will help shape the future >of the presidential races. Connect for Kids' campaign feature, Mom's Vote >2000, can help you learn about the issues and prepare your questions for >the candidates. http://www.connectforkids.org/content1550/content.htm > >TIPS FOR PARENTS > >**Parent-Teacher Conference Coming Up? Get Ready! >A parent-teacher conference is an opportunity for you to learn how your >child is doing in school, share important information with the teacher, and >find out more about what your child should be learning. Make the most of >this opportunity! Here's a set of questions that can help you prepare. >http://www.carr.lib.md.us/ccps/parent/conference.htm > >**PBS Relaunches Popular Kids' Site >PBS's online space for kids to interact, learn and play with their favorite >PBS characters has gotten even better with the redesign of their Web site. >http://www.pbs.org/kids/ > > >*************************************** >HELP FOR VULNERABLE KIDS > >**Tools for Improving Kinship Care Decisions >When a child needs to be placed outside of the home, the home of relatives >can sometimes offer a better alternative to foster care. These arrangements, >referred to as "kinship care" or "kinship foster care," can >be difficult to evaluate. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign >has created "Evaluating the Quality of Kinship Foster Care," a set of tools >that includes an encyclopedia of kinship care with lessons learned and >recommended practices and an evaluation package for assessing the >suitability of a specific kinship care placement. If you are trying to >improve child welfare services in your community, call 217-333-5837 for a >copy of these bulky, but comprehensive and useful binders! > >**New Legislation Can Aid Child Abuse Prevention >Congress has voted overwhelmingly (410-2) to pass H.R. 764, the Child Abuse >Prevention Enforcement Act (CAPE), which promises to give more tools to >community services for child abuse prevention and protection: child >protective service workers, Court Appointed Special Advocate programs, >police, doctors and nurses and foster families. CAPE gives the states the >authority to use federal law enforcement grants for child abuse prevention >and sets aside money from the Crime Victims Fund for improving services for >victims of child abuse. Other provisions allow money to be used by states >to help child protective services workers access criminal conviction >records and provide law enforcement personnel quick access to court custody, >visitation, protection, guardianship and stay-away orders. >Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (D-Ohio) offers more information. >http://www.house.gov/pryce/CAPEAct.htm > >*************************************** >KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY > >**Healthy People 2010 >Released on January 25, 2000 the Department of Health and Human Service's >initiative, "Healthy People 2010," focused on two areas: increasing the >quality and years of healthy life and eliminating racial and ethnic >disparities in health status. Surgeon General David Satcher also announced >the establishment of 10 leading health indicators with 21 specific >measurable objectives to enable us to take stock of the health status of our >nation, now and over time. The leading indicators are physical activity, >overweight and obesity, tobacco use, substance abuse, mental health, injury >and violence, environmental quality, immunization, >responsible sexual behavior and access to health care. Hard copies will be >available at the end of February (call 800-367-4725 and ask for stock >#017-001-00543-6). http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2000pres/20000125a.html > >Learn more about outreach efforts to ensure more kids, managed care >strategies, and improving health care policy for kids by looking up >"Health" in Connect for Kids Topics A-Z. >http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1543/index.htm > >*************************************** >MONITORING CHILD CARE QUALITY > >**"Remember the Children" Child Care Study Questions Quality >A new study on welfare reform and child care indicates that new welfare >regulations requiring work may be pressuring mothers to accept substandard >child care arrangements for their young children, care where educational >materials are scarce and little reading or story telling is observed. For >the executive summary (the report is not yet available in full), e-mail >your fax number to sharon.kagan@yale.edu. > >**GAO Reports on State Oversight of Child Care >States are using regulatory oversight to monitor if regulated child care >centers and day care homes are adhering to child care block grant health >and safety requirements. However, informal child care arrangements for many >children are not being monitored, with many states relying on >"self-certification" to encourage adherence with health and safety >regulations. >http://www.gao.gov/new.items/he00028.pdf > >Find out more about the importance of high-quality child care in the >Connect for Kids' Early Years feature. >http://www.connectforkids.org/content1554/content.htm > >For insight into the impact of welfare reform on child care in our country, >read Caitlin Johnson's "Child Care in the Wake of Reform." >http://www.connectforkids.org/content1554/content_show.htm?doc_id=23831&att r >ib_id=321 > >**Take Your Congressman to Head Start >Child care funding proposals -- increasing the Child and Dependent Care Tax >Credit for families, increasing funding for Head Start and after-school >programs and others -- are on the table again for the federal budget this >year. Introduce your Senators and Congressional representatives to the real >kids whose futures are at stake by inviting them to visit your local child >care programs. For tips on how to host a program visit, check out the >Children Defense Fund's "Planning a Visit to Child Care Centers for >Legislators." http://www.childrensdefense.org/childcare/cc_cwvisits.html > >**An Asset Builders Guide to Service Learning >The Search Institute offers best practices and practical guidelines for >developing service learning programs that enhance community assets for kids >from the Search Institute. 800-888-7828, $11.95 plus shipping and >handling. > >For more ideas and resources on helping kids in your community, visit the >Connect for Kids' Ideas for Action section. >http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1563/index.htm > >Find additional resources in the "Community Building" section of Connect >for Kids Topics A-Z. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1543/index.htm > > >*************************************** >REPORTS ROUND-UP > >**Vocational Education in the United States: Toward the Year 2000 >The National Center for Education Statistics reports that vocational >programs are beginning to reflect the economy's shift away from >manufacturing jobs toward service and information industries. >http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000029 > >**Want to teach? Meet the Urban Teachers Challenge >The nation's city schools face critical shortages in qualified teachers in >special education, math, science, English as a second language and >bilingual education, according to a new report from Recruiting New >Teachers, the Council of the Great City Schools and the Council of the >Great City Colleges of Education. >http://www.cgcs.org/reports/2000/RNT-0101.pdf > >**Self-employment and Micro-enterprise: An Opportunity for Welfare >Recipients >Self-employment may be a way out of poverty for some welfare families, >according to the Aspen Institute. "Designing Micro-enterprise Programs for >Welfare Recipients" and "Developing Policies to Support Micro-enterprise in >the TANF Structure: A Guide to the Law" are available by calling Damon >Bethea at the Aspen Institute. 202-736-1071. > > >*************************************** >DRUGS, ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO SURVEYS > >**Survey Results on Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Use >"No Place to Hide," a new report from Columbia University's Center on >Alcohol and Substance Abuse, finds that the drug crisis is "as common on >Main Street as in Manhattan." Nostalgia for small town life notwithstanding, >mid-size cities and rural areas are seeing higher rates of alcohol, tobacco >and illicit drug use among middle school students than large metropolitan >areas. Adult drug use in such communities is equal to that in large >metropolitan centers. >http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsletter1457/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=23562 > >**U.S. Teens Report More Health Troubles than Peers in Other Countries >The World Health Organization report, "Health Behaviors in School-Aged >Children" surveyed 11, 13 and 15-year-olds in 26 European countries, Canada >and the United States in 1997-98. Correlation charts measured the >interaction of different variables. For example, 13-year-old and >15-year-old girls who found it difficult to talk with their mothers were >more likely to report higher rates of drinking and smoking. The correlation >was not as strong for 11-year-old girls or for boys at any age. Smoking >rates among 11-year-olds in the United States were as high was elsewhere, >but smoking rates among 15-year-olds were not as high. For all countries, >affluence was associated with higher rates of reported feelings of >happiness, confidence and lower rates of feeling helpless. Drinking and >smoking rates were not correlated to socio-economic factors. >http://www.ruhbc.ed.ac.uk/hbsc > >Find out more about keeping kids on track and away from tobacco, drugs and >alcohol on the Connect for Kids Web feature on "The Teen Years." >http://www.connectforkids.org/content1555/content_list.htm?attrib_id=337 > >You can also look up "Substance Abuse" in Connect for Kids Topics A-Z. >http://www.connectforkids.org >**Too Many Children Without a Home of Their Own >Shelters and services for the homeless have increased since the late 1980s, >but so have the costs of housing. According to the Urban Institute, between >1987 and 1996, the number of people experiencing homelessness at any point >in time has increased. Between 900,000 to 1.35 million children experienced >homelessness in 1996. >http://www.urban.org/news/pressrel/pr000201.html > >**Homeless Kids Not Well Served by Schools >"Separate and Unequal: Barriers to the Education of Homeless Children" >documents a continuing pattern of violations of federal law guaranteeing >the right of homeless children to equal access to public schools. Barriers >most often cited include problems with transportation, residency >requirements and difficulties with immunization and other documentation. >http://www.nlchp.org/edupress.html > >**City Kids and Country Kids >More and more young children are growing up in suburbs, and fewer are >growing up in rural areas. Those preschoolers who grow up in urban areas >face greater risks for poverty and being unemployed as adults than their >peers who grow up elsewhere. "Children and Cities" compares life >experiences, risk factors, and outcomes for children growing up in rural, >suburban, and urban centers. http://www.brookings.org/es/urban/sawhill.pdf > >Find out more about homeless kids in the Connect for Kids' Reference Room >by looking up "Poverty" in Topics A-Z. >http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1543/index.htm > > >
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