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++++++++++ The Zero to 21 Project The Charlotte Observer sent 25 reporters and photographers into Charlotte on November 10 to find some of the issues that face children. From the web page above you can see a slide show of 26 photographs, read articles from Morning, Midday, Evening, and Night on November 10. See also the a series of articles related to the November 10 project, including a survey of teens’ wishes and worries, that began November 23 and continued for seven days. ++++++++++ Teens who decided to help the world The Christian Science Monitor reports on a teen who reclaimed an urban park, another who collected afghans for children who often go into foster care with nothing, two girls who sold ribbons to raise money and let people know about events in Darfur, and a boy who planted a new forest. +++++++++ Children of Immigrant Families The latest issue of The Future of Children Journal is now accessible online at the web site. The strengths and weaknesses that set children of immigrant parents apart from the mainstream are examined in this issue. ++++++++++ Indicators of Positive Youth Development – What Gets Measured, Gets Done The November 2004 Forum Focus newsletter from the Forum for Youth Investment examines the need to take stock of how children are doing nationally and locally on a variety of validated indicators that measure such factors as the absence of family poverty, child neglect, and child abuse, and limiting youth behaviors such as suicide, teen births and substance abuse. The article features Vermont’s efforts to embed positive outcome and indicators into data tracking, policy and practice across systems and agencies in the state. ++++++++++ America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-being, 2004 The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics publishes detailed information on a set of key indicators of child well-being annually. From this year (2004) forward, it will alternate the detailed document with a new condensed version that highlights selected indicators, this document. The report is composed of four sections: economic security, health, behavior and social environment, and education. The report includes some good news. - Birth rates for adolescents have continued to decline.
- Victimization rates for youth and violent crime offending rates by youths are down.
And some bad news: - Overweight among US children has increased sharply.
- The percentage of children living in poverty is up slightly.
++++++++++ A Statistical Portrait of Well-being in Early Adulthood The latest in the Child Trends CrossCurrents series of data briefs on issue affecting children, youth, and families. This report describes key characteristics of young adults in the United State at or around age 25, including educational attainment, financial self-sufficiency, health behaviors, family formation, and civic involvement. From the report - Hispanics were the largest minority in 2000, composing 19% of the population. Blacks were 13%.
- In 2000 11% of all 25-year olds lacked a high school degree or GED. Slightly more than one fourth (28%) had earned a bachelor’s degree.
- At age 25, 92% of males and 81% of females reported working during 2001. About two-thirds of males and one-half of females worked full-time, year-round.
- Disconnected young adults, those who were disengaged from both the labor force and school and not in institutions, were a small but disturbing number - 5.7% of women and 3.3% of men.
- In 2000 the median earnings for 25-year olds were $20,800.
- Drug/Alcohol Use: 14% of young adults in their mid-twenties reported using marijuana or other illicit drugs in the previous month in 2001. 9% reported regular binge drinking. 27% were current smokers.
- In 2000 one in eight young adults in the US lacked American citizenship.
- 58% of young adults were registered to vote in the presidential election in 2000. 42% actually voted in 2000..
- One in five young adults attended a religious service on a regular basis. 40% did not attend a religious service once.
Eight page pdf file. ++++++++++ New From Child Trends Indicators of Early School Success and Child Well-being – reports on indicators of cognitive knowledge and skills, social skills, engagement in school, and physical well-being among children entering kindergarten. The Relationship Between Teenage Motherhood and Marriage – Many of the negative consequences for teen mothers are due to the disadvantaged situations in which many of these girls already lived before having a teen birth. Having a baby can make things even worse. Marriage can make things better. Health Care Coverage – The percentage of children underage 18 with private health insurance overage decreased from 71% in 2000 to 66% in 2003. During the same time period, the percentage of children with Medicaid increased from 20% to 26%. Children without health insurance are less likely than those with insurance to have a regular source of health care and less likely to have used prescription medicines. ++++++++++ Early Child Development in Social Context: A Chartbook Child Trends, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics Center for Child health Research with support from the Commonwealth Fund has published this valuable resource on early child development and child health. The Socioemotional Development section, for instance, includes sections on social competence, behavioral self-control, and ADHD. The Community/Neighborhood Factors section includes information on poverty and neighborhood safety. Fine resource for those in the early childhood field. Be aware this publication is over 100 pages in length. Pdf file. +++++++++ Kids and Politics.org A web site devoted to child and family issues, with advice and assistance on bringing these issues to the attention of politicians and candidates. Choosing Child Poverty, an article on the site, looks at U.S. domestic policy choices as a source of child poverty. ++++++++++ Covering Kids and Families Covering Kids and Families is a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation intended to increase the number of children and adults who benefit from federal and state health coverage programs. More than 8.5 million kids in the United States do not have health coverage although many of them are eligible for low-cost or free coverage through SCHIP or Medicaid. The Covering Kids and Families campaign has tips and templates to conduct enrollment events and free materials available to distribute to potentially eligible families, including fliers and posters. Covering Kids and Families will conduct its annual back-to-school campaign later this summer. ++++++++++ Turning Point: Engaging the Public on Behalf of Children In December, 2003 the Ad Council conducted a survey among a random sample of 1,000 adults age 18+ across the country to assess current public attitudes regarding children and found that attitudes have changed in several important ways: - The public has a more positive view of children.
- The majority of Americans now believe that parents are responsible for raising children with the support of others in their communities.
This is a dramatic shift. It means that the family not only consists of the people closest to their children, but also the people in their neighborhoods, places of work, school and communities. It represents an opportunity to create stronger, safer communities. The report includes a list of actions the public is likely to take on behalf of kids. The list includes calling the authorities if abuse/neglect is suspected, helping out at a local school or children’s program, voting for candidates or ballot initiatives that benefit children. ++++++++++ Survey on the Lives of Immigrant Children In 1999 attorneys at the Juvenile Justice Center in Massachusetts noticed an upswing in the number of represented youth who needed translation services or who had Miranda issues deriving from translation issues their parents faced. The New Young Americans Project and survey came out of those observations. The Juvenile Justice Center of Suffolk University Law School conducted and analyzed the results of this survey. The Highlights Section includes this information: The most beloved institution youth speak about is afterschool programs which are depicted as “safe havens” where youth can feel comfortable expressing their cultural or national identity and where adults can help them interpret American culture and institutions. From the Immigrant Youth and the Juvenile Justice System section of the survey results: - 31.4% of males have been approached by police when they were standing alone.
- 83.5% of youth say they are not part of a “gang.”
- Male new young Americans are much more likely to believe that police officers view them as trouble-makers than females are. Females are also more likely to believe that police officers view them as “good” kids.
- Youth who believed that adults view them as trouble-makers were also likely to believe that police had a similar impression. Those youth who believed that adults view them as good kids were also likely to believe that police perceived them similarly.
- 9.9% of the youth have been arrested: the top five countries of origin for whose have been arrested are Vietnam, Haiti, Cap Verde, China, and Cambodia.
- 86.7% of those who have been arrested are male and 13.3% of those who have been arrested are female.
- 63.7% of the youth who responded thought they had a right to an attorney and 87% thought judges could help them in juvenile court.
- 32.2% of the youth believed that when someone is arrested they immediately go to jail.
- 42.7% of the youth replied that when a child is arrested they have no rights or the same rights as adults.
If you have the time, look over all sections in the “Highlights of Survey Results” that begins on page 2 of the survey results. ++++++++++ The Child Indicator Child Trends offers an online newsletter, The Child Indicator. The Spring 2004 issue includes articles on an initiative to create comprehensive set of social indicators for the nation, on an upcoming international conference on children and youth, on the new federal race definitions and other information including recently released reports. ++++++++++ Kids and the Law: An A-to-Z Guide for Parents The California State Bar Association has published a series of consumer education manuals including When You Become 18: a Survival Guide for Teenagers and Seniors & and the Law: a Guide for Maturing Californians. This manual, Kids and the Law, addresses a number of issues important to parents of minor children. Its contents include, among others, information on curfew, emancipation, drugs and alcohol, dress codes, truancy, juvenile court, crime, and driving. It was first published in 1996 and was revised in 2001. It is also available in Spanish and Chinese , both as pdf files and in print versions. The English version is a 15 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Teens REALLY ARE Different New brain research has found strong evidence that when it comes to maturity, organization and control, key parts of the brain related to emotions, judgment and “thinking ahead” are the last to arrive. Until recently brain experts thought the human command center was pretty much set for life by age 3. Instead, the brain has a final growth spurt around the ages of 11 to 13 in the frontal lobes of the brain, the regions that guide human intellect and planning. It seems to take most of the teen years for kids to link these new cells to the rest of their brains, allowing them to think and act like adults. As a result, teens look at things differently than adults. The graphics for the TIME Magazine cover article “Secrets of the Teen Brain,” May 10, 2004 issue, are available to look at online. If you want to read the entire article there is a fee. ++++++++++ Low Income Children in the United States The National Center for Children in Poverty reports that: - 16% of American children – more than 11 million – lived in poor families in 2002, meaning their parents’ income was at or below the federal poverty level. These parents are typically unable to provide their families with basic necessities like stable housing and reliable child care.
- 37% of American children – more than 26 million – lived in low-income families on 2002. Their parents made less than 200% of the federal poverty line. These families often face material hardships and financial pressure similar to those families who are officially counted as poor.
- The federal poverty level for a family of four (2004) is $18,950.
More demographic information available at the National Center for Children in Poverty web site. ++++++++++ Teen Activists against Smoking, Drinking and Other Social Issues A growing number of teens are targeting smoking and other social issues as a way to effect change in their communities. In this article the Christian Science Monitor notes that 75% of young people disapprove of smoking one or more packs a day and that the anti-smoking issue heads a long list of issues igniting activism among teens. The issues include air pollution, forest clear-cutting, pesticide use, drunk driving, teen pregnancy, and alcohol abuse. ++++++++++ Youth Voting This report from Child Trends Databank reports about active citizenship among youth ages 18-24. - In 2000, 32 percent of registered youth voted in the presidential election. In 1972, 50 percent voted.
- Hispanic youth ages 18 to 24 are half as likely as black or white youth to register or to vote.
Females are slightly more likely to both register to vote and vote than males. ++++++++++
, In 1972, 50 percent voted. Violent Kindergarteners This article from TIME Magazine online deals with a new and growing trend, the violence of very young children in the classroom. Neither teachers, administrators or school systems are prepared to deal with five and six year olds like the 6-year-old girl who screamed, knocked over her desk, then crawled under the teacher’s desk, kicking it and dumping out the contents of the drawers. Next she stood up and began hurling books at her terrified classmates who were ushered from the room to safety. This article from TIME Magazine online deals with a Neither teachers, administrators or school systems are prepared to deal with five and six year olds like . Neither she nor the other kids described in this article are considered emotionally disturbed. Many experts believe they are witnessing the result of a number of social trends all coming together: - parents working long hours,
- kids spending more time in day care,
- rising academic pressure in the early grades,
- exposure to violence in the media, and
- everyone in the family too tired to have the kind of relationships that build social skills.
++++++++++ A Cautionary Note about Semester Abroad Programs The Christian Science Monitor reports about American students studying abroad who have been killed or injured. The article profiles the determined search of a Kansas mother for the killers of her daughter who was murdered while living with a host family in Costa Rica while studying in a university study abroad program.++++++ Hardwired to Connect: The New Scientific Case for Authoritative Communities This report, recently issued by The Commission on Children at Risk jointly sponsored by the YMCA of the USA, Dartmouth University Medical School and the Institute for American Values, asserts that the current high rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal thought and other behavioral disorders among American youth stem primarily from a lack of connectedness, both to other people and to moral and spiritual meaning. The report recommends building “authoritative communities,” communities which: Include children and youth - Are warm and nurturing
- Establish clear boundaries and limits
Are defined and guided at least partly by non-specialists - Are philosophically oriented to the equal dignity of all persons.
. Connect for Kids A co-worker brought this site to my attention recently and when I got around to looking at it, I was impressed. Connect for Kids brings information about issues important to children and their families to the web in jargon-free and reader-friendly language. A co-worker brought this site to my attention recently and when I got around to looking at it, I was impressed. Connect for Kids n jargon-free and reader-friendly language. Here are two articles from the juvenile justice section of this web site: Can a Court be Kid-Friendly? – This article interviews Judge Ernestine Gray, past president of NCJFC, about child welfare, helping children and their families, education needs of kids in foster care, and court reform. - Adult Crime, Adult Time for Kids? – Reviews the transfer of juveniles into the adult system, the consequences associated with it, and the lack of evidence that treating children as adults reduces crime.
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The Trend Toward Mixed Race Families The Christian Science Monitor reports on a significant rise in mixed-race families due to interracial marriages and multiracial adoptions. Data from the 2000 Census show that more than 1 in 6 adopted kids is of a different race from their parents and about 1 in 15 marriages in the US is interracial, up from 1 in 23 in 1990. The Christian Science Monitor reports on . Data from the 2000 Census show that more than 1 in 6 adopted kids is of a different race from their parents and about 1 in 15 marriages in the US is interracial, up from 1 in 23 in 1990. ++++++++++ Taming the TV Beast This article, from the latest issue of CWLA’s Children’s Voice magazine and available online, provides the reader information about the decades of research about the effects of TV violence on children those points to a definitive link between the violence children watch and the violent acts in which they engage. Television content and the evolution of cartoons into more violent, more graphic, and more realistic animation are also discussed. Includes parental/caregiver tools to limit the harmful effects of TV on children. ++++++++++ ++++++++++ Read the research brief. You may also want to take a look at other recent reports/research about how the media report news about kids: - Perceptions and Misperceptions of America’s Children: The Role of the Print Media
- Coverage in Context: How Thoroughly the News Media Report Five Key Children’s Issues
- Public Opinion on Youth, Crime and Race: A Guide for Advocates
Poor Families in 2001: Parents Working Less and Children Continue to Lag Behind Some of the findings from this report: Some of the findings from this report: Working poor families spend a large portion of their income on childcare. Children in poor, two-parent families are less likely to be covered by health insurance Poor parents were working less in 2001 than in 2000.
High School Dropout Rates: The Gap Narrows between Blacks and Whites Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. ++++++++++ Talking to Children About Terrorism and War The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Facts for Families Series addresses the need to listen to children and to answer their questions about violence, terrorism, and war. Very plain spoken and practical advice. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. ++++++++++ Left Unsupervised: A Look at the Most Vulnerable Children Child Trends latest research brief looks at two vulnerable groups – young school-age children and low-income children – to get a sense of how many children are home alone. Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. ++++++++++ Statutory Rape: What You Should Know A California Brevity subscriber brought this publication to my attention. It answers teens’ questions about statutory rape: what it is; when it is prosecuted; what happens in court; the distinction between statutory rape and child abuse. Published by Public Counsel, the public interest law office of the Los Angeles County and Beverly Hills Bar Associations. 15 pages. Downloadable pdf file. Permission to reprint given. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised. Some of the findings from this report: Non-Hispanic further narrowing the black-white education gap. The latest entry to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Very plain spoken and practical advice. – to get a sense of . Includes data on the number of children left in “self care,” characteristics of these children and their families, and information on the number of hours children are left unsupervised.
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