SEATTLE, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of a new year, as millions of Americans struggle to find more meaning in their lives, Vulcan Productions and NOVA/WGBH have brought together a number of national, public and private organizations around a nationwide, multi-faceted project sparked by the upcoming PBS series, This Emotional Life, premiering January 4-6, 2010 (9 p.m.). The two-year campaign aims to bring help and hope to millions trying to improve their lives.
This Emotional Life is hosted by Harvard psychologist and best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness, Professor Daniel Gilbert, and is a co-production of Vulcan Productions and the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit. The series unfolds across three, two-hour episodes, exploring the nature of the social relationships that are the key to our human happiness (Family, Friends & Lovers); the obstacles to happiness, negative emotions, which we can't live with and can't live without (Facing Our Fears); and the sometimes misguided pursuit of happiness itself (Rethinking Happiness). The programs are produced by Kunhardt McGee Productions. Each episode weaves together the compelling personal stories of ordinary people and the latest in brain science research, along with revealing comments from celebrities such as Chevy Chase, Larry David, Elizabeth Gilbert, Alanis Morissette, Katie Couric and Richard Gere.
Leading medical, health sciences and service organizations from around the country recognize the importance and potential impact of this project and are assisting in developing content, distributing materials and resources and are taking part in events around the country. Partners and contributors include the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Blue Star Families; the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance; Mental Health America; Mayo Clinic; the National Alliance on Mental Illness; and University of Phoenix.
"The TV series is the cornerstone of a broader project to help people form better, deeper and more profound human connections," said Senior Executive Producer Richard Hutton of Vulcan Productions. "This Emotional Life uses the powerful medium of television to ignite a national conversation about our emotions and our many partners will ensure that the dialogue continues."
"The series is filled with real people coping with real problems typical of us all," said Paula Apsell, Senior Executive Producer, NOVA/WGBH Science Unit and co-producer. "We hope these stories -- which feature new psychological techniques and the latest research on the emotions -- will help others improve their own lives."
This Emotional Life is complemented by a content-rich Web site, www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife. It provides vetted resources and opportunities to build social support networks around topics highlighted in the series, such as the importance of early attachment, how to heal strained or damaged relationships, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, depression, grief, resilience and our pursuit of happiness.
As part of the research conducted in the making of the documentary, Vulcan Productions identified two areas that deserved deeper attention. As a result, Vulcan is developing two toolkits: one that addresses early attachment for parents of infants and a second that addresses the emotional challenges faced by military service members and their families during the deployment cycle.
The "Early Moments Matter" toolkit is aimed at parents and caregivers of infants and is designed to educate them about what attachment is and why it's important, a topic explored in the first episode of This Emotional Life. The toolkit also provides parents concrete advice on ways to build attachment, a key to healthy social and emotional development. The toolkit will be distributed in high birthrate hospitals, pediatric doctors' offices, and community-based clinics, as well as through partners who serve the target population of expecting and new parents.
"The Family Guide to Military Deployment," will provide tangible resources and tools to the families and friends of some of the 1.8 million servicemen and women who have been deployed, helping them face the emotional challenges typical of pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment. This Guide was developed through extensive review and discussion with military and mental health experts and feedback from military family members, and includes an accompanying DVD consisting of interviews with service members and their families.
"The Family Guide to Military Deployment" will be distributed through partnerships with government organizations and branches of the armed forces, through military family service organizations such as Blue Star Families, and through private partnerships with organizations such as University of Phoenix. The information and resources available in the toolkits will soon be accessible online through the Web site, www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife.
"So many of our students either serve in the military or have a spouse in the service," said Bill Pepicello, president of University of Phoenix. "In addition to providing these students with educational opportunities, we are committed to helping them find trustworthy resources to manage the emotional difficulties associated with deployment." University of Phoenix is providing funding for the project, and will help distribute the military toolkits to the organization's enormous student base of military service members.
"Many Americans are struggling with mental health issues, suffering from mental illness or simply falling short of finding emotional health," said A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed., and Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "We need to encourage individuals to understand their emotional lives and if necessary seek effective, evidence-based solutions. This project will be a valuable resource for that information."
As part of this effort, SAMHSA has provided funding for the project and the early childhood attachment toolkit. SAMHSA is also providing fulfillment and distribution for both toolkits, and is using its leadership and influence in the field of mental health to create awareness about and support for the entire two-year campaign. Other partners, including Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Mental Health America, Mayo Clinic, and National Alliance on Mental Illness are providing expert content for the Web site and online resources and are creating awareness and support for the two-year campaign.
"Our hope is that viewers come away with what years of research have shown: individuals who feel connected are healthier and happier and better equipped to deal with stress and adversity," said David Shern, Ph.D., President and CEO, Mental Health America. "Good mental health is much more than the absence of illness - it's about being able to handle life's challenges and even flourish. By focusing on the importance of mental wellness and the crucial role social support plays in our well-being, This Emotional Life will inform and empower those who watch it."
Blue Star Families, another private partner, is actively participating in the creation of the "Family Guide to Military Deployment" and developing opportunities for the campaign to reach military families, including participation in This Emotional Life high-profile events and creating distribution channels for the Guide.
About the Project Partners:
Vulcan Productions is the independent film production company founded by investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen in 1997. Vulcan Productions devotes itself exclusively to producing independent films of unique vision and artistic quality. Through its collaborative partnerships with established and emerging filmmakers, Vulcan Productions explores creative opportunities that result in engaging and inspirational story telling. www.vulcanproductions.com.
NOVA/WGBH Science Unit WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of fully one-third of PBS' prime-time lineup, along with some of public television's best-known lifestyle and children's programs and many public radio favorites. One of its premiere programs, NOVA, is a production of the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit. Now in its 36th year of broadcasting, NOVA is the most popular science series on American television and is seen in more than 100 countries. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won every major television award, most of them many times over. www.wgbh.org and pbs.org/nova
Kunhardt McGee Productions (formally Kunhardt Productions) was founded in 1987 by Peter W. Kunhardt, a veteran of ABC News and the winner of three national Emmy Awards. Dyllan McGee, Kunhardt's longtime colleague, became a partner in the company in 2008. The company specializes in multi-platform documentary programming crafted to bring cutting-edge scholarship to popular audiences. www.kunhardtmcgee.com
Method is a brand experience agency that helps organizations and businesses harness the competitive power of design. With deep expertise in research, strategy, design and technology, Method offers a rigorous, intelligent approach to solving complex brand problems in the physical and digital realms. www.method.com
Cause & Affect is an innovative agency operating at the nexus of media and social change, with the objective of creating meaningful public engagement on a wide variety of issues. Led by Meredith Blake, the architect of the social action campaign accompanying Al Gore's Academy Award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, Cause & Affect brings widespread attention to causes by partnering with influential individuals or organizations that possess considerable resources, visibility and credibility. www.causeaffect.com
Mission Measurement helps nonprofits, foundations and corporations measure and improve their social impact through strategy and measurement consulting, training and data services. As the result of their work, organizations have been able to improve the effective delivery of their services, increase the visibility of their work, achieve financial sustainability and communicate results to key stakeholders. www.missionmeasurement.com
SOURCE Vulcan Productions
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Precious: A Response
The following entry is composed by Projects Manager Michelle Gross, of Prevent Child Abuse New York:
Being a lobbyist for child abuse prevention, it was pretty much a given that I’d go see the movie, Precious. And pretty much a given that I’d shed tears throughout the film.
But what wasn’t a given were the numerous moments throughout the film that I wanted to press pause, stand up, and announce the audience that, “If home visiting services were available to precious during her first pregnancy, this wouldn’t have happened,” or, “If her teacher, social worker, or neighbor had reported the abuse occurring in the household, this wouldn’t have continued,” or, “If the New York State government would invest in prevention programs, these stories would cease to exist.”
Yet, I feel my cries would fall on ears all-too-familiar with the story of child abuse.
What I left the movie wondering was, “Here we are. It’s nearly 2010 and our Governor has proposed to gut every single program that would’ve helped this young girl. Haven’t we learned anything in the last two decades?”
Some of us have. We’ve designed prenatal and infancy home visiting programs that are proven to reduce child abuse and neglect. We’ve built Family Resource Centers and ensured access to quality child-care for teen parents. We’ve developed parenting skills training, and supports for parents of disabled children. We’ve worked hard to increase access to education for teen parents, and to develop communities that care.
But all of that teeters in the balance, dependant on five men in a room’s faith and support for our State’s children.
That’s why today you’ll find me, a child abuse prevention lobbyist, grateful for the New York State Senate and their stand against allowing more children to be sexually, physically, or emotionally abused. They’ve taken a stand to insure our eligibility for millions upon millions in Federal dollars for child abuse prevention.
So, while we criticize our Legislature for its inaction, and worry about the consequences of not making mid-year budget cuts, let’s remember the consequences of making them – and the image of Precious, tumbling down the stairs with her new baby – alone, broken, and bleeding.
And then let’s remember how the picture might have looked, had precious had a home visitor, access to a teenage mother’s shelter, and quality child care while she attended school.
That’s the image that I, as a child abuse prevention lobbyist, fight so hard to create for New York’s children and families. That’s a precious image that we, as New Yorkers, cannot allow to disappear.
Being a lobbyist for child abuse prevention, it was pretty much a given that I’d go see the movie, Precious. And pretty much a given that I’d shed tears throughout the film.
But what wasn’t a given were the numerous moments throughout the film that I wanted to press pause, stand up, and announce the audience that, “If home visiting services were available to precious during her first pregnancy, this wouldn’t have happened,” or, “If her teacher, social worker, or neighbor had reported the abuse occurring in the household, this wouldn’t have continued,” or, “If the New York State government would invest in prevention programs, these stories would cease to exist.”
Yet, I feel my cries would fall on ears all-too-familiar with the story of child abuse.
What I left the movie wondering was, “Here we are. It’s nearly 2010 and our Governor has proposed to gut every single program that would’ve helped this young girl. Haven’t we learned anything in the last two decades?”
Some of us have. We’ve designed prenatal and infancy home visiting programs that are proven to reduce child abuse and neglect. We’ve built Family Resource Centers and ensured access to quality child-care for teen parents. We’ve developed parenting skills training, and supports for parents of disabled children. We’ve worked hard to increase access to education for teen parents, and to develop communities that care.
But all of that teeters in the balance, dependant on five men in a room’s faith and support for our State’s children.
That’s why today you’ll find me, a child abuse prevention lobbyist, grateful for the New York State Senate and their stand against allowing more children to be sexually, physically, or emotionally abused. They’ve taken a stand to insure our eligibility for millions upon millions in Federal dollars for child abuse prevention.
So, while we criticize our Legislature for its inaction, and worry about the consequences of not making mid-year budget cuts, let’s remember the consequences of making them – and the image of Precious, tumbling down the stairs with her new baby – alone, broken, and bleeding.
And then let’s remember how the picture might have looked, had precious had a home visitor, access to a teenage mother’s shelter, and quality child care while she attended school.
That’s the image that I, as a child abuse prevention lobbyist, fight so hard to create for New York’s children and families. That’s a precious image that we, as New Yorkers, cannot allow to disappear.
Webinar: Supporting Parents When a Child Has a Disability
Webinar: February 3rd at 2:00pm
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2236476515442807032
Proudly presented in partnership, the New York State Parenting Education Partnership and Prevent Child Abuse New York are pleased to announce the next in a series of professional development webinars, presented by Wendy Bender, LCSW, of Prevent Child Abuse New York, Healthy Families New York Training and Staff Development Specialist.
Parenting a child with a disability can evoke many strong emotions. Most parents experience a process of grief as they learn to adjust and define new expectations. Understanding these emotions and how they influence thoughts and behaviors can be very challenging. This workshop will focus on the importance of working through emotional stages and understanding the process involved. This can be very helpful for providers who are working to support parents and for parents working through the process themselves.
Participants will:
-Learn about and understand the stages of grief, with practical, real-life examples.
-Appreciate the importance of emotional experiences in the process of healing and the risks of avoidance.
-Be able to define, “What is my role and how can I best support a parent?” or “How can I understand what I am going through and be supportive of myself?”
Note: Sponsorship of this webinar is still available. Contact mgross@preventchildabuseny.org if interested.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2236476515442807032
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2236476515442807032
Proudly presented in partnership, the New York State Parenting Education Partnership and Prevent Child Abuse New York are pleased to announce the next in a series of professional development webinars, presented by Wendy Bender, LCSW, of Prevent Child Abuse New York, Healthy Families New York Training and Staff Development Specialist.
Parenting a child with a disability can evoke many strong emotions. Most parents experience a process of grief as they learn to adjust and define new expectations. Understanding these emotions and how they influence thoughts and behaviors can be very challenging. This workshop will focus on the importance of working through emotional stages and understanding the process involved. This can be very helpful for providers who are working to support parents and for parents working through the process themselves.
Participants will:
-Learn about and understand the stages of grief, with practical, real-life examples.
-Appreciate the importance of emotional experiences in the process of healing and the risks of avoidance.
-Be able to define, “What is my role and how can I best support a parent?” or “How can I understand what I am going through and be supportive of myself?”
Note: Sponsorship of this webinar is still available. Contact mgross@preventchildabuseny.org if interested.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2236476515442807032
Webinar: Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Homelessness by Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences Webinar Series
January 11th at 12:30pm
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
Proudly presented in partnership, the State University of New York at Albany's School of Social Work, the New York State Parenting Education Partnership and Prevent Child Abuse New York are pleased to announce the next in a series of professional development webinars, presented by John Records, Executive Director of the Committee on the Shelterless in California.
As the ACE Study raises awareness of the serious health and social problems associated with “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs), there is increasing interest in effective ACE response strategies that have the potential to save societal costs of ACE outcomes.
What works to mobilize resilience and promote recovery to support healing and transformation of people’s lives on a larger scale? How can we intentionally work with the collective to prevent ACE outcomes in a way that complements individual intervention? What does ACE-informed programming look like?
A service model developed in California by the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) is designed to break intergenerational cycles of homelessness and offers a comprehensive approach to addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente demonstrates the relationship of childhood trauma to adult health and social problems. Through presentation of the COTS model as a case example, this webinar explores the way COTS builds upon and enhances current homeless service approaches, articulating its grounding in ACE research and application of resilience and recovery knowledge.
With an economic crisis re-shaping social service agencies, many are already engaged in program changes, which could be supported by replication and evaluation of the COTS model. This approach is worthy of replication in other communities and other organizations and institutions that engage with populations impacted by ACEs, such as prison inmates.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
January 11th at 12:30pm
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
Proudly presented in partnership, the State University of New York at Albany's School of Social Work, the New York State Parenting Education Partnership and Prevent Child Abuse New York are pleased to announce the next in a series of professional development webinars, presented by John Records, Executive Director of the Committee on the Shelterless in California.
As the ACE Study raises awareness of the serious health and social problems associated with “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs), there is increasing interest in effective ACE response strategies that have the potential to save societal costs of ACE outcomes.
What works to mobilize resilience and promote recovery to support healing and transformation of people’s lives on a larger scale? How can we intentionally work with the collective to prevent ACE outcomes in a way that complements individual intervention? What does ACE-informed programming look like?
A service model developed in California by the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) is designed to break intergenerational cycles of homelessness and offers a comprehensive approach to addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente demonstrates the relationship of childhood trauma to adult health and social problems. Through presentation of the COTS model as a case example, this webinar explores the way COTS builds upon and enhances current homeless service approaches, articulating its grounding in ACE research and application of resilience and recovery knowledge.
With an economic crisis re-shaping social service agencies, many are already engaged in program changes, which could be supported by replication and evaluation of the COTS model. This approach is worthy of replication in other communities and other organizations and institutions that engage with populations impacted by ACEs, such as prison inmates.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
An Adoption, Six Months Later
From the New York Times Motherlode Blog:
Over the past year, many of you have come to Motherlode to share your stories or ask for advice. Since the New Year is a time to look back before looking forward, I touched base with many of those whose lives have been glimpsed here in 2009, asking for news. I’ll share what I learned in posts over the next few days, so keep checking back for more.
When we last heard from Jenny Staff Johnson, she was about to board a plane in China and bring her new daughter back to Houston. The story of Rosemary’s adoption was happy news to many readers — a chance for an older special needs child to get the spinal surgery she needed, and for a family of four to become a family of five. There was criticism too, of Jenny — for wanting a girl, for giving her an American name, and for adopting internationally, not domestically — and of the American foster care system, for making international adoptions easier than domestic ones.
It has been six months since Rosemary joined her new family. I asked for an update and Jenny sent a lovely essay, about what it means to bond with a child, any child, and become a family.
Read more online at: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/adoption-six-month-later/
Over the past year, many of you have come to Motherlode to share your stories or ask for advice. Since the New Year is a time to look back before looking forward, I touched base with many of those whose lives have been glimpsed here in 2009, asking for news. I’ll share what I learned in posts over the next few days, so keep checking back for more.
When we last heard from Jenny Staff Johnson, she was about to board a plane in China and bring her new daughter back to Houston. The story of Rosemary’s adoption was happy news to many readers — a chance for an older special needs child to get the spinal surgery she needed, and for a family of four to become a family of five. There was criticism too, of Jenny — for wanting a girl, for giving her an American name, and for adopting internationally, not domestically — and of the American foster care system, for making international adoptions easier than domestic ones.
It has been six months since Rosemary joined her new family. I asked for an update and Jenny sent a lovely essay, about what it means to bond with a child, any child, and become a family.
Read more online at: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/adoption-six-month-later/
Co-Parenting Resolutions for 2010
From the Faster Times:
Drawing from the headlines of celebrity co-parenting “don’t’s”, the experiences of CoParenting101.org readers, and my own family’s journey, here’s a list of what to leave behind in ‘09 and ways to more effectively partner with your ex for your kids’ sake in 2010.
Read more online at: http://thefastertimes.com/coparenting/2009/12/29/10-co-parenting-resolutions-for-2010/
Drawing from the headlines of celebrity co-parenting “don’t’s”, the experiences of CoParenting101.org readers, and my own family’s journey, here’s a list of what to leave behind in ‘09 and ways to more effectively partner with your ex for your kids’ sake in 2010.
Read more online at: http://thefastertimes.com/coparenting/2009/12/29/10-co-parenting-resolutions-for-2010/
Monday, December 28, 2009
Risking Their Future, Understanding the Health Behaviors of Foster Care Youth
Here is a link to SCAA’s newest report, Risking Their Future, Understanding the Health Behaviors of Foster Care Youth.
http://www.scaany.org/resources/documents/risking_their_future_report.pdf
This report examines the outcomes of high-risk sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults in the foster care system. The foster care system should be a refuge for children who have endured poverty and may suffer from abuse and neglect but adolescents can get drawn into risky behavior that threatens their well-being and future. We hope to generate some discussion around the implications for home visiting.
http://www.scaany.org/resources/documents/risking_their_future_report.pdf
This report examines the outcomes of high-risk sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults in the foster care system. The foster care system should be a refuge for children who have endured poverty and may suffer from abuse and neglect but adolescents can get drawn into risky behavior that threatens their well-being and future. We hope to generate some discussion around the implications for home visiting.
Tickets for the 3rd Annual Daddy Daugher Valentine's Dance are now available!
Be sure to get your tickets before they sell out! There are only a specific number of tickets that we can sell and last year we sold out weeks before the event. Don't miss this opportunity to spend quality time with your daughter. These are the moments that she will cherish forever, at a special dinner and dance with her very special escort, her Dad!
The Real Dads Daddy Daughter Valentine's Dance will take place on Saturday, February 13, 2010, 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM, at Landmark on the Park, 160 Central Park West in Manhattan.
Tickets are $110 for a dad and daughter and $155 for a dad and 2 daughters. Tickets may be purchased at our web site, www.RealDadsNetwork.com. Tickets will not be sold at the door! Order early before they are sold out. Make this a Valentine's weekend to remember!
Special surprise guests and giveaways for those attending. Father-figures are encouraged to attend with that special young woman in your life.
Suggested age range for daughters is 4 through 14.
For more information you may call 212-875-7725. Visit the web site for ongoing announcements of special guests and honorees.
The Real Dads Daddy Daughter Valentine's Dance will take place on Saturday, February 13, 2010, 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM, at Landmark on the Park, 160 Central Park West in Manhattan.
Tickets are $110 for a dad and daughter and $155 for a dad and 2 daughters. Tickets may be purchased at our web site, www.RealDadsNetwork.com. Tickets will not be sold at the door! Order early before they are sold out. Make this a Valentine's weekend to remember!
Special surprise guests and giveaways for those attending. Father-figures are encouraged to attend with that special young woman in your life.
Suggested age range for daughters is 4 through 14.
For more information you may call 212-875-7725. Visit the web site for ongoing announcements of special guests and honorees.
Teen Fitness Linked to Higher IQ, Achievement
Being physically fit at age 18 is linked to a higher IQ, a new study finds. The researchers also showed that fitness predicts greater educational and professional achievements later in life.
Earlier studies have found links between physical fitness and mental functioning in animals, children and older adults. But the relationship in young adults hasn't been clear.
In the new study, researchers drew on large datasets to examine over 1.2 million young men born in Sweden between 1950 and 1976. All the men had their physical fitness and intelligence assessed at age 18 when they enlisted for military service. The researchers—based primarily at the University of Gothenburg and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden—compared this information to details of later academic achievement and socioeconomic status from other national databases. The findings appeared in the December 8, 2009, edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read more online at: http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/december2009/12072009activity.htm
Earlier studies have found links between physical fitness and mental functioning in animals, children and older adults. But the relationship in young adults hasn't been clear.
In the new study, researchers drew on large datasets to examine over 1.2 million young men born in Sweden between 1950 and 1976. All the men had their physical fitness and intelligence assessed at age 18 when they enlisted for military service. The researchers—based primarily at the University of Gothenburg and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden—compared this information to details of later academic achievement and socioeconomic status from other national databases. The findings appeared in the December 8, 2009, edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read more online at: http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/december2009/12072009activity.htm
Webinar: Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Homelessness by Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences
Monday, January 11th, 12:30pm
Register online at: https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
As the ACE Study raises awareness of the serious health and social problems associated with “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs), there is increasing interest in effective ACE response strategies that have the potential to save societal costs of ACE outcomes.
What works to mobilize resilience and promote recovery to support healing and transformation of people’s lives on a larger scale? How can we intentionally work with the collective to prevent ACE outcomes in a way that complements individual intervention? What does ACE-informed programming look like?
A service model developed in California by the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) is designed to break intergenerational cycles of homelessness and offers a comprehensive approach to addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente demonstrates the relationship of childhood trauma to adult health and social problems. Through presentation of the COTS model as a case example, this webinar explores the way COTS builds upon and enhances current homeless service approaches, articulating its grounding in ACE research and application of resilience and recovery knowledge.
With an economic crisis re-shaping social service agencies, many are already engaged in program changes, which could be supported by replication and evaluation of the COTS model. This approach is worthy of replication in other communities and other organizations and institutions that engage with populations impacted by ACEs, such as prison inmates.
Register online for this webinar at: https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
Register online at: https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
As the ACE Study raises awareness of the serious health and social problems associated with “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs), there is increasing interest in effective ACE response strategies that have the potential to save societal costs of ACE outcomes.
What works to mobilize resilience and promote recovery to support healing and transformation of people’s lives on a larger scale? How can we intentionally work with the collective to prevent ACE outcomes in a way that complements individual intervention? What does ACE-informed programming look like?
A service model developed in California by the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) is designed to break intergenerational cycles of homelessness and offers a comprehensive approach to addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente demonstrates the relationship of childhood trauma to adult health and social problems. Through presentation of the COTS model as a case example, this webinar explores the way COTS builds upon and enhances current homeless service approaches, articulating its grounding in ACE research and application of resilience and recovery knowledge.
With an economic crisis re-shaping social service agencies, many are already engaged in program changes, which could be supported by replication and evaluation of the COTS model. This approach is worthy of replication in other communities and other organizations and institutions that engage with populations impacted by ACEs, such as prison inmates.
Register online for this webinar at: https://student.gototraining.com/18w5z/register/2382641124056187449
Friday, December 18, 2009
Long-Term Economic Outcomes of Early Childhood Health
From a project of the Partnership for America's Economic Success:
There has been significant research conducted on the benefits of childhood health to society, yet few people are aware of the large spillovers from health to economic productivity. To promote the understanding of the economic impacts of early childhood health, this project surveys and translates the current research on this topic. The authors, economists at the University of Georgia at Athens, identify the current research on how childhood health affects productivity in adulthood, determine a range of effect estimates, and translate some of these estimates into tangible economic impacts. In particular, they assess costs of three specific health conditions among children prenatal to age five, including: adverse birth conditions (low birth weight, prematurity, birth defects, and birth trauma); injury due to child maltreatment (abuse and neglect); and asthma. With respect to outcomes, the researchers concentrate on those that affect economic productivity, such as educational attainment, labor force participation, wages, work hours, and purchasing power.
We tend to think of asthma as something between a nuisance (inhalers, trying to avoid triggers in the house) and a real health threat (trips to the emergency room, steroid shots), but, as a society, we have not assessed the economic costs of this common illness. Asthma affects a substantial proportion of U.S. children – 8.5% overall, many more among minority groups – and carries costs that are both immediate and long-term. The new study by Drs. Angela Fertig and Phaedra Corso finds that, over the course of a person’s lifetime, the majority of overall costs come in the form of lost worker productivity. This loss, which is borne by businesses, is a combination of adult workdays lost due to their own uncontrolled asthma and time off spent taking care of children suffering from (largely preventable) acute attacks. The report and accompanying policy brief (PDF) urge business leaders to pay attention to this issue, as it is in their self-interest to do so, and to advocate for prevention in order to save dollars, now and into the future, on costly remediation.
The reports on birth conditions and abuse are forthcoming. The report on the economic impact of child maltreatment in the United States will be published in a forthcoming issue of Child Abuse & Neglect.
To download the brief on Delivering Healthier Babies and Economic Returns, visit: http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=1024799123&msgid=5426420&act=779V&c=40455&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.PartnershipForSuccess.org%2Fuploads%2F200912_00609PAESLongtermCostsBriefpressproof.pdf
There has been significant research conducted on the benefits of childhood health to society, yet few people are aware of the large spillovers from health to economic productivity. To promote the understanding of the economic impacts of early childhood health, this project surveys and translates the current research on this topic. The authors, economists at the University of Georgia at Athens, identify the current research on how childhood health affects productivity in adulthood, determine a range of effect estimates, and translate some of these estimates into tangible economic impacts. In particular, they assess costs of three specific health conditions among children prenatal to age five, including: adverse birth conditions (low birth weight, prematurity, birth defects, and birth trauma); injury due to child maltreatment (abuse and neglect); and asthma. With respect to outcomes, the researchers concentrate on those that affect economic productivity, such as educational attainment, labor force participation, wages, work hours, and purchasing power.
We tend to think of asthma as something between a nuisance (inhalers, trying to avoid triggers in the house) and a real health threat (trips to the emergency room, steroid shots), but, as a society, we have not assessed the economic costs of this common illness. Asthma affects a substantial proportion of U.S. children – 8.5% overall, many more among minority groups – and carries costs that are both immediate and long-term. The new study by Drs. Angela Fertig and Phaedra Corso finds that, over the course of a person’s lifetime, the majority of overall costs come in the form of lost worker productivity. This loss, which is borne by businesses, is a combination of adult workdays lost due to their own uncontrolled asthma and time off spent taking care of children suffering from (largely preventable) acute attacks. The report and accompanying policy brief (PDF) urge business leaders to pay attention to this issue, as it is in their self-interest to do so, and to advocate for prevention in order to save dollars, now and into the future, on costly remediation.
The reports on birth conditions and abuse are forthcoming. The report on the economic impact of child maltreatment in the United States will be published in a forthcoming issue of Child Abuse & Neglect.
To download the brief on Delivering Healthier Babies and Economic Returns, visit: http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=1024799123&msgid=5426420&act=779V&c=40455&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.PartnershipForSuccess.org%2Fuploads%2F200912_00609PAESLongtermCostsBriefpressproof.pdf
New Research on Early Childhood Financing
This report from the Partnership for America's Economic Success investigates a wide range of mechanisms to finance early child care and education, including innovative models that have been used to finance other public goods and services (e.g., housing, transportation), and that might be transferable to early child care and education. The research also examines innovations using private market approaches and assesses the potential ways to test them for effectiveness.
To view the report, visit: http://www.partnershipforsuccess.org/uploads/200912_InnovativeFinancingReport.pdf
To view the report, visit: http://www.partnershipforsuccess.org/uploads/200912_InnovativeFinancingReport.pdf
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Elsevier Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC) with Freely Available Special Issue
Oxford, November 19, 2009 – Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the publication of a freely available Special Issue of Child Abuse and Neglect The International Journal 1989-2009 on the 20th Anniversary of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The Special Issue aims to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It provides an overview of two decades of development in the areas of child maltreatment research, data collection, and reporting practice, as required by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and will facilitate information and practice exchange to support governments and professionals in their important efforts globally.
Guest Editors Yanghee Lee, Chairperson, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and Kimberly Svevo-Cianci, President of the US Child Rights Protection Consultancy-International, commented: “This year is a landmark year for children. It marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of a legally binding human rights treaty—the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on the 20th of November, 1989, and became enforceable from September 2 of 1990. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly referred to as CRC) is the first binding instrument in international law to deal with the rights of children. It is the most comprehensive treaty that contains 42 detailed provisions enshrining the rights of children in all areas of their lives, including economic, social and cultural rights, and civil and political rights, providing the highest level of international standards and guidelines for regional and national implementation. The CRC is the only international human rights treaty that has almost universal ratification. It currently has 193 ratifications, still with the exception of only two States: Somalia and USA”.
Dan Morgan, Executive Publisher of Psychology at Elsevier commented “We are excited to be able to support this celebratory moment for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by opening up free access to this special issue for a year, highlighting contributions by such child rights and protection experts as Dr. Lee, Jaap Doek, past UN CRC Committee chairperson; Desmond Runyan, Professor, University of North Carolina; and Stuart Hart, Deputy Director, International Institute for Child Rights and Development, University of Victoria (Canada). With such a potential broad appeal for this important and timely issue, from the public to policymakers to researchers to social workers and NGO leaders, this should enable quicker and easier access to valuable information on child rights and protection for all”.
The Special Issue aims to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It provides an overview of two decades of development in the areas of child maltreatment research, data collection, and reporting practice, as required by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and will facilitate information and practice exchange to support governments and professionals in their important efforts globally.
Guest Editors Yanghee Lee, Chairperson, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and Kimberly Svevo-Cianci, President of the US Child Rights Protection Consultancy-International, commented: “This year is a landmark year for children. It marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of a legally binding human rights treaty—the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on the 20th of November, 1989, and became enforceable from September 2 of 1990. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly referred to as CRC) is the first binding instrument in international law to deal with the rights of children. It is the most comprehensive treaty that contains 42 detailed provisions enshrining the rights of children in all areas of their lives, including economic, social and cultural rights, and civil and political rights, providing the highest level of international standards and guidelines for regional and national implementation. The CRC is the only international human rights treaty that has almost universal ratification. It currently has 193 ratifications, still with the exception of only two States: Somalia and USA”.
Dan Morgan, Executive Publisher of Psychology at Elsevier commented “We are excited to be able to support this celebratory moment for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by opening up free access to this special issue for a year, highlighting contributions by such child rights and protection experts as Dr. Lee, Jaap Doek, past UN CRC Committee chairperson; Desmond Runyan, Professor, University of North Carolina; and Stuart Hart, Deputy Director, International Institute for Child Rights and Development, University of Victoria (Canada). With such a potential broad appeal for this important and timely issue, from the public to policymakers to researchers to social workers and NGO leaders, this should enable quicker and easier access to valuable information on child rights and protection for all”.
A Note from Kenny Braswell of the NYS Fatherhood Initiative
In his conference opening remarks, David Hansell, former Commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), described OTDA’s vision of the next movement in welfare and the integral role that the New York State Fatherhood Initiative plays in that vision. He stated, “at this Responsible Fatherhood conference, we all recognize that fathers are a critical part of the family equation, and a father’s involvement in a child’s life – both financially and emotionally – can make a tremendous difference.”
Following his opening remarks, we hosted New York’s first statewide fatherhood conference. For three days, more than 500 participants from 11 states filled the Desmond Hotel in Albany. We were excited to have national speakers such as CNN correspondent Roland Martin renowned fatherhood experts Dr. Ronald Mincy, David Blankenhorn and John Badalament, as well as State Commissioners Gladys Carrion, Esq. and Amy Barasch, Esq.
Online (www.dads.ny.gov) is a 10-minute conference highlight DVD that captures the breathe, spirit and content of the event. I hope that you will take a few minutes to view this capsulated version of the event. It is our hope that in the future we might be able to stimulate this discussion again.
Thank you for your support and I hope that you enjoy the highlight presentation. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kenneth Braswell at kenneth.braswell@otda.state.ny.us
Following his opening remarks, we hosted New York’s first statewide fatherhood conference. For three days, more than 500 participants from 11 states filled the Desmond Hotel in Albany. We were excited to have national speakers such as CNN correspondent Roland Martin renowned fatherhood experts Dr. Ronald Mincy, David Blankenhorn and John Badalament, as well as State Commissioners Gladys Carrion, Esq. and Amy Barasch, Esq.
Online (www.dads.ny.gov) is a 10-minute conference highlight DVD that captures the breathe, spirit and content of the event. I hope that you will take a few minutes to view this capsulated version of the event. It is our hope that in the future we might be able to stimulate this discussion again.
Thank you for your support and I hope that you enjoy the highlight presentation. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kenneth Braswell at kenneth.braswell@otda.state.ny.us
Substance-Exposed Infants: State Responses to the Problem
This study from the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare assessed State policy from the broadest perspective: prevention, intervention, identification, and treatment of prenatal substance exposure, including immediate and ongoing services for the infant, the mother, and the family.
Download the report online at: www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/files/Substance-Exposed-Infants.pdf
Download the report online at: www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/files/Substance-Exposed-Infants.pdf
Are We Being Dumb About Emotional Intelligence?
Last week on the Newsweek website, science bloggers Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman invited Daniel Goleman, co-chairman of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence at Rutgers University, to respond to several skeptical articles the pair had posted on social and emotional learning.
The Newsweek bloggers recently published Nurtureshock which questions accepted wisdom about how to be a parent, and they are suspicious of the claims that have been made for emotional intelligence – particularly its contribution to success later in life.
“Measurable emotional intelligence isn’t predictive of all the positive life outcomes that have been promised,” they wrote, maintaining that, for all its flaws, the SAT exam used to test college readiness in the US was still the best predictor of achievement in higher education and later in life.
Goleman conceded that there had been confusion over the contribution of emotional intelligence to life success. Much had been made of the erroneous notion, sometimes attributed to him, that emotional intelligence accounted for 80% of achievement in the workplace, he said.
He had actually written that IQ only accounted for 20%. The other 80% was explained by many other factors – sheer luck as well as emotional intelligence. Nevertheless, when assessing the success of a group of people who exceeded a certain level of intelligence, qualities such as emotional intelligence became far more significant.
Goleman insisted that huge advances had been made in the field since the publication of his Emotional Intelligence in 1996. Dozens of scales had been designed to measure the concept and there was more evidence to show how much it mattered.
Read more online at: http://www.preventionaction.org/what-works/social/5140
The Newsweek bloggers recently published Nurtureshock which questions accepted wisdom about how to be a parent, and they are suspicious of the claims that have been made for emotional intelligence – particularly its contribution to success later in life.
“Measurable emotional intelligence isn’t predictive of all the positive life outcomes that have been promised,” they wrote, maintaining that, for all its flaws, the SAT exam used to test college readiness in the US was still the best predictor of achievement in higher education and later in life.
Goleman conceded that there had been confusion over the contribution of emotional intelligence to life success. Much had been made of the erroneous notion, sometimes attributed to him, that emotional intelligence accounted for 80% of achievement in the workplace, he said.
He had actually written that IQ only accounted for 20%. The other 80% was explained by many other factors – sheer luck as well as emotional intelligence. Nevertheless, when assessing the success of a group of people who exceeded a certain level of intelligence, qualities such as emotional intelligence became far more significant.
Goleman insisted that huge advances had been made in the field since the publication of his Emotional Intelligence in 1996. Dozens of scales had been designed to measure the concept and there was more evidence to show how much it mattered.
Read more online at: http://www.preventionaction.org/what-works/social/5140
When the Edge of Certainty is Close Enough
Compelling evidence of a causal link between food coloring and the aggravation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in certain children has prompted a UK behavioral psychologist to invoke "the precautionary principle” and call for a ban.
Jim Stevenson, professor emeritus in Southampton University's Brain Behaviour Laboratory, likens the state of knowledge of the effects of E-number coloring to what was known about lead and children’s IQ in the 1980s.
In that case, a sequence of statistical adjustments to take into account "confounding social differences" reduced the effect size to 0.17 – a figure "at the margins of certainty".
Sir Michael Rutter announced in 1983: “A marked reduction in the level of environmental lead is likely to make an important difference to some children. Moreover it is important to recognize that a small change in mean IQ or average behavior of the population as a whole will have a much greater effect at the extremes of the distribution […]. Accordingly, actions to cut down the amount of lead pollution of the environment should be worthwhile; there is sufficient justification for action now”.
Action duly followed, Stevenson writes, and it turned out to be a prudent use of the precautionary principle. The current evidence on food colors was comparable and the effect size data similar, but hedged health warnings were the extent of the response.
He reviews the argument in the latest edition of the Journal of Children's Services.
Read more online at: http://preventionaction.org/research/when-edge-certainty-close-enough/5144
Jim Stevenson, professor emeritus in Southampton University's Brain Behaviour Laboratory, likens the state of knowledge of the effects of E-number coloring to what was known about lead and children’s IQ in the 1980s.
In that case, a sequence of statistical adjustments to take into account "confounding social differences" reduced the effect size to 0.17 – a figure "at the margins of certainty".
Sir Michael Rutter announced in 1983: “A marked reduction in the level of environmental lead is likely to make an important difference to some children. Moreover it is important to recognize that a small change in mean IQ or average behavior of the population as a whole will have a much greater effect at the extremes of the distribution […]. Accordingly, actions to cut down the amount of lead pollution of the environment should be worthwhile; there is sufficient justification for action now”.
Action duly followed, Stevenson writes, and it turned out to be a prudent use of the precautionary principle. The current evidence on food colors was comparable and the effect size data similar, but hedged health warnings were the extent of the response.
He reviews the argument in the latest edition of the Journal of Children's Services.
Read more online at: http://preventionaction.org/research/when-edge-certainty-close-enough/5144
The Next Steps in Systems Building
Today, preschool and other services for young children are delivered through what is widely recognized as a non-system, with programs like child care, pre-kindergarten, special education services and Head Start operating in separate policy silos, each with differing objectives and different funding streams. This uneven and uncoordinated character of early childhood policy can impede access, quality, and return on investment to these programs. Indeed, stories of avoidable dysfunction-of low-income parents who are unaware that their child is eligible for Head Start or Medicaid, of duplicative paperwork that child care providers must complete to receive reimbursements, of kindergarten teachers knowing nothing about the educational background of their incoming students-are too common to be ignored.
Read more online at: http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/next_step_system_building_0
Read more online at: http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/next_step_system_building_0
Tool Kits for Working with Immigrant Families in the Child Welfare System
Three new tool kits provide public child welfare workers with a basic understanding and overview of the U.S. immigration system and how and when immigration issues may arise during the chronology of a child welfare case.
See the toolkits here: http://www.americanhumane.org/protecting-children/programs/child-welfare-migration/immigration-and-child-welfare.html
See the toolkits here: http://www.americanhumane.org/protecting-children/programs/child-welfare-migration/immigration-and-child-welfare.html
Survey Results on Leadership Development and Leadership Change
The Building Movement Project surveyed over 30 organizations about their leadership development practices and conducted 15 interviews with staff members of social change organizations to explore the ways they develop organizational leadership and the impact on leadership transition. The themes and lessons that emerged from the interviews reflect the premise that organizational values, structure, culture and power inform and transform leadership in social change organizations, specifically those promoting women, people of color, younger generation and constituent leaders
http://www.buildingmovement.org/news/entry/138
http://www.buildingmovement.org/news/entry/138
Family Engagement Vital in Child Welfare Services
Engagement in child welfare services has been associated with positive outcomes for child welfare services, drug treatment programs and mental health services. This publication identifies best practice approaches as well as characteristics of children and families associated with effective engagement.
Download the full report here: http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe561c757562037f7212&ls=fe1a1d787d620574731773&m=fef81176746201&l=fec9157472640178&s=fe2d15727661027c7d1577&jb=ffcf14&t=
Download the full report here: http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe561c757562037f7212&ls=fe1a1d787d620574731773&m=fef81176746201&l=fec9157472640178&s=fe2d15727661027c7d1577&jb=ffcf14&t=
Childhood Trauma May Shortlen Life by 20 Years
While it may not come as a surprise that survivors of childhood traumas have more difficult lives, a new study says that those children can also expect their lives to be on average, almost 20 years shorter.
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that children who experience six or more traumatic events in their childhood -- events that can include emotional, physical or sexual abuse or household dysfunction -- have an average lifespan 19 years shorter than those of their counterparts who do not suffer that degree of childhood trauma.
"The stressors tend to accumulate in people's lives, and it appears that affects the way they develop and can affect the way they think and their emotional control," said Dr. Robert Anda, who has served as the co-primary investigator on the CDC's Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study.
That stress, he said, functions "like a dose of stress poison that negatively affects how the brain develops and multiple organ systems function," and can ultimately lead to the early deaths observed in the study.
Read more online at: http://a.abcnews.com/m/screen?id=8758968&pid=26
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that children who experience six or more traumatic events in their childhood -- events that can include emotional, physical or sexual abuse or household dysfunction -- have an average lifespan 19 years shorter than those of their counterparts who do not suffer that degree of childhood trauma.
"The stressors tend to accumulate in people's lives, and it appears that affects the way they develop and can affect the way they think and their emotional control," said Dr. Robert Anda, who has served as the co-primary investigator on the CDC's Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study.
That stress, he said, functions "like a dose of stress poison that negatively affects how the brain develops and multiple organ systems function," and can ultimately lead to the early deaths observed in the study.
Read more online at: http://a.abcnews.com/m/screen?id=8758968&pid=26
Neglect and Abuse: Everybody Pays
The consequences of childhood abuse are usually calculated in terms of the damage done to the health and development of its victims. Impairment to mental health in adulthood and the tendency to mistreat others are well scrutinized.
But in a paper just published in Child Abuse and Neglect David Zielinski examines the implications for socioeconomic well-being – the greater likelihood that damaged children will be poor, unemployed and in greater need of state-subsidized health care.
In what is described in the US as the first comprehensive study of the long-term socioeconomic effects of abuse and neglect, Zielinski shows that, on way or another, childhood maltreatment inflicts significant monetary costs on the individual and on society.
Read more online at: http://www.preventionaction.org/research/medicaid/5193
But in a paper just published in Child Abuse and Neglect David Zielinski examines the implications for socioeconomic well-being – the greater likelihood that damaged children will be poor, unemployed and in greater need of state-subsidized health care.
In what is described in the US as the first comprehensive study of the long-term socioeconomic effects of abuse and neglect, Zielinski shows that, on way or another, childhood maltreatment inflicts significant monetary costs on the individual and on society.
Read more online at: http://www.preventionaction.org/research/medicaid/5193
Tax Policies That Effectively Aid Near-Poor Working Mothers
In response to a previous Spotlight commentary, Robert Cherry, professor of economics at Brooklyn College, examines how changes in tax policies can aid low-income working mothers. The author challenges assertions made in a commentary by the American Enterprise Institute's Kevin Hassett and Aparna Mathur, who argue that to reduce poverty, the current tax system has to be simplified and more effectively targeted at low-income families. Although Cherry agrees with Hassett and Mathur's recommendation to simplify tax programs, he contends that additional policies, beyond simplifying tax credits, are needed to help near-poor working mothers who need child-care assistance but earn too much to qualify for federal and state programs. Among his recommendations, Cherry proposes reducing the marriage penalty and lowering the rate at which tax credits are gradually reduced or phased out as earnings increase.
Read more online at: http://spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=38f375d5-ca2c-467b-8ff9-d21485ee9b77
Read more online at: http://spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=38f375d5-ca2c-467b-8ff9-d21485ee9b77
Program Evaluation: A Variety of Rigorous Methods Can Help Identify Effective Interventions
Some recent congressional initiatives seek to focus federal funds on interventions that have been found effective in randomized experiments. GAO was asked to examine the process used by the nonprofit Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy to identify interventions meeting such an evidence standard, as well as the types of interventions best suited to that method. GAO compared the Coalition's process to that used by six
federally supported efforts to identify effective interventions. The report addresses the conditions under which randomized experiments are or are not well-suited for assessing effectiveness, and describes several rigorous alternative methods. GAO concludes that requiring evidence from randomized studies will likely exclude many potentially effective practices and notes the role of other considerations in the
decision to adopt an intervention.
Read the report online at: http://www.gao.gov/Products/GAO-10-30
federally supported efforts to identify effective interventions. The report addresses the conditions under which randomized experiments are or are not well-suited for assessing effectiveness, and describes several rigorous alternative methods. GAO concludes that requiring evidence from randomized studies will likely exclude many potentially effective practices and notes the role of other considerations in the
decision to adopt an intervention.
Read the report online at: http://www.gao.gov/Products/GAO-10-30
Difficult Childhood May Increase Adult Health Risk
Individuals who experience psychological or social adversity in childhood may have lasting physical and emotional abnormalities that may help explain why they develop more age-related diseases in adulthood, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Andrea Danese, MD, of King’s College in London, studied 1,037 members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a long-term investigation of New Zealand residents born between April 1972 and March 1973. During the first 10 years of life, participants were assessed for exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage, maltreatment, and social isolation.
Maltreatment includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as neglect. This is associated with a number of negative outcomes for children, including poor performance in school, delayed cognition and emotional disorders, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
The participants were followed up at age 32 and evaluated for the presence of risk factors for age-related diseases, such as depression, high inflammation levels as measured by C-reactive protein, and symptoms of the metabolic syndrome, which include high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Those who had experienced adverse events in childhood were at a higher risk of developing the disease states.
The researchers estimated that 31.6 percent of the cases of depression, 13 percent of the cases of elevated inflammation and 32.2 percent of cases with metabolic syndrome risk factors could be attributed to adverse childhood experiences.
Read more online at: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/20/34716/difficult-childhood-may-increase-adult-disease-risk.html
Andrea Danese, MD, of King’s College in London, studied 1,037 members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a long-term investigation of New Zealand residents born between April 1972 and March 1973. During the first 10 years of life, participants were assessed for exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage, maltreatment, and social isolation.
Maltreatment includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as neglect. This is associated with a number of negative outcomes for children, including poor performance in school, delayed cognition and emotional disorders, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
The participants were followed up at age 32 and evaluated for the presence of risk factors for age-related diseases, such as depression, high inflammation levels as measured by C-reactive protein, and symptoms of the metabolic syndrome, which include high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Those who had experienced adverse events in childhood were at a higher risk of developing the disease states.
The researchers estimated that 31.6 percent of the cases of depression, 13 percent of the cases of elevated inflammation and 32.2 percent of cases with metabolic syndrome risk factors could be attributed to adverse childhood experiences.
Read more online at: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/20/34716/difficult-childhood-may-increase-adult-disease-risk.html
Inside Out: Youth Experiences in New York's Juvenile Placement System
Over the past decade, more than 20,0001 of New York’s youth have been placed in the care and custody of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). New York City youth make up approximately 60% of all youth placed in OCFS juvenile placement facilities. These youth have been adjudicated a juvenile delinquent by the Family Court and by definition are between the ages of 7 and 16 and have committed an act that, if committed by an adult, would be considered a crime.
Approximately half of the youth in placement had been charged with misdemeanor offenses that can range from shoplifting to marijuana possession. In addition to juvenile delinquents, juvenile offenders can also be placed in an OCFS facility. New York State’s juvenile placement system has historically been closed off to the public eye despite years of poor youth outcomes and anecdotal evidence from former youth residents who have shed light on the conditions of care and who have spoken about the negative social and emotional impact of being locked up at an early age. More recently, the challenges that face the juvenile placement system in New York have attracted much public attention due to the ever increasing operational costs amid the state’s fiscal crisis as well as research which suggests that juvenile placement does little to rehabilitate youth. OCFS’s own data indicates an 80% re-arrest rate for young men three years post-placement. But the most tragic reminder of why juvenile placement facilities must be subjected to greater and rigorous public scrutiny occurred in 2006, with the death of a young man at Tryon Boys Residential Center after he was physically restrained by staff. And more recently, a 2009 U.S. Department of Justice report found that four OCFS facilities routinely misused physical restraints and applied excessive force in addition to providing inadequate mental health treatment to youth in care.
Read the full report online at: http://action.voices.org/site/R?i=0RUwn6fxz_GXuoK8NND1xg..
Approximately half of the youth in placement had been charged with misdemeanor offenses that can range from shoplifting to marijuana possession. In addition to juvenile delinquents, juvenile offenders can also be placed in an OCFS facility. New York State’s juvenile placement system has historically been closed off to the public eye despite years of poor youth outcomes and anecdotal evidence from former youth residents who have shed light on the conditions of care and who have spoken about the negative social and emotional impact of being locked up at an early age. More recently, the challenges that face the juvenile placement system in New York have attracted much public attention due to the ever increasing operational costs amid the state’s fiscal crisis as well as research which suggests that juvenile placement does little to rehabilitate youth. OCFS’s own data indicates an 80% re-arrest rate for young men three years post-placement. But the most tragic reminder of why juvenile placement facilities must be subjected to greater and rigorous public scrutiny occurred in 2006, with the death of a young man at Tryon Boys Residential Center after he was physically restrained by staff. And more recently, a 2009 U.S. Department of Justice report found that four OCFS facilities routinely misused physical restraints and applied excessive force in addition to providing inadequate mental health treatment to youth in care.
Read the full report online at: http://action.voices.org/site/R?i=0RUwn6fxz_GXuoK8NND1xg..
Young Children and Trauma: Service System Collaborations
New from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma:
From clinics to classrooms, from the judicial bench to the military base, mental health professionals are collaborating with service systems to help young children who have survived trauma. Learn about the opportunities and challenges of these efforts by participating in the NCTSN Speaker Series, Young Children and Trauma: Service System Collaborations.
The first presentation is Friday, December 18 at 11AM Pacific/2PM Eastern. Network members Kristin Howard, Helen Strothers, and Mindy Kronenberg will present "Consultation in Child Care and Head Start Settings."
Developed by the NCTSN Zero to Six Collaborative Group and offered through the NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma, this free web-based series will describe how mental health professionals can engage with community service systems to facilitate identification and intervention with the youngest trauma survivors.
An introductory presentation on infant and young child mental health provides context for the series, while each of six additional presentations will address a specific service system. The attached flier has more information.
Log in and learn! Sign up for the series, and access other series and additional training opportunities at the NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma online at http://learn.nctsn.org.
From clinics to classrooms, from the judicial bench to the military base, mental health professionals are collaborating with service systems to help young children who have survived trauma. Learn about the opportunities and challenges of these efforts by participating in the NCTSN Speaker Series, Young Children and Trauma: Service System Collaborations.
The first presentation is Friday, December 18 at 11AM Pacific/2PM Eastern. Network members Kristin Howard, Helen Strothers, and Mindy Kronenberg will present "Consultation in Child Care and Head Start Settings."
Developed by the NCTSN Zero to Six Collaborative Group and offered through the NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma
An introductory presentation on infant and young child mental health provides context for the series, while each of six additional presentations will address a specific service system. The attached flier has more information.
Log in and learn! Sign up for the series, and access other series and additional training opportunities at the NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma online at http://learn.nctsn.org.
Stories of Parent Leadership from FRIENDS!
Circle of Parents engaged Story Corps, which is a national non-profit organization dedicated to recording stories of every day Americans, to complete this as a project of the FRIENDS National Parent Advisory Council (PAC). The stories are excerpts from interviews of six parent leaders who work in their communities and nationally to help family support and child abuse prevention practitioners and organizations develop effective and relevant programs and policy.
In their own voices, unique stories are presented about how parent leadership positively impacts personal growth, the well-being of an individual’s own family and one’s involvement as a partner with practitioners so that other families could benefit from effective programs and policy. Either singularly or combined, these vignettes can be used to increase public awareness or as tools to support training for staff, network members, partners, parents and other key stakeholders about the value of parent engagement and involvement. While the length of most vignettes is between 4-6 minutes, a 12-minute version is particularly recommended for intensive training.
Read more online at: http://www.friendsnrc.org/cbcap/priority/storycorp.htm
In their own voices, unique stories are presented about how parent leadership positively impacts personal growth, the well-being of an individual’s own family and one’s involvement as a partner with practitioners so that other families could benefit from effective programs and policy. Either singularly or combined, these vignettes can be used to increase public awareness or as tools to support training for staff, network members, partners, parents and other key stakeholders about the value of parent engagement and involvement. While the length of most vignettes is between 4-6 minutes, a 12-minute version is particularly recommended for intensive training.
Read more online at: http://www.friendsnrc.org/cbcap/priority/storycorp.htm
Resources from Your Social Worker
I want 50/50! When this residential arrangement is the subject of dispute, both parents may lose the lifetime relationship with their kids. Read:
50/50 Residential Arrangement May Equal A Loss Of Relationship In The Long Run
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/s-articles/50-50.htm
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Some folks don't realize how polluted their life is by the circumstances in which they are surrounded. There may be no way to help cope with such a difficult milieu. The solution may be to separate from it all! Read:
Jump The Pond
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/p-articles/jump_the_pond.htm
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Multiculturalism is a fact of life. Adjusting to it can be a challenge. Managing adjustment in the daycare setting can prove to be not the melting pot, but the battleground. How do daycare manage the issues of multicultural adaptation? Read:
Multiculturalism in the Daycare Setting
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/p-articles/multi-culturalism.htm
50/50 Residential Arrangement May Equal A Loss Of Relationship In The Long Run
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/s-articles/50-50.htm
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Some folks don't realize how polluted their life is by the circumstances in which they are surrounded. There may be no way to help cope with such a difficult milieu. The solution may be to separate from it all! Read:
Jump The Pond
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/p-articles/jump_the_pond.htm
----------------------------------------------
Multiculturalism is a fact of life. Adjusting to it can be a challenge. Managing adjustment in the daycare setting can prove to be not the melting pot, but the battleground. How do daycare manage the issues of multicultural adaptation? Read:
Multiculturalism in the Daycare Setting
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/p-articles/multi-culturalism.htm
Your Baby Is Smarter Than You Think
Generations of psychologists and philosophers have believed that babies and young children were basically defective adults — irrational, egocentric and unable to think logically. The philosopher John Locke saw a baby’s mind as a blank slate, and the psychologist William James thought they lived in a “blooming, buzzing confusion.” Even today, a cursory look at babies and young children leads many to conclude that there is not much going on.
New studies, however, demonstrate that babies and very young children know, observe, explore, imagine and learn more than we would ever have thought possible. In some ways, they are smarter than adults.
Read more on the New York Times online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16gopnik.html?_r=2
New studies, however, demonstrate that babies and very young children know, observe, explore, imagine and learn more than we would ever have thought possible. In some ways, they are smarter than adults.
Read more on the New York Times online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16gopnik.html?_r=2
Research Investigates Role of Stress and Parenting on Brain Development
Gary Evans, developmental and environmental psychologist at Cornell University, is PI on a Grand Opportunity award from the National Institutes of Health called "Childhood Poverty and Brain Development: The Role of Chronic Stress and Parenting.". Evans is the Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor of Human Ecology in the Departments of Design and Environmental Analysis and of Human Development. One fifth of America's children grow up in poverty. While there is good evidence that this is harmful to health, achievement, and socio-emotional adjustment, very little is known about the brain basis that mediates the detrimental effects of poverty.
The two-year research plan will utilize a well-characterized longitudinal sample of low- and middle-income individuals in combination with a comprehensive set of conceptually derived, innovative and validated neuroimaging tests to address two critical questions: How childhood poverty influences adult brain structure and function; and what underlying mechanisms might account for childhood poverty - brain relationships. The invesitgators hypothesize that chronic physiological stress dysregulation as well as harsh, unresponsive parenting during childhood will account for some of the expected linkages between childhood poverty - adult brain structure and function - particularly in the hippocampus, amygdala, and the anterior cingulate/medial prefrontal cortex.
The project will utilize a 14 year, ongoing longitudinal research program of low and middle-income individuals focused on childhood poverty, physiological stress, and socio-emotional development conducted by Evans. Half of this sample (now age 22) grew up below the poverty line and half are middle income. The sample is well characterized over their life course in terms of socioeconomic status and other demographic variables, as well as both physical and psychosocial risk exposures. Primary outcome variables for this longitudinal cohort include multiple methodological indicators of physiological stress (neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and metabolic) along with parental, self, and teacher ratings of socioemotional development (internalization, externalization, self regulation. In depth data on parenting are also included.
The neuroimaging work will be conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan by Israel Liberzon, with expertise in the neuroimaging of stress in health and mental illness, and by James Swain a child psychiatrist studying the brain basis of parenting.
Read more online at: http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/news_events.cfm?id=180553&rec_date=&pagetype=news-story&related=
The two-year research plan will utilize a well-characterized longitudinal sample of low- and middle-income individuals in combination with a comprehensive set of conceptually derived, innovative and validated neuroimaging tests to address two critical questions: How childhood poverty influences adult brain structure and function; and what underlying mechanisms might account for childhood poverty - brain relationships. The invesitgators hypothesize that chronic physiological stress dysregulation as well as harsh, unresponsive parenting during childhood will account for some of the expected linkages between childhood poverty - adult brain structure and function - particularly in the hippocampus, amygdala, and the anterior cingulate/medial prefrontal cortex.
The project will utilize a 14 year, ongoing longitudinal research program of low and middle-income individuals focused on childhood poverty, physiological stress, and socio-emotional development conducted by Evans. Half of this sample (now age 22) grew up below the poverty line and half are middle income. The sample is well characterized over their life course in terms of socioeconomic status and other demographic variables, as well as both physical and psychosocial risk exposures. Primary outcome variables for this longitudinal cohort include multiple methodological indicators of physiological stress (neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and metabolic) along with parental, self, and teacher ratings of socioemotional development (internalization, externalization, self regulation. In depth data on parenting are also included.
The neuroimaging work will be conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan by Israel Liberzon, with expertise in the neuroimaging of stress in health and mental illness, and by James Swain a child psychiatrist studying the brain basis of parenting.
Read more online at: http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/news_events.cfm?id=180553&rec_date=&pagetype=news-story&related=
Extending Home Visiting Programs to Kinship Caregivers and Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers
CLASP announces the release of a new report, Extending Home Visiting Programs to Kinship Caregivers and Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers: Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications. The report explores how home visiting programs are serving children in kinship care and in family, friend, and neighbor care, based on CLASP’s interviews with major national models of home visiting and other stakeholders. It also presents detailed considerations for implementing home visiting with these caregivers, including matters of curricula, staffing, and service referral, and discusses opportunities that result from serving these caregivers. It concludes with recommendations for states and the federal government.
The full report and executive summary are available at: http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/homevisitingkinshipffn.pdf
The full report and executive summary are available at: http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/homevisitingkinshipffn.pdf
The Teen's Brain from Cornell Cooperative Extension
As any parent of a teenager will attest, there are times when you say “What in the world was he thinking,” or “How could she do such a stupid thing?” After all, by age 16 or so our teens certainly look mature. How, we wonder, can they act so immaturely? Some recent research* may offer a rationale to that most irrational period of human development—adolescence.
There has been a lot of research devoted to the first three years of life—the physical development, emotional growth, and brain development. We now know for example, how important stimulation is for the growing brain, and the best types of stimulation to provide for newborns and babies. Similarly, new research reveals the differences between the adolescent brain and the mature brain. Understanding the differences can help parents deal with exasperating behavior often exhibited by teens, and may help them cope with their own frustrations.
View more online at: http://ccesuffolk.org/the-teen-s-brain/
There has been a lot of research devoted to the first three years of life—the physical development, emotional growth, and brain development. We now know for example, how important stimulation is for the growing brain, and the best types of stimulation to provide for newborns and babies. Similarly, new research reveals the differences between the adolescent brain and the mature brain. Understanding the differences can help parents deal with exasperating behavior often exhibited by teens, and may help them cope with their own frustrations.
View more online at: http://ccesuffolk.org/the-teen-s-brain/
Partnership Parenting: How Men and Women Parent Differently
How men and women parent differently and why both of them are critical in a child's life. Child psychiatrist Kyle Pruett and Marsha Kline Pruett, Smith College professor of social work, have written a new book, "Partnership Parenting: How Men and Women Parent Differently - Why it Helps Your Kids and Can Strengthen Your Marriage."
To listen to the MP3 interview with the authors on NPR's "Radio Times" from Nov. 30, 2009, visit: http://www.whyy.org/cgi-bin/newwebRTsearcher.cgi
To listen to the MP3 interview with the authors on NPR's "Radio Times" from Nov. 30, 2009, visit: http://www.whyy.org/cgi-bin/newwebRTsearcher.cgi
What Works? A Study of Effective Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs
This paper examines factors that lead to desirable outcomes in mental health consultation programs: solid program infrastructure, highly qualified consultants, and quality support services. Analyzes targeted outcomes, measurements, and intensity of interventions.
Download the paper online at: http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/pubhub/pubhub_item.jhtml?id=fdc93600004
Download the paper online at: http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/pubhub/pubhub_item.jhtml?id=fdc93600004
Allied for Better Outcomes: Child Welfare and Early Childhood Paper
Young children who come to the attention of the child welfare system are not only more vulnerable to the experience of maltreatment (Children under five are disproportionally reported to child protective services for suspected abuse or neglect), they are also more vulnerable to the effects of maltreatment. For families at risk of child abuse and neglect (CAN), preventative services that build Protective Factors with families can help parents avoid situations that can lead to negative outcomes for their children. Among families with young children where maltreatment has already taken place, child welfare systems must engage in partnerships that ensure these young children are receiving appropriate interventions to keep their development on track.
In a draft paper, Allied for Better Outcomes: Child Welfare and Early Childhood, CSSP argues for collaborative partnerships between early childhood and child welfare systems to support the well-being of the youngest children. Using Strengthening Families concepts, the paper argues that all families - birth, foster, adoptive, and kin - need support in building Protective Factors so they can meet the needs of their children. Because the early childhood sector is unqiuely positioned to support the families of young children, it can serve as a powerful partner to child welfare systems charged with serving members of this population.
The paper proposes guiding principles for systems serving very young, vulnerable children, and outlines several goals and strategies for system improvement. Case studies from three states with ongoing work to better link early childhood and child welfare systems are included as appendices to the paper.
Download the paper now at: http://www.strengtheningfamilies.net/images/uploads/images/(1.1)_Allied_for_Better_Outcomes_(draft)_.pdf
In a draft paper, Allied for Better Outcomes: Child Welfare and Early Childhood, CSSP argues for collaborative partnerships between early childhood and child welfare systems to support the well-being of the youngest children. Using Strengthening Families concepts, the paper argues that all families - birth, foster, adoptive, and kin - need support in building Protective Factors so they can meet the needs of their children. Because the early childhood sector is unqiuely positioned to support the families of young children, it can serve as a powerful partner to child welfare systems charged with serving members of this population.
The paper proposes guiding principles for systems serving very young, vulnerable children, and outlines several goals and strategies for system improvement. Case studies from three states with ongoing work to better link early childhood and child welfare systems are included as appendices to the paper.
Download the paper now at: http://www.strengtheningfamilies.net/images/uploads/images/(1.1)_Allied_for_Better_Outcomes_(draft)_.pdf
Strengthening Families Leadership Summit
On October 28-29, in Atlanta, Georgia, more than 325 people gathered to learn about Strengthening Families, share their expertise, and connect with peers across the country who are working to prevent child maltreatment and promote optimal development. At the 2009 Leadership Summit, policymakers, administrators, direct service providers, and parents discussed how to address the challenges faced by state initiatives and programs in the difficult economic climate. They looked to the future to identify promising new directions for the work, and they celebrated their accomplishments since the last Summit.
Those who attended the Summit were the first to see many new materials produced by CSSP to support Strengthening Families initiatives. All of these materials are now available online, along with much more information about what took place at the Summit, on the Strengthening Families Leadership Summit website. All materials are able to be viewed and downloaded for free: http://www.strengtheningfamilies.net/index.php/summit/materials
Those who attended the Summit were the first to see many new materials produced by CSSP to support Strengthening Families initiatives. All of these materials are now available online, along with much more information about what took place at the Summit, on the Strengthening Families Leadership Summit website. All materials are able to be viewed and downloaded for free: http://www.strengtheningfamilies.net/index.php/summit/materials
Exposure to Lead, Tobacco Smoke Raises Risk of ADHD
Children exposed prenatally to tobacco smoke and during childhood to lead face a particularly high risk for ADHD, according to research done at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
The study estimates that up to 35 percent of ADHD cases in children between the ages of 8 and 15 could be reduced by eliminating both of these environmental exposures. This could translate into up to 800,000 children
"Tobacco and lead exposure each have their own important adverse effect," says Tanya Froehlich, M.D., a physician in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead author. "But if children are exposed to both lead and prenatal tobacco, the combined effect is synergistic."
The study is to be published online Nov. 23 by Pediatrics.
Read more online at: http://www.physorg.com/news178174934.html
The study estimates that up to 35 percent of ADHD cases in children between the ages of 8 and 15 could be reduced by eliminating both of these environmental exposures. This could translate into up to 800,000 children
"Tobacco and lead exposure each have their own important adverse effect," says Tanya Froehlich, M.D., a physician in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead author. "But if children are exposed to both lead and prenatal tobacco, the combined effect is synergistic."
The study is to be published online Nov. 23 by Pediatrics.
Read more online at: http://www.physorg.com/news178174934.html
13 Nonprofits Honored for Outstanding Taglines
A nonprofit’s tagline is hands down the briefest, easiest and most effective way to communicate its identity and impact.
But this high-impact, low-cost marketing tactic is often overlooked or under-emphasized by nonprofits. GettingAttention.org’s 2008 survey of nonprofits showed that 7 in 10 nonprofits rated their tagline as poor or didn’t use one at all. The majority of nonprofits not using a tagline indicated that they had not thought about it or couldn’t come up with a good one.
The Nonprofit Tagline Awards program is designed to address this missed opportunity, and guide nonprofits to craft an effective tagline.
This year’s award winners demonstrate how powerful taglines can work as a first step in branding or as a highly-effective tool to refresh a nonprofit’s messaging, emphasize its commitment to its work and/or revive tired positioning.
Read more online at: http://nancyschwartz.com/articles/index.php/13-nonprofits-honored-for-outstanding-taglines-2009-getting-attention-nonprofit-tagline-awards-winners/
But this high-impact, low-cost marketing tactic is often overlooked or under-emphasized by nonprofits. GettingAttention.org’s 2008 survey of nonprofits showed that 7 in 10 nonprofits rated their tagline as poor or didn’t use one at all. The majority of nonprofits not using a tagline indicated that they had not thought about it or couldn’t come up with a good one.
The Nonprofit Tagline Awards program is designed to address this missed opportunity, and guide nonprofits to craft an effective tagline.
This year’s award winners demonstrate how powerful taglines can work as a first step in branding or as a highly-effective tool to refresh a nonprofit’s messaging, emphasize its commitment to its work and/or revive tired positioning.
Read more online at: http://nancyschwartz.com/articles/index.php/13-nonprofits-honored-for-outstanding-taglines-2009-getting-attention-nonprofit-tagline-awards-winners/
Homeless Children and Youth
Housing plays a pivotal role in the well-being of children and families. Stable housing is a critical factor for positive child and youth development. Unfortunately, the number of homeless families with children has increased in recent years due to the lack of affordable housing. On top of that, the current economic recession and the housing crisis further increase the likelihood of homelessness among children and youth.
Learn more about homeless children and youth online at: http://nccp.org/publications/pub_888.html
Learn more about homeless children and youth online at: http://nccp.org/publications/pub_888.html
Indicators for Social-Emotional Development in Children
Social-emotional development in young children encompasses how young children feel about themselves, how they behave and how they relate to people close to them, such as caregivers, teachers, and peers. Although infant and early childhood mental health are often used in the same way, the term social-emotional development illustrates the importance of prevention and early intervention.
There is strong evidence linking social-emotional health in the early childhood years (birth to 6) to subsequent school success and health in preteen and teen years, and to long term health and wellbeing in adulthood. However, research also shows that effective programs that address social-emotional health early in life can promote resilience and actually prevent mental health problems later in life.
This report is intended to give local stakeholders the information and tools necessary to develop and use indicators for social-emotional development. This set of indicators can support communities in their efforts to implement and assess effective programs that promote young children’s wellness.
Read more at the National Center for Children and Poverty Website: http://nccp.org/publications/pub_901.html
There is strong evidence linking social-emotional health in the early childhood years (birth to 6) to subsequent school success and health in preteen and teen years, and to long term health and wellbeing in adulthood. However, research also shows that effective programs that address social-emotional health early in life can promote resilience and actually prevent mental health problems later in life.
This report is intended to give local stakeholders the information and tools necessary to develop and use indicators for social-emotional development. This set of indicators can support communities in their efforts to implement and assess effective programs that promote young children’s wellness.
Read more at the National Center for Children and Poverty Website: http://nccp.org/publications/pub_901.html
Basic Facts About Low-Income Children from the National Center on Children and Poverty
Basic Facts about Low-income Children
The data for 2008 are in and the numbers tell a troubling story: 44 percent of American children grow up in families that face serious struggles to make ends meet. Parental employment, parental education, family structure and other variables each play an important role in predicting the likelihood that a child will endure economic hardship. We break down the facts and figures into five age groups of children: Under Age 3, Under Age 6, Ages 6 to 11, Ages 12 to 17, and Children Under 18.
For more information, visit http://nccp.org/publications/fact_sheets.html
The data for 2008 are in and the numbers tell a troubling story: 44 percent of American children grow up in families that face serious struggles to make ends meet. Parental employment, parental education, family structure and other variables each play an important role in predicting the likelihood that a child will endure economic hardship. We break down the facts and figures into five age groups of children: Under Age 3, Under Age 6, Ages 6 to 11, Ages 12 to 17, and Children Under 18.
For more information, visit http://nccp.org/publications/fact_sheets.html
Parenting Education Program Feedback Survey
The Wisconsin Children’s Trust Fund has developed a Program Feedback Survey that grantees use after any parenting education program of more than 4 sessions (and with long-term home visiting participants). It is a retrospective pre-post design and the items relate to the short-term outcomes on our logic model for family resource centers. Materials can be downloaded here: http://wctf.state.wi.us/home/FRCEval.htm (scroll down to Participant outcomes – Parent Education and click on Program Feedback Survey)
Friday, December 4, 2009
Spending on the Elderly Far Exceeds Spending on Children
The United States spends 2.4 times as much on the elderly as on children, measured on a per capita basis, with the ratio rising to 7 to 1 if looking just at the federal budget. The tilt toward the elderly is stronger in the United States than in many other countries, although all OECD countries spend more, per capita, on the elderly than on children. Viewed from a life-cycle perspective, it is not unfair to spend more on the elderly than on children because all individuals progress from being children to working-age adults to elderly adults. However, our current system of public expenditures is unfair to younger generations, defined as birth cohorts rather than age groups: the vast and growing size of unfunded health and retirement benefits will require today’s children to bear a heavy tax burden when they grow up to be working-age adults. For our children’s sake, we should restrain growth in elderly benefits and pay our share of taxes.
Read more: http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/1105_spending_children_isaacs.aspx
Read more: http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/1105_spending_children_isaacs.aspx
New AHRQ Publication Highlights Recent Mental Health Research Findings
Nearly 7 percent of U.S. adults suffer from major depression each year. The impact of depression on work, school, quality of life, and overall health is enormous. In 2006, nearly $58 billion was spent on mental disorders, making it one of the five most costly conditions in the United States. A new publication released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of the Department of Health and Human Services looks at a number of studies addressing the challenges of diagnosing and treating mental health in America.
Read more online at: http://www.ahrq.gov/research/mentalhth.htm
Read more online at: http://www.ahrq.gov/research/mentalhth.htm
Kid-Friendly Decorating, Last-Minute Gifts Among Stories for Your Newsletter, Parenting Column
If you're looking for high-quality stories that are ready to use in your newsletter, feature section or parenting column, click through to www.parentingpress.com/ezine.html. In the current issue of the Parenting Press "News for Parents," you'll find a month's worth of ideas, including:
"Kid-Friendly December Decorating"
"Surviving the Witching Hour"
"Expressing Appreciation for Each Other"
"Very Last-Minute Gifts for Kids"
"12 Days of Christmas" (AKA "Surviving the School Vacation")
Written by a professional and full of examples, these stories are easy to reprint or excerpt from for your publication. No charge, either! Just credit Parenting Press, use the newsletter URL, and, with full reprints, include the Press copyright notice.
And for January, here are examples of the stories you'll see:
"Swap Trash and Treasures"
"Rain, Rain, Go..."
"5 R's for the New Year"
Want even more ideas? Check the newsletter archive! You'll find a year's worth of stories that can be copied and pasted into whatever you're publishing. Or contact the Parenting Press marketing staff, a friendly crew that's almost always ready to drop everything and help you brainstorm.
"Kid-Friendly December Decorating"
"Surviving the Witching Hour"
"Expressing Appreciation for Each Other"
"Very Last-Minute Gifts for Kids"
"12 Days of Christmas" (AKA "Surviving the School Vacation")
Written by a professional and full of examples, these stories are easy to reprint or excerpt from for your publication. No charge, either! Just credit Parenting Press, use the newsletter URL, and, with full reprints, include the Press copyright notice.
And for January, here are examples of the stories you'll see:
"Swap Trash and Treasures"
"Rain, Rain, Go..."
"5 R's for the New Year"
Want even more ideas? Check the newsletter archive! You'll find a year's worth of stories that can be copied and pasted into whatever you're publishing. Or contact the Parenting Press marketing staff, a friendly crew that's almost always ready to drop everything and help you brainstorm.
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