Human Services News

A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study shows that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, even at extremely low levels, is associated with behavior problems in children and pre-teens.

"This study provides further incentive for states to set public health standards to protect children from exposure to environmental tobacco smoke," says Dr. Yolton.

Dr. Yolton examined 225 children and pre-teens exposed to at least five cigarettes a day.

Dr. Yolton included additional measures to assess child behaviors.

Cotinine is a substance produced when nicotine is broken down by the body and can be measured in blood, urine, saliva and hair.

Dr. Yolton found a relationship between cotinine levels and increases in acting out; increases in holding things in, often manifested by anxiety and depression; increases in behavior problems as rated by parents, and behavior and school problems as rated by teachers; and, decreases in the ability to adapt to behavior problems.

Behavior problems in children have increased from 7 to 18 percent over the last 20 years for reasons that are poorly understood.

Internet use involves both pros and cons for children and adolescents

According to the latest research presented in a special issue of Developmental Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), spending a lot of time on the Web can have both negative and positive effects on young people, i.e., the sharing of self-injury practices by some and the improvement of academic performance and health awareness by others.
"A major goal for this cumulation of research is to show the good and bad sides of the Internet as it relates to children," said coeditors of the special issue Patricia Greenfield, PhD, of the Children's Digital Media Center, University of California at Los Angeles and Zheng Yan, PhD, of the State University of New York at Albany.

In a series of six articles, leading researchers examine normal behavior in chat rooms and the use of message boards by adolescents who self-injure, uses of the Internet to improve academic achievement among low-income youth and ways to provide health information to youth living in developing countries.

Researcher Yan examines the importance of age in understanding the social and technical aspects of the Internet; Subrahmanyam and colleagues look at why adolescents reveal their identities and sexuality online differently when in monitored versus nonmonitored virtual environments; while Cassell and colleagues investigate how language use and linguistic styles of adolescents in an online community can predict leaders.

The findings show that online interactions provide essential social support for otherwise isolated adolescents, but these online boards may also normalize and encourage self-injurious behavior and add potentially lethal behaviors to the repertoire of established adolescent self-injurers and those exploring identity options, said lead author Whitlock.

The authors also found that Internet message boards provide a powerful vehicle for bringing together self-injurious adolescents.

Although the message boards examined for these two studies may not be representative of all self-injury message boards, they do provide a snapshot of content and exchange common in those with high activity.

In the last five years, "hundreds of message boards specifically designed to provide a safe forum for self-injurious individuals have come into existence and may expose vulnerable adolescents to a subculture that normalizes and encourages self-injurious behavior," said Whitlock.

Researchers from Michigan State University examined the positive effects of home Internet access on the academic performance of low-income, mostly African American children and teenagers in their article, "Does Home Internet Use Influence the Academic Performance of Low-Income Children?

Findings indicate that children who used the Internet more had higher standardized test scores in reading and higher grade point averages (GPAs) at one year and at 16 months after the project began compared to children who used the Internet less, said lead author Linda Jackson, PhD. Internet use had no effect on standardized test scores in math.

In another article showing the positive effects of Internet use, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Ghana looked at the benefits of teens using the Internet for health information in the developing world, where access to health information is scarce.

The study surveyed 778 15- to 18-year-olds living in Accra, Ghana, who were either in school or out of school on their Internet usage and knowledge of health information.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:53 PM

Study shows racial/ethnic disparities in medical/oral health status and care for minority children

Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status, access to care, and use of services, according to a new national study by researchers at the Center for Advancement of Underserved Children at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:50 PM

National Study Reveals Distinctive Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Medical/Oral Health Status and Care for Minority Children

Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status, access to care, and use of services, according to a new national study by researchers at the Center for Advancement of Underserved Children at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
For example, when the researchers looked at oral health, the rates of minority children, compared to white children, having teeth in less than excellent condition were 80 percent higher for Asian Pacific Islanders, 60 percent higher for African Americans, 50 percent higher for Latinos and 40 percent higher for Native Americans.

The comparative rates of children without health insurance were six percent among whites, 21 percent among Latinos, 15 percent among Native Americans, seven percent among African Americans, and four percent among Asian Pacific Islanders.

The rates for having a usual source of health care were: 90 percent for whites; 61 percent for Native Americans; 68 percent for Latinos, 77 percent for African Americans, and 87 percent for Asian Pacific Islanders.

Discrepancies in access to care included transportation barriers, not receiving prescription medications, not receiving mental healthcare, communication problems with their usual source of care, and problems getting specialty care.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:47 PM

Pennsylvanians Bring Message to Harrisburg - Don't Shortchange Children!

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

(debug: no -- landmark) Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:42 PM

Latino Catholics Increasingly Drawn To Pentecostalism

LOS ANGELES -- When Fabiola Briones entered a Pentecostal church for the first time, she was in crisis, recently divorced and bitter from abuse she suffered as a child. A Mexican-American Catholic, she had never seen anyone fall to the ground while praising God or speak in tongues, which is common... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:38 PM

April 27, 2006

Alcohol Use Among Low-Income Pregnant Latinas

Some research suggests that the prevalence of heavy drinking among Latinas of childbearing age may be increasing.
This study examined the prevalence of and risk factors for alcohol consumption during pregnancy among 100 low-income pregnant Latinas.

Three months before recognizing they were pregnant, 43 percent of subjects had consumed some alcohol, 20 percent had consumed 4 or more drinks on an occasion at least once (bingeing), and 5 percent had consumed 7 or more drinks per week.

In multivariable analyses, speaking English and acculturation were significant predictors of any alcohol use in the three months before subjects recognized they were pregnant.

Knowledge about fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and/or awareness of messages warning about alcohol use during pregnancy were associated with increased (not decreased) odds of any alcohol use or bingeing in the three months before pregnancy recognition.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:27 AM

Cultural approach holds the key to tackling obesity, says Yale research

Health professionals need to use more than tape measures and scales to define and tackle obesity, according to a paper in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.
A research review carried out by Maryanne Davidson from Yale University, USA, has discovered that many women don't make the link between high weight and poor health and that culture plays a big role in how positively they see themselves.

She reviewed key papers published over a 10-year period to see how health professionals and Black and White American women define obesity and to identify differences in attitudes.

This revealed that while health professionals used quantitative methods, such as Body Mass Index measurements based on the height to weight ratio, women are more likely to base their ideal weight on cultural criteria.

"I'm glad to say that that situation is changing and there is a move towards standardised measurement of what is obese and what is overweight.

For example the International Obesity Task Force is helping to address the need for a global objective measurement based on BMI."

"It's also clearly a cultural issue, as rates range from below five per cent in China, Japan and some African nations to more than 75 per cent in urban Samoa.

"Recent data also suggests that 54 per cent of adult Americans are overweight and that women of all cultures are particularly affected.

Edited by Professor Alison Tierney, it is published 24 times a year by Blackwell Publishing Ltd, part of the international Blackwell Publishing group.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:15 AM

Seniors' Early Experiences with the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

This April 2006 tracking poll finds that most seniors enrolled in a Medicare drug plan are satisfied with their plan and are not having trouble getting the drugs they need.
Medicare beneficiaries must sign up for the drug benefit by May 15 or pay higher premiums if they enroll in the future, unless they previously had what the government calls "creditable" coverage.

The survey also captures seniors' overall attitudes toward the drug benefit, their knowledge about it and their reasons for enrolling or not enrolling in a plan.

In general, seniors' views about the law remain more unfavorable than favorable despite the positive early experiences of enrollees.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:48 AM

Marijuana Treatment Succeeds with Mix of Therapies

A mix of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational incentives appears to be effective in treating patients with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Researchers from the University of Arkansas and the University of Vermont studied 90 adults over a 14-week period and compared three groups: those who received vouchers for submitting drug-free urines, those who only received CBT, and those who received CBT and vouchers.

At the end of the three-month treatment period, 43 percent of the CBT-plus-vouchers group had stopped using marijuana, compared to 40 percent of the voucher-only group and 30 percent of the CBT-only group.

At 12 months post-treatment, 37 percent of the CBT-plus group was still abstinent, compared to 17 percent of the vouchers-only group and 23 percent of the CBT-only group.

The research was published in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:24 AM

Study Sees Link Between Movies, Teen Smoking, and Tobacco Profits

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) claim that Hollywood portrayals of smoking lead to billions of dollars in sales for tobacco companies.
Researcher Stanton Glantz of UCSF's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education estimated that smoking in movies helps recruit 390,000 new teenage smokers every year, who over their lifetime generate $4.1 billion in sales and $894 million in profits for tobacco companies.

The research was published in the April 2006 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:01 AM

'Alcohol Awareness' Faith Community Inserts Available

During April (Alcohol Awareness Month), Mid-America ATTC is offering a faith community bulletin or newsletter insert sheet that can be downloaded free by churches, temples, mosques and other faith groups. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:42 AM

Evacuees Find Housing Grants Will End Soon

From NYT > National:

Thousands of hurricane evacuees who counted on a year of free housing and utilities are being told by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that they are no longer eligible for such help and must either pay the rent themselves or leave.
Of about 55,000 families who were given long-term housing vouchers, nearly a third are receiving notices that they no longer qualify, FEMA officials said.

For the rest, benefits are also being cut: they will have to sign new leases, pay their own gas and electric bills and requalify for rental assistance every three months.

The process has been marked by sharp disagreements between the agency and local officials, and conflicting information given to evacuees about their futures.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:39 AM

Low intake of milk during pregnancy linked to decreased birth weight

A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal gives expectant mothers yet another reason to drink their milk. Researchers found that women who rarely drank milk during their pregnancy gave birth to smaller babies compared to women who drank more milk. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:29 AM

New survey finds rising numbers of uninsured in moderate and middle income American families

Two of five (41%) working-age Americans with incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 a year were uninsured for at least part of the past year--a dramatic and rapid increase from 2001 when just over one-quarter (28%) of those with moderate incomes were uninsured, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund, Gaps in Health Insurance: An All-American Problem, prepared for the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System.
The vast majority of the uninsured are in working families: of the estimated 48 million working-age Americans uninsured during the year, 67% were in families where at least one person was working full-time.

One of five (21%) adults, including insured and uninsured, currently has medical debt they are paying off over time, and one-third (34%) either had medical bill problems in the past year or were paying off accrued medical debt.

The survey of adults ages 19 to 64 reveals that medical debt is not an issue for the uninsured alone.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of adults with medical bills or debt problems said that they or their family member were insured when they incurred the debt.

The survey looked at the medical consequences families face when they go without health care coverage.

Researchers found that an alarmingly high proportion--59 percent--of adults with a time uninsured in the past year with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and asthma, went without or skipped their medications because they couldn't afford them.

One-third (35%) of uninsured adults with chronic conditions visited an ER, or stayed in the hospital overnight, or did both, compared to 16% of those insured all year with a chronic condition.

Americans without health insurance were also more likely to go without recommended cancer, cholesterol, and blood pressure screenings.

According to the report, only 18% of adults ages 50 to 64 who were uninsured at the time of the survey had a colon cancer screening in the past five years compared to 56% of insured adults.

An analysis of the health care experiences of adults released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation confirms similar trends in every state.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:22 AM

April 26, 2006

Medicare Rule Guarantees Continuity of Drugs

From NYT > Health:

Under a new policy in the prescription drug program, insurers that drop coverage for a drug must exempt beneficiaries who already take it. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:42 PM

Girls have big advantage over boys on timed tests

Take Action: Protect America's Kids from Alcohol

New research attempting to shed light on the evergreen question -- just how do male and female brains differ? -- has found that timing is everything. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:24 PM

Protect America's Kids from Alcohol - Sign the Get Serious Petition

Over 5,000 young people die each year from alcohol-related causes - a sobering problem.

Meanwhile, most elected leaders, influenced by alcohol industry lobbyists and contributions, have done little to prevent this tragedy.

It's time to address this problem with proven polices that curb underage drinking.

The Institute of Medicine recommends science-based policies that work.

Join Together wants to make those policies a reality.

Tell politicians that it's time to Get Serious about alcohol policies that save kids' lives.

The time has come to get serious about this issue and adopt policies that protect our children.

- Increasing alcohol prices through taxes, particularly on beer;
- Limiting alcohol advertising and marketing targeted at young people;
- Implementing a national media campaign that counters alcohol industry messages and uses social marketing to affect attitudes and behavior;
- Adopting and enforcing laws to prevent alcohol-related deaths and injuries among young people;
- Promoting alcohol free events for kids;
- Expanding counseling and support for kids, especially those with addicted parents.

These policies must be made a priority at the state and local level.

The time has come to get serious about this issue and adopt policies that protect our children.

Posted by Michael at 9:57 AM

April 25, 2006

Facts Contributing to the Cradle to Prison Pipeline

CPP_FactSheet.pdf

The Cradle to Prison Pipeline(SM) can be reduced to one simple fact: the United States of America is not a level playing field for all children.

The largest driving force of the pipeline is poverty, exacerbated by race.

At critical points in their development, from birth through adulthood, poor children, and disproportionately poor children of color, face many critical risks and disadvantages.

These multiple risks and disadvantages, when accumulated, make a successful transition to productive adulthood significantly less likely and involvement in the criminal justice system significantly more likely.

They include lack of access to health and mental health care; lack of quality early education and enrichment; unstable parenting; child abuse and neglect; educational disadvantages resulting from failing schools; zero tolerance discipline policies; a culture which glorifies materialism and violence; unaddressed mental health problems; racial and economic disparities in child-serving systems; the criminalization of children at earlier ages; tougher sentencing guidelines; and too few positive alternatives to the streets and positive role models and mentors.

Without significant interventions to prevent and remove these multiple, accumulated obstacles, poor and minority youths are too often trapped in a trajectory that leads to marginalized lives and premature death.

Research on these risks and disadvantages proves that the Cradle to Prison Pipeline is a tragic reality for far too many poor children and a disproportionately high number of poor children of color.

Our country's priorities and values need resetting.

Thanks to the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty for highlighting this item.

Posted by Michael at 12:40 PM

April 24, 2006

11 staff positions open for YouthBuild Katrina Rebuilding Project

YouthBuild USA : Latest News

YouthBuild USA recently received a one year grant from the Corporation for National & Community Service to fund a project to help build or rebuild up to 300 homes in the small community of North Gulfport, on the Mississippi coast, that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The YouthBuild Katrina Rebuilding Project is comprised of two parts, a permanent residential corps of YouthBuild graduates who reside in North Gulfport for 12 months (the "Graduate Corps"), beginning June 2006, and 350 current YouthBuild AmeriCorps members who rotate in for two-four week shifts in groups of 35-45 (the "National Teams"). There will a construction program during the weekdays, and a residential education and living program in the evenings and on weekends. Full time staff for both parts of the program begin in June, 2006, and continue for 12 months. Participants, traveling staff, and several permanent staff will be located in Gulfport, Mississippi at the Gulfport Naval Construction Battalion
Center.

We will be hiring 11 new staff to run the Katrina Rebuilding Project in Gulfport, MI. Time is of the essence. We need your assistance in recruiting and recommending quality and skilled staff for this important project, to be in place in Gulfport by June 1! Please think on friends and contacts you have who might jump at the chance to play a leadership role in this project. This is an ambitious and challenging project. The staff who manage it have to abilities to work in demanding conditions, while caring for the well-being and development of the young adult participants, while providing disaster relief through construction. It will test the leadership and character of all involved. It is also an amazing opportunity to serve. I would like you to recommend the most qualified people you know.

Thanks. We greatly appreciate your help. This project is an exciting, challenging, and serious way to make a real contribution to the lives of real people hit by Katrina. Here are brief descriptions of the positions.

Katrina Project Director. Manages the project on the ground in Gulfport, MS. Oversees both the construction side and the residential living side of the project, and interfaces with community and government officials.

Construction Manager. Manages the entire construction operation, supervises five construction site supervisors, finds and coordinates the subcontractors, coordinates the flow of work and materials, cooperates with local housing partners.

Construction Site Supervisor (5). Acts as construction foreman on job sites, supervising the work of the YouthBuild building crews of young adults, with the aim of building or rebuilding 300 homes. Hiring five.

Program Manager. Responsible for for creating, organizing and implementing a safe, educational, and enjoyable residential program for 70-80 young adults during non-construction hours; supervises two Program Coordinators.

Program Coordinator (2). Provides counseling, educational, recreational, and enrichment services for the residential program for 70-80 young adults during non-construction hours. Hiring two.

Adminstration Coordinator. Provides administration support to the project and is responsible for record keeping for project and the grant.

YouthBuild USA will begin formal consideration of applications on May 12. The project begins in North Gulfport on June 1!

FOR FULL JOB DESCRIPTIONS, VISIT www.youthbuild.org

Posted by Michael at 1:50 PM

HUD to sell homes at a discount to disaster victims

HUD News Release 06-046

In an effort to assist families displaced by the Gulf Coast Hurricanes attain homeownership, the Department of Housing and Urban Development will give evacuees the opportunity to buy HUD-owned properties at a discount.

These families will be offered the opportunity to purchase the homes they are currently occupying at a discount of ten percent off the property's fair market value.

Additionally, HUD will help current tenants pay for property repairs by funding a repair escrow equal to15% of the contract price.

In addition to making homeownership opportunities available to evacuees already occupying HUD owned properties, the Department is establishing a nationwide sales initiative providing discounts and preferences for Gulf area hurricane evacuees seeking housing anywhere in any of the 50 states.

Effective the week of May 1, almost all new properties listed for sale by HUD will be offered exclusively to hurricane evacuees for a period of five days at a price that is ten percent below fair market value.

All prospective buyers will be encouraged to participate in a homebuyer education program, especially if they are first time buyers.

Finally, to be eligible for the discount, (and in the case of current occupants only, the 15% repair fund) the buyer must agree to occupy the property as a primary residence for at least 12 months.

Posted by Michael at 1:39 PM

April 23, 2006

Social networks protect against Alzheimer's

Having close friends and staying in contact with family members offers a protective effect against the damaging effects of Alzheimer's disease according to research by physicians at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Researchers studied elderly people without known dementia who are participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, an epidemiological and clinicopathological study of aging and Alzheimer's disease that involves over 1,100 volunteers across northeastern Illinois.

"Many elderly people who have the tangles and plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease don't clinically experience cognitive impairment or dementia," said Bennett.

To determine social network, participants were asked about the number of children they have and see monthly.

The relationship between the amount of Alzheimer's disease pathology and cognitive performance changed with the size of the social network.

In other words, for persons without much pathology, social network size had little effect on cognition.

However, as the amount of pathology increased, the apparent protective effect on cognition also increased.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:44 PM

Raising Awareness About Kidney Failure During National Minority Health Month

WHAT: Congressional staff briefing and evening reception to raise awareness about kidney failure, risk factors, and the importance of prevention and education to coincide with National Minority Health Month (April).
Sponsored by Kidney Care Partners and the Congressional Kidney Caucus, the events will also address and discuss important bicameral, bipartisan legislation to improve Medicare's program for End Stage Renal Disease (kidney failure) as well as the impact of kidney failure on the minority population.

The House briefing will address implementation of Pay-for- Performance and the effects of kidney failure on the African and Hispanic American communities.

Members of Congress will be joined by three players from the Washington Redskins to raise awareness of kidney disease and talk about the importance of education and funding for dialysis services.

Special guests Randy Thomas, Chris Cooley, Shawn Springs of the Washington Redskins.

Contact: For Media queries and requests for interviews/photographs, please contact Jennifer Lawson, Kidney Care Partners, 703-548-0019; 703-472-4302 or Todd Keller, Kidney Care Partners, 202-246-4811; 202-536-4267.

---Kidney Care Partners is an alliance of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, providers and suppliers working together to improve the quality of care for individuals with End Stage Renal Disease.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:24 PM

American Dream Under Fire - Movie Addresses Need for Preserving Nation's Mobile Homes, Communities

The video documentary, produced by the Northwest Area Foundation, the Housing Preservation Project and Twin Cities Public Television, is about Minnesota, Iowa, Washington, Florida, Ohio, Vermont and virtually every state in our nation.
American Dream Under Fire: Mobile Home Park Residents Fight to Hold Ground examines the urgent issue of preserving manufactured home park communities in the face of skyrocketing land values and development pressures.

It follows the fight to save a manufactured home community in Bloomington, Minn.

It is a new production of the Northwest Area Foundation and Twin Cities Public Television in collaboration with Housing Preservation Project and All Parks Alliance for Change.

"Lack of affordable housing is very often a key factor in communities with persistent poverty," said Karl Stauber, president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation.

According to the Housing Preservation Project and All Parks Alliance for Change, there are over 900 mobile home parks --- or manufactured home communities --- in Minnesota, and about 55,000 communities nationwide that are home to roughly 10 million residents.

"It's a misnomer: mobile homes really aren't easily moved and most residents are long-term members of their communities," said Ann Norton, president of the Housing Preservation Project (HPP).

At HPP, we work with residents, owners, local officials and often banking institutions to develop and negotiate solutions that will allow residents to gain the stability they and their families need."

The organization uses a variety of innovative strategies, to provide technical assistance and services to local attorneys and tenant advocacy organizations, owners, housing funders, and policy makers.

HPP attorneys work with tenant and advocacy organizations, public and private housing funders, owners, developers, and policy makers in their efforts to protect and expand affordable housing.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:47 PM

Eight New States Chosen for State Scholars Initiative

From Education Newsfeed:

Eight new states have been chosen for participation in the State Scholars Initiative, a national business/education partnership effort designed to increase the number of students who take a rigorous curriculum in high school, the U.S. Education Department announced today.
"Rigorous academic coursework in high school is the critical foundation students need whether they plan to attend college or enter the workforce," said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

Under the State Scholars Initiative, each state will receive up to $300,000 during a two-year period to implement scholars programs in at least four school districts.

Local business-education partnerships will work with students in those districts, encouraging them to take a rigorous course of study, one that will give them a boost whether they go to college after they graduate or straight to work.

Two years of a language other than English.

Scholars programs use a high-impact strategy to motivate students to complete rigorous high school courses that prepare them for college and careers.

The program utilizes business people to make presentations to eighth-graders just before they select their high school courses.

Students may receive academic support, incentives and special recognition that help ensure their success, especially in the more difficult courses.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:38 PM

Unmet Health Needs of Katrina-Displaced

Working with Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, a group of students from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans' School of Public Health found a host of under or untreated medical and mental health conditions affecting adults and children living in FEMA-subsidized housing units (trailers and hotel rooms) in Louisiana.
Fifty-eight percent of the respondents would like to return to their former neighborhoods, 30% would like to relocate elsewhere (including a number of respondents interested in purchasing their FEMA-subsidized travel trailers and then moving them elsewhere), and 11% were still unsure about their future plans.

Study participant LSUHSC public health student Toni Marie Jones said, "I didn't expect to walk the talk so soon.

Not only is such information important to health care providers, but also to preparedness planners and policymakers.

Parents report high rates of asthma, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities.

A number of parents reported that they had a child who was either hospitalized or required repeated visits to the emergency room for acute asthmatic episodes because they could not get their child's asthmatic medications.

Over half of the female care givers scored at levels consistent with clinically-diagnosed psychiatric problems, such as depression or anxiety disorders.

Children whose parents scored very low on this mental health score were two and a half times as likely to have experienced emotional or behavioral problems.

One parent, whose 6-year old was on an 18- month waiting list for psychiatric care, was told that she still needed a referral from her primary care physician even though he had relocated to Puerto Rico after the hurricane.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:25 PM

Ads for unhealthy foods may explain link between television viewing and overweight in children

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Children's Hospital Boston found that kids who spend more time watching television also eat more of the calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods advertised on television.
Previous studies had demonstrated that children who watch more television are more likely to be overweight, but this is the first time a research team has found evidence for a mechanism explaining that relationship.

"We've known for a long time that television viewing is a risk factor for overweight, though the common perception is that this is due to the fact that it's a sedentary use of time," said Jean Wiecha, the study's lead author and a senior research scientist at HSPH.

Wiecha and her colleagues collected baseline data on dietary patterns and television viewing habits for 548 Boston-area students in sixth and seventh grade and then repeated these measurements 19 months later.

The results of the study showed that each hour of increased television viewing over baseline was associated with a total energy increase of 167 calories -- just about the amount of calories in a soda or a handful of snack food, said Wiecha.

While further research on this topic is necessary, particularly on the "dosage" of advertising necessary to influence dietary choices, Wiecha believes that her team's results have important implications for parents and the food advertising industry.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:23 PM

Youngest hurricane victims facing chronic illness, mental health problems

Already displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, thousands of families in FEMA-subsidized temporary housing in Louisiana are facing a second crisis, according to a new study issued today by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and The Children's Health Fund.
The study found this displaced group is suffering from a host of serious medical and mental health problems, but receiving little or no treatment.

"On The Edge -- The Louisiana Child & Family Health Study" was conducted by Operation Assist, a collaboration between Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The Children's Health Fund.

From February 11 through February 20, 2006, the survey team interviewed 665 randomly-selected households among the 12,000 households (representing more than 30,000 people) in FEMA-subsidized community housing in Louisiana.

The study concluded that failing to provide stable health and mental health care will likely have long-term consequences.

For example, a parent's untreated depression increases the risk of mental health problems in their children, who in this case are already psychologically vulnerable.

Additional planning should address the ability of schools to reach out and engage students and their families in emergency and transitional housing settings.

About the Mailman School of Public Health The only accredited school of public health in New York City, and among the first in the nation Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health provides instruction and research opportunities to more than 950 graduate students in pursuit of masters and doctoral degrees.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:21 PM

April 21, 2006

Americans Speak Out on No Child Left Behind

On Monday, May 1, Public Education Network will release "Open to the Public: Speaking Out on No Child Left Behind," our second annual report that gives voice to community, parent, and student concerns about the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Compiled from nine public hearings conducted across the country this past fall, and an on-line survey, the report captures questions and concerns of parents, students, and community leaders who experience the benefits and consequences of this landmark education law.

Hearings were conducted in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Please join Wendy D. Puriefoy, president of Public Education Network, and several hearing participants, for a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss the report and key recommendations from the public.

To enter the Capitol Building, your name will need to be on the RSVP/security list, and you will need to show photo identification.

Please RSVP by Thursday, April 27 to Andrea Grenadier at 202-628-7460 x258 or AGrenadier@PublicEducation.org.

Reports will be available for download at httpF://www.PublicEducation.org after 10:00 a.m.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 3:35 AM

Preconception health care can improve the lives of mothers and babies

Every visit to the doctor for women of childbearing age should be considered an opportunity to discuss reproductive health-- especially since more than half of all pregnancies are unintended, according to a report published today in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Recommendations and Reports.
Making preconception health care part of routine medical visits can help identify risk factors for pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes, allowing doctors to offer women additional services to reduce the risk of premature birth and birth defects to help give their future babies a healthy start in life.

"We could do much more to improve the health of mothers and babies if we could identify risk factors before pregnancy and educate women about what health changes they can make," said Janis Biermann, co-author of the study and vice president for Education and Health Promotion of the March of Dimes.

"For some of these problems, the preconception period, or the time between pregnancies, is the only chance to make a difference."

Medications may need to be changed to maximize the chance of a healthy baby.

Recommendations to Improve Preconception Health and Health Care was published April 21 in Volume 55, No. RR-6 of the CDC's MMWR.

The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

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Posted by Michael at 1:23 AM

Wake Education Partnership Awarded Skills for Life Grant; Initiative to Support Middle School Students in Wake County, N.C., in Becoming Healthy, Productive Adults

Wake Education Partnership has been awarded a grant from the Public Education Network (PEN) to implement the Middle Schools Skills for Life Initiative with the Wake County Public School System, Communities in Schools of Wake County and other community-based organizations.
The $500,000 grant, renewable for three years, provides for a public engagement initiative to increase the capacity of schools and communities to support middle school students in becoming healthy, productive adults.

The Skills for Life initiative brings a specific, research-based curriculum - LifeSkills TM Training - into the classroom, and amplifies its impact across the school, family and community contexts through proven public engagement strategies.

"This grant offers our community a strategic opportunity to strengthen our network of supports for positive youth development," said W. Robert Saffold, president of Wake Education Partnership.

"The Skills for Life initiative gives us concrete tools to engage school and community partners in a coordinated effort to ensure that our middle school youth are prepared for successful transition to high school."

With national estimates showing that only four out of ten young people are "ready" by the time they reach adulthood - meaning working or attending college, in good health, and active in their communities - the need for comprehensive solutions is clear.

"By blurring the lines between school and community spaces as well as school and out-of-school time, this program will bring teachers, parents, youth-serving organizations and young people together around the goal of helping youth prepare for the future," said Dana Diesel Wallace, senior director of middle school programs for the Wake County Public School System.

Public Education Network (PEN) is a national organization of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to improve public schools and build citizen support for quality public education in low-income communities across the nation.

We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations.

AScribe transmits news releases directly to newsroom computer systems and desktops of major media organizations via a supremely trusted channel - The Associated Press.

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Posted by Michael at 1:16 AM

Calif. County Decides How to Spend Tobacco Settlement Funds

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors in California has invited community members to a board meeting to suggest how the county should use approximately $700,000 of its $1.9 million in annual receipts from a 1998 tobacco settlement between state attorneys general and the tobacco industry, the Record Searchlight reported on February 20.
The settlement funds are intended to repay the health costs related to smoking.

In 2001, the board voted to spend $45 million of the funds over 30 years on new buildings, meeting with opposition from health care advocates.

County departments suggested using the funds to support the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), alcohol and drug detoxification, foster care, domestic violence and child abuse prevention, community parks, crisis intervention, transitional housing and senior services.

"It's very important the community gives input on this new grant program," said County Administrative Officer Larry Lees.

"This is the first time the tobacco settlement funds will be disbursed for community projects through a competitive process, and the board will be considering what parameter to follow."

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:13 AM

Florida Senator Wants 'Truth' Back

Burt Saunders, chairman of a committee deciding health care priorities in the upcoming Florida state budget, has proposed a $57.9 million restoration of funds to the "truth" campaign to curb youth tobacco use, the Associated Press reported Feb. 15.
Following the state's tobacco settlement in 1998, the truth program received $70 million in funding, a sum which has fallen off considerably in recent years; the program received only $1 million in each of the last three years.

This decline occurred despite results that Ralph DeVitto, head of the American Cancer Society's Florida operation, found "staggering."

Some observers said legislators simply didn't 'get' the campaign, which featured edgy television commercials.

As funding dwindled, supporters mobilized and collected signatures to get the measure on this year's state ballot.

If passed, the legislature would be essentially required to dole out the same amount of funding each year for the program.

Even if passed, the truth campaign may not run without opposition.

David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., said, "They can use these ads to help educate and help inform, but if they vilify the industry, we will consider challenging that and taking action."

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Posted by Michael at 1:11 AM

Miss. Gov. Wants to Redirect $20 Million in State Tobacco Funds

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour wants to redirect $20 million in state tobacco funds from the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi's anti-tobacco programs to four, less focused areas of health. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:09 AM

NIAAA Alcohol Research Grants

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is accepting applications for research projects under its 'Alcohol Use Disorders: Treatment, Services Research, Recovery' program. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:50 AM

Miss. Governor Vetoes Tobacco Prevention Bill

Mississippi Gov.has vetoed a bill that would have continued $20 million in annually state funding to a smoking-prevention foundation. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:47 AM

New tool taps drool for clues to childhood stress

In four separate studies of mothers and their infants, preschoolers, kids and teens, a multi-university research team has shown, for the first time, that a simple test of a little drool can provide new insight into the role of social stressors, including relationships with parents and teachers, in child development. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:42 AM

Bullying Keeps Overweight Kids Off the Field

Playground taunts may seem like harmless child's play, but bullying may keep overweight children on the sidelines, making it more difficult for them to shed pounds, University of Florida researchers say.
Most kids are bullied at some point in their lives, but overweight children are more often the targets of bullies' slings and arrows.

About one out of every five children is chronically bullied, said Eric Storch, Ph.D., a UF assistant professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at UF's College of Medicine and the study's lead author.

Either way, bullying spells serious trouble for children's health, Storch said.

Negative attitudes toward exercise can last a lifetime, making it more difficult for overweight children to lose weight and making it easier for them to become obese adults, he added.

"We found that as rates of peer victimization among overweight kids went up, rates of physical activity went down," he said.

Several measures were used to assess how much of a problem bullying was for children and determine whether they were exhibiting signs of depression, anxiety or even behavioral problems as a result.

About one-quarter of the children reported significant problems with bullies during the two weeks preceding the study.

The researchers also found links between bullying and depression, loneliness and anxiety, further explaining why their physical activity rates were low.

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Posted by Michael at 12:37 AM

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Public Health School Helps Shape Future Disaster Planning by Documenting Unmet Health Needs of Katrina-Displaced

Working with Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, a group of students from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans' School of Public Health found a host of under or untreated medical and mental health conditions affecting adults and children living in FEMA-subsidized housing units (trailers and hotel rooms) in Louisiana.
Fifty-eight percent of the respondents would like to return to their former neighborhoods, 30 percent would like to relocate elsewhere (including a number of respondents interested in purchasing their FEMA-subsidized travel trailers and then moving them elsewhere), and 11 percent were still unsure about their future plans.

Not only is such information important to health care providers, but also to preparedness planners and policymakers.

- 34 percent of children living in FEMA-subsidized community settings have at least one diagnosed chronic medical condition, a rate one-third higher than that of the general pediatric population in the United States.

Parents report high rates of asthma, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities.

The reasons cited included the loss of medical records, lack of insurance coverage accepted at local pharmacies, inability to get to pharmacies, and medical providers who would not prescribe the medications because they were unfamiliar with the child's past medical history.

- Over half of the female care givers scored at levels consistent with clinically-diagnosed psychiatric problems, such as depression or anxiety disorders.

One parent, whose 6-year old was on an 18-month waiting list for psychiatric care, was told that she still needed a referral from her primary care physician even though he had relocated to Puerto Rico after the hurricane.

LSUHSC School of Public Health Associate Dean Stephanie Tortu concluded, "I hope this study helps people across the country understand the impact that this disaster has had on the health of the people of New Orleans."

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Posted by Michael at 12:33 AM

Transcript of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales' Address to Employees at National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Following is a transcript of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales' address to employees at National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Part 1 of 3): Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:30 AM

April 19, 2006

U.S. Department of Education Holds Regional Workshops for Teachers to Learn Best Practices

From Education Newsfeed:

This summer the U.S. Department of Education will convene 14 Teacher-to-Teacher regional workshops for teachers to learn from fellow educators who have had success in raising student achievement, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.
A number of workshops will focus on enhancing teaching skills in math, science and critical foreign languages, subjects central to President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative.

Four will cover the whole range of subjects taught in elementary and secondary schools; three are cosponsored by the National Park Service and will be dedicated to math, science and history; four are cosponsored by TechNet Partners and are geared solely to math and science; two will focus on the teaching of foreign languages, and one will focus only on the teaching of reading and English as a Second Language.

"Educating our children is a shared responsibility, and we are delighted to have the support of the National Park Service and four TechNet Partners-Microsoft, Cisco, National Semiconductor and EMC-in sponsoring this year's summer workshops," Spellings said.

The workshops are part of the Department's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, designed to support teachers, keep them informed of the latest strategies, and disseminate research that helps their students meet high standards.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia now accept Teacher-to-Teacher activities, such as e-Learning or workshop participation, as professional development credit.

Teachers of Grades K-8 June 20-21 St. Paul, Minn.

Science and History, Grades K-12, Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Celebration July 20-21, Billings, Mont.

Science, Grades K-12, National Semiconductor, July 10-11, San Jose, Calif.

Registrations are being processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and space is limited.

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Posted by Michael at 11:47 PM

Public Interest Groups Urge Congress to Extend Medicare Part D Enrollment Deadline

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

With millions of Americans set to miss the May 15 cut-off date to sign up for Medicare's complicated new prescription drug program, dozens of organizations representing millions of members are calling on Congress to extend the enrollment deadline.
Those who miss the May 15 deadline will have to wait for the next sign-up period and face delayed coverage and higher premium costs, but the Bush administration says it won't extend the deadline for everyone.

Stabenow said that seniors all across Michigan have contacted her about the problems they are having with the Medicare prescription drug program.

Rep. Stark urged the Bush administration to extend enrollment through the end of the year and waive the late enrollment penalty for all Medicare beneficiaries.

"Rather than listen to the corporate interests that oppose the extension of the prescription drug enrollment deadline, the president ought to listen to seniors and people with disabilities who support it," said Rep. Stark.

Campaign for America's Future co-director Roger Hickey joined Sen.
Hickey announced the launch of a citizens' campaign, run by Americans United, to force all senators and members of Congress to tell their constituents where they stand on extending the deadline.

"Medicare's Part D is so hopelessly flawed that the enrollment deadline must be extended to give Congress time to fix this debacle," said Hickey.

"It's immoral to penalize seniors and the disabled for their failure to sign up for a plan that should have never been this difficult and confusing in the first place.

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Posted by Michael at 11:40 PM

New Executive Director of White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

From Education Newsfeed:

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the appointment of Charles Greene as executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
From 1999 to 2002, he was president and chief executive officer of the Partnership for the Advancement of Self-Sufficiency Inc., a workforce development agency in Philadelphia, Pa.

The president's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities advises President Bush and Secretary Spellings on strengthening these institutions.

The board also: issues an annual report to the president on HBCU participation in federal programs; advises the secretary on increasing the federal role in strengthening HBCUs; and reports to the president on how to increase private sector support for HBCUs, which enroll 14 percent of all African American students in higher education.

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Posted by Michael at 11:40 PM

New York Population Loss Is Linked to Cost of Housing

From NYT > National:

The 1990's exodus to other states from California and from the Northeast appears to have eased since 2000, but not in metropolitan New York, a Census Bureau analysis says.
The South remains a magnet for migrants, but the influx of new residents has declined steeply outside the South Atlantic region.

The analysis, which is being released today, looked only at people moving from one place to another in the United States and did not take into account people arriving from other countries.

Maine, Rhode Island, Maryland and Wyoming, which lost population to other states in the 1990's, have gained residents from elsewhere in the country since 2000.

William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution in Washington, attributed much of the pattern to soaring housing costs.

From 2000 to 2004, the annual average net loss declined to 99,000 as more Californians moved inland from cities on the coast instead of moving to other states.

Recent census estimates suggest that immigration --- the engine driving New York City's population growth --- appears to have slowed slightly, contributing to a small decline in the city's population in the year ended July 1, 2005.

In New York City, the counties that make up the five boroughs, except for Staten Island, were also among the top 25 counties with large annual population losses.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:17 PM

Fearing Backlash, Some Immigration Activists Aren't Backing Boycott

A panel of immigration activists said yesterday that it will not encourage workers and families to walk off the job and keep their children from school as part of a May 1 boycott, but will hold voter-recruitment and petition drives instead.
The announcement by activists from the District, Chicago and Los Angeles at a news conference in Washington underlined the split among the mostly Latino activist groups that led huge demonstrations in more than 140 cities in recent weeks, and shows that the grass-roots movement is operating at cross purposes toward the same end -- immigration reform and legal status for illegal immigrants.

We will register people to vote and send thousands of e-mails to legislators," said Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa de Maryland in Silver Spring.

Torres was joined on the panel by representatives from several immigration organizations, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, both based in Los Angeles, and the National Capital Immigration Coalition in the District.

Their plan for civil action is a far cry from the boycotts planned by groups in Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, where the largest demonstrations have occurred and where Spanish-speaking disc jockeys were instrumental in turning out crowds.

The panelists stressed that they were not discouraging others from boycotting.

But later they said that they do not support the boycott because it could result in people being fired, cause students to miss school and create a climate of disgust that could lead to a backlash by Americans who are not immigrants.

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Posted by Michael at 11:06 PM

Strategies for Increasing Participation in TANF Education and Training Activities

From Center for Law and Social Policy:

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provisions in the fiscal year 2006 federal budget will require most states to substantially increase the number of TANF recipients participating in work-related activities. As states analyze their alternatives, it is important to do more than simply focus on the narrow questions of federal compliance, but to also use this time to identify approaches that will improve programs' effectiveness in helping families enter and maintain sustainable employment.
This paper is one of a series being prepared by the Center for Law and Social Policy that is intended to inform the decisions of state legislators, program administrators, service providers, and advocates and to enable policy choices that simultaneously help lowincome families improve their labor market success and states meet federal participation rates.

The paper summarizes the research on the contribution of skills and credentials to labor market success and the lessons learned about effective welfare-to-work training and postsecondary education strategies.

Research by the U.S. Department of Education found that students working 15 hours or more were much more likely to report that work interfered with their schooling by limiting their class choices and schedules, the number of classes they could take, and students' academic performance.

The Federal Work Study program operates in most community and four-year colleges and provides jobs for low-income students who are eligible for federal financial aid, such as Pell Grants, through Title IV of the Higher Education Act (which includes most postsecondary students who are also receiving TANF).

Well-designed education and training services have been shown to contribute to welfare recipients' transition to work and their subsequent labor market success.

With increased work participation rates, states now have the opportunity to substantially increase participation in such activities.

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Posted by Michael at 11:05 PM

Learning for Community Change: Core Components of Foundations that Learn

Chapin Hall

This paper explores how foundations that invest in community change can learn more from their efforts.

Learning here refers not only to the content of knowledge but also to the broad range of structures, policies, and practices through which funders gather, organize, interpret, integrate, assess, transfer and apply information and insights to improve their own organizational performance.

Implicit in the paper's approach is a view that a foundation's approach to learning about community change can touch and challenge every dimension of institutional life - from mission to organizational structure, staffing, and external relationships.

Thinking more effectively about learning for community change also means acknowledging the link between individual foundation learning and the field's learning.

The paper identifies and explores seven core components of learning foundations, derived from interviews with foundation leaders, experts, and researchers prominent in the community change field.

The discussion of each component includes examples from foundation practice.

Each of the components affects how broad, useful knowledge is generated, integrated, internalized, and applied, and each supports and reinforces the others.

Respondents suggest that, collectively, these components can transform the way foundations approach community change and the results they produce.

Posted by Michael at 1:19 AM

April 18, 2006

NWLC Report Card Finds Many States Increased Tax Assistance for Child and Dependent Care Expenses

National Women's Law Center

Families in 23 states this tax season were eligible for some increased tax assistance in meeting the high costs of child and dependent care, thanks to improvements in these states' child and dependent care tax provisions over the past four years.

This was among the findings in a quadrennial, state-by-state report card released today by the National Women's Law Center.

Nevertheless, there is still vast room for improvement, the report card reveals, with most state tax provisions receiving grades of C+ to F. The report card ranks 31 tax provisions in 27 states based on the tax assistance they provide to working families that must pay for costly child and dependent care to be gainfully employed.

The report card is a companion piece to Making Care Less Taxing: Improving State Child and Dependent Care Tax Provisions, an NWLC report that outlines ways in which state policymakers and advocates can develop the best tax policies for families with child and dependent care expenses.

"While many states have improved the tax assistance that they provide to families struggling to pay for child and dependent care since NWLC's last report card, most are still failing to make top marks," said Nancy Duff Campbell, Co-President of the National Women's Law Center, and lead author of the report.

"States can and should do more to help families who must pay for child and dependent care in order to work with the high costs of care.

We hope this report and report card stimulate more improvements."

The report card puts New York's child and dependent care credit and Oregon's Working Family Child Care Credit at the top of the class with grades of A-.

New York, which also got the top grade of A- four years ago, offers a credit worth up to $2,310---more than the federal child and dependent care credit.

New York's credit also is fully refundable for residents, which enables low-income families with limited state tax liability to take full advantage of its benefits.

Oregon's well-designed Working Family Child Care Credit improved from a B four years ago to an A-, in large part because it is now refundable.

Now, Louisiana families may claim a refundable credit for their child care expenses of up to $1,050, as well as a credit for dependent care expenses of up to $2,100.

Fourteen states received failing grades because they assess personal income taxes but offer no employment-related child or dependent care tax provisions.

Posted by Michael at 9:10 PM

April 16, 2006

NAEYC Develops 10 Standards for Quality Preschool and Child Care; Creates Checklist for Families

Newswire/ -- The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is helping families make the right choice for their kids by giving them a tool to know whether child care programs, preschools, and kindergartens meet the mark of quality.
NAEYC has 10 standards that define excellent programs for young children and an accreditation system to measure whether programs meet those standards.

Now NAEYC has created a Quality Checklist of characteristics parents can look for when choosing a program.

"Choosing the right child care program or preschool can seem overwhelming," says Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC.

For 20 years, NAEYC's voluntary accreditation system has measured the quality of child care centers, preschools, kindergartens, and other programs for children from birth through five years.

"Our new accreditation system has improved as well, to give programs a clear and efficient structure, and help families make the right choice for kids."

To earn NAEYC Accreditation, programs must complete a rigorous four-step review process to prove they meet the NAEYC standards, including an on-site visit by a NAEYC assessor.

---The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through age eight.

NAEYC and its affiliates work to improve early childhood education and build public support for high- quality programs.

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Posted by Michael at 9:35 PM

Rocky Mountain Region's Non-Whites and Poor Live Closest to Toxic Places

In most major metropolitan areas of the Rocky Mountain West, non-whites and the poor live closest to toxic areas, according to the Colorado College 2006 State of the Rockies Report Card.
In 18 of the 23 metro areas, lower income people live closest to toxic areas; in 16 of the areas, non- whites live closest to toxic areas; and in 16 of the areas, Hispanics live closest to toxic areas.

- In Salt Lake City, Utah, per- capita income is 23 percent lower in toxic areas than it is in clean areas, and people living in toxic areas are nine percent more likely to be non- white.

- In Pueblo, Colo., per- capita income is 19 percent lower in toxic areas than it is in clean areas and people living in toxic areas are 16 percent more likely to be Hispanic than are people in clean areas.

- In Colorado Springs, Colo., people living in toxic areas are 8 percent more likely to be non- white than are people in clean areas.

The Rockies region bears an inequitably high share of the nation's pollution, as documented in the 2005 State of the Rockies Report Card.

Environmental justice is based upon the idea that people of every race, ethnicity, and income group deserve equal rights to clean air, water, and land.

In other states in the Rockies, certain demographic groups are disproportionately exposed to a full quiver of environmental assaults, including air pollution, water pollution, and nuclear radiation.

The annual report was released this week at the Colorado College State of the Rockies Conference, which runs through today on the CC campus.

This year's report card also predicts dramatic effects on ski resorts due to climate change; examines habitat threat and fragmentation of land; considers the political voice of the Rockies Region on a national level; looks at changes to ranching in the Rockies; maps areas with greatest number of conservation easements; and grades how effectively each county nurtures its youth.

The report also features the updated "Rockies Baseline" section, which illustrates the eight- state region0¥ús essential demographics, including population and age, language, race and ethnicity, families, housing units, home values and costs, education attainment, income, poverty, income by type, employment by occupation, employment growth by occupation, employment by industry, and employment growth by industry.

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Posted by Michael at 8:58 PM

Medicaid Hurdle for Immigrants May Hurt Others

From NYT > Health:

More than 50 million Medicaid recipients will soon have to produce birth certificates, passports or other documents to prove that they are United States citizens, and everyone who applies for coverage after June 30 will have to show similar documents under a new federal law.
The requirement is meant to stop the "theft of Medicaid benefits by illegal aliens," in the words of Representative Charlie Norwood, Republican of Georgia, a principal author of the provision, which was signed into law by President Bush on Feb. 8.

In enforcing the new requirement, federal and state officials must take account of passions stirred by weeks of national debate over immigration policy.

State officials worry that many blacks, American Indians and other poor people will be unable to come up with the documents needed to prove citizenship.

In addition, hospital executives said they were concerned that the law could increase their costs, by reducing the number of patients with insurance.

The new requirement takes effect on July 1.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will save the federal government $220 million over five years and $735 million over 10 years.

Most of them will be illegal immigrants, it said, but some will be citizens unable to produce the necessary documents.

Some Medicaid experts put the numbers much higher, saying that millions of citizens could find their health benefits in jeopardy.

Hospitals and nursing homes are expressing concern.

In a draft letter providing guidance to state officials, the Bush administration says, "An applicant or recipient who does not cooperate with the requirement to present documentary evidence of citizenship may be denied eligibility or terminated" from Medicaid.

Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, said: "Many older Americans do not have birth certificates because their parents did not have access to hospitals, and so they were born at home.

In the last century, all over the South, because of segregation and racial discrimination, many hospitals would not take minorities."

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:44 PM

$3.3 Million Available for Meth Prevention Funds

A $3.3 million program from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will make grants to applicants looking to expand treatment, prevention, interventions or infrastructure development to discourage methamphetamine misuse.
SAMHSA is expected to fund between nine and 11 grants of $300,000 to $350,000 per year for up to three years for research, program expansion, and reduction of methamphetamine use in the community.

Public, private and faith-based nonprofit organizations, bodies of federal, state, local and tribal government, as well as public and private institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for this grant.

The deadline for applications is May 16.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:26 PM

States Expect Less Tobacco Settlement Money in 2006

A lack of state bond sales backed by tobacco-settlement money means that state revenues from the 1998 deal with Big Tobacco are expected to decline this year. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:24 PM

Breaking Down Barriers Between Immigrant Families and Early Education: Project Overview and Preliminary Impressions (PowerPoint)

From Center for Law and Social Policy:

by Deeana Jang and Hannah Matthews. CLASP's Breaking Down Barriers project is intended to address the barriers immigrant families face in accessing high-quality early education programs. This presentation offers background and preliminary impressions from CLASP's site visits in sample states across the country and interviews with immigrant-serving organizations, immigrant community leaders, policymakers, and others. Challenges and barriers identified include: too few connections between early education providers and immigrant-serving organizations; too few bilingual and bicultural providers; and a lack of affordable, high-quality programs in communities. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:22 PM

The night shift may lead to family nightmares

For some families, night and weekend shifts may strain the well-being of both parents and children. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:13 PM

Self Harm High among Goth Youths

A Synthesis of Three Studies on Systems, Policies, and Parents

Rates of self harm and attempted suicide are high within Goth youth subculture, finds a study published on bmj.com today.
Deliberate self harm is common among young people, with rates of 7-14% in the UK.

It is particularly widespread in certain populations and may be linked to depression, attempted suicide, and various psychiatric disorders in later life.

Contemporary Goth youth subculture has been linked with self harm, but there is little evidence to support this.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow surveyed 1,258 young people during their final year of primary school (age 11) and again at ages 13, 15, and 19.

They found that belonging to the Goth subculture was strongly associated with a lifetime prevalence of self harm (53%) and attempted suicide (47%).

Even after adjusting for factors such as social class, parental separation, smoking, alcohol use, or previous depression, Goth identification remained the single strongest predictor of either self harm or suicide attempt.

To test how specific this identification effect was to Goth, they analysed rates of self harm among 14 other common youth subcultures.

Mr Robert Young, lead researcher on the study, said: "Although only fairly small numbers of young people identify as belonging to the Goth subculture, rates of self-harm and attempted suicide are very high among this group.

Rather than posing a risk, it's also possible that by belonging to this subculture young people are gaining valuable social and emotional support from their peers.

However, the study was based on small numbers and replication is needed to confirm our results."

Dr Michael van Beinum, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and advisor to the study said: "Mental health problems are common in young people and there is evidence that they are on the increase.

For some young people with mental health problems, a Goth subculture may be attractive, as it may allow them to find a community within which it may be easier for their distress to be understood.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:09 PM

April 13, 2006

Child Care Subsidies and TANF

Over recent decades, policymakers have recognized that helping parents on welfare pay for child care is essential to help them move from welfare to work.

As such, child care subsidies that help defray some of or all the cost of child care have consistently been an integral part of federal and state welfare reform efforts.

They were a major focus of the 1996 welfare reform legislation, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), and the cash assistance and welfare-to-work program it established (the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF, program).

Although TANF families make up a relatively small proportion of the families that receive child care subsidy funding (with some additional families receiving child care support through TANF direct spending), child care is a key component of TANF welfare-to-work programs' efforts to help families move toward self-sufficiency.

Although the connection between child care as a work support and the TANF program's mandate to help welfare recipients obtain employment is conceptually simple, the actual processes and policies used by states and localities to ensure child care assistance is available for TANF families moving from welfare to work is far more complicated.

The complexity arises in part because child care subsidy and TANF welfare-to-work programs represent two devolved systems that differ in their goals, target populations, administrative structures, and policy frameworks.

Posted by Michael at 1:41 PM

Bring LA Home! The Campaign to End Homelessness

BRINGLAHOME book

This plan to end homelessness provides an overview of the problem in LA along with strategies to prevent and end homelessness in 10 years. The report examines: the nature of homelessness in LA (numbers of homeless persons, who is homeless by area, and age, percentage of homeless persons in families, persons with substance abuse problems/chronically homeless, veterans, sheltered, costs of addressing the problem) strategies in preventing and ending homelessness (housing, improving continuum of services, increase income/economic stability, strengthening cooperation with justice systems, examining regional issues/specific populations), and more.

SELECTED RESOURCES

* There are 88,000 persons homeless every night in LA County.

* To house a person in supportive housing in LA costs $30.10 per day per person, compared to $37.50, shelter; $63.69, jail; $84.74, prison; $607, mental hospital; and $1,474.05, hospital.

* The estimated cost to end homelessness in LA in 10 years ranges from $2.7 billion to $12 billion.

* There are 7,064 homeless seniors (over age 55) in LA every night.

* 44% of homeless persons surveyed do not receive government cash assistance.

* Creation of 50,000 housing units over 10 years is needed to address the shortfall of affordable housing in LA.

This listing comes courtesy of the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty

Posted by Michael at 1:16 PM

April 12, 2006

Boston Stands Up for Excellent High Schools for All Students; JFF Helps Lead National Effort to Address High School Crisis

Boston-based Jobs for the Future today announced its participation in a national campaign to address America's education crisis.
STAND UP is a community- based coalition of more than 50 organizations, districts, and schools around the country, calling on all Americans to demand excellent high schools that prepare every student for college, work, and citizenship.

STAND UP is designed to mobilize parents, teachers, principals, community leaders, concerned citizens, business leaders, policymakers and philanthropists to become part of the solution.

The STAND UP Web site -- http://www.standup.org -- provides valuable information and resources to help make sure high schools are serving all students well.

JFF directly addresses this critical issue through a number of initiatives.

JFF has just released Making Good on a Promise: What Policymakers Can Do to Support the Educational Persistence of Dropouts.

Contrary to the popular notion that high school dropouts are unmotivated and do not value education, this new report finds that most dropouts are remarkably persistent in their drive to complete their education.

Yet for all their effort, less than 10 percent of those dropouts who enroll in postsecondary education earn a degree, a critical factor in securing a well-paying job in today's economy.

"Too often, schools do not keep them engaged in learning the first time around; then when they try to go back and complete their education the system provides inadequate options.

Anyone who demonstrates such persistence ought to have every opportunity to better themselves and contribute something positive to society.

And everyone deserves the quality education promised to them."

JFF also partners with the Youth Transition Funders Group in its multi-city Strategic Assessment Initiative for struggling students and out-of-school youth.

JFF partners with leaders in education, business, government, and communities around the nation to: strengthen opportunities for youth to succeed in postsecondary learning and high-skill careers; increase opportunities for low-income individuals to move into family- supporting careers; and meet the growing economic demand for knowledgeable and skilled workers.

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Posted by Michael at 2:38 AM

April 11, 2006

Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population

This report is a portrait of unauthorized immigrants in the US. Examined are: demographics of migrants (how many, gender, country of origin, family composition), workforce characteristics (occupations/industries, labor participation rates, gender) trends over time.

Analysis of the March 2005 Current Population Survey shows that there were 11.1 million unauthorized in the United States a year ago.

Based on analysis of other data sources that offer indications of the pace of growth in the foreign-born population, the Center developed an estimate of 11.5 to 12 million for the unauthorized population as of March 2006.

In the March 2005 estimate two-thirds (66%) of the unauthorized population had been in the country for ten years or less, and the largest share, 40% of the total or 4.4 million people had been in the country five years or less.

There were 5.4 million adult males in the unauthorized population in 2005, accounting for 49% of the total.

There were 3.9 million adult females accounting for 35% of the population.

There were 1.8 million children who were unauthorized, 16% of the total.

In addition, there were 3.1 million children who are U.S. citizens by birth living in families in which the head of the family or a spouse was unauthorized.

About 7.2 million unauthorized migrants were employed in March 2005, accounting for about 4.9% of the civilian labor force.

They made up a large share of all workers in a few more detailed occupational categories, including 24% of all workers employed in farming occupations, 17% in cleaning, 14% in construction and 12% in food preparation.

About the Pew Hispanic Center: Founded in 2001, the Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a Philadelphia-based charity.

Posted by Michael at 9:56 AM

"Ask the Experts" Featured Discussion on Children's Health Care

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

Ask the Experts: Children's Health Care 4/4/2006 Kaiser Family Foundation Broadcast Studio, Washington, D.C.
As National Public Health Week focuses on raising healthy kids in the U.S., "Ask the Experts" will explore the policy issues facing children's health care.

Panelists will answer your questions about children's health care financing, expanding access and coverage, disparities and more.

A new issue brief by the Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines the similarities and difference between Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) as well as the implications of applying some SCHIP design features to the Medicaid program.

Medicaid and SCHIP are often compared because they both serve low-income populations.

However, the populations served, the coverage offered and the structure of these programs have differed in important ways.

With the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, states can now apply some SCHIP-like principles to the Medicaid program.

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Posted by Michael at 12:15 AM

Wising Up: How Government Can Partner With Business to Increase Skills and Advance Low-Wage Workers

From Center for Law and Social Policy:

This report examines one promising approach: state and local partnerships with business and industry to train low-wage workers and help them advance.
For this analysis, we examined partnerships that: Involve an investment of public funds and are managed by a public sector institution (business and industry also typically invest in these partnerships); Give business a lead role in identifying job training needs and paths to job advancement, often for their own employees; Provide job training through public, non-profit, and for-profit institutions, sometimes at the worksite.

The majority of these workers appear to be stuck in low-wage jobs for long periods of time (Meyer and Cancian, 2000).

While many factors affect whether low-wage workers move up to better jobs over time, the two observable categories that appear to matter most are (1) the skills of the individual and (2) the characteristics of the employer.

The programs we observed tended to use indirect means of including low-wage workers in training, and to serve this population as part of a wider spectrum of workers.

Career Ladder Initiative program initially targeted a lowwage occupation that suffers from turnover and quality problems, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), for additional training and wage growth.

Instead, colleges may opt to create training on the more nimble non-credit side of their institutions.

In addition, for-credit certificate and degree programs often require that students have a high school diploma or GED as well as specific minimum scores on college readiness tests, which can be a barrier for some workers.

The Massachusetts Extended Care Career Ladder Initiative requires individual projects to engage the local WIBs---which have experience working with both businesses and training providers---to participate in the planning process and to help forge strong partnerships between these groups.

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Posted by Michael at 12:11 AM

April 10, 2006

More American Kids Getting ADD Drugs