Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

CFK Weekly -- August 30, 2004

Sep 08, 2004

Connect for Kids.org: Better Policies for Kids

August 30, 2004

Please send any comments or suggestions to jan@connectforkids.org.

Table of Contents. Click on heading to jump to that section.

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Bush, Kerry Answer Connect for Kids
**Young Journalists Share Views on Election 2004
**TalkTime Live! Chat

NEW CENSUS DATA ON U.S. POVERTY AND INCOME?…
**Census Bureau: Number of Americans Living in Poverty Increases
**Connect for Kids?’ Background Facts on Children in a Slow Economy
**The Census and Kids
**CPBB: Poverty Up, Income Stagnating, and a Record Number of Americans are Uninsured
**The Outlook for Women and Mothers
**CHN Facts-at-a-Glance: Poverty Increases in 2003

?… AND THE STATE OF AMERICAN HEALTH CARE
**Americans Without Health Insurance Reaches Highest Level on Record
**Bush and Kerry on Health Care
**Bush Health Care Plan
**Heads Up: Affordable Health Care for All Week, September 26

HEALTHY KIDS, SAFE KIDS
**Study Finds Depo Provera Shot May Increase Risk of STDs
**ChildTrends CrossCurrents Data Brief: Well-Being in Early Adulthood
**NIH Steps Up Research on Obesity, Including Children
**FCC and Digital TV for Kids

WHAT DO YOU KNOW: SCHOOLS AND THE PUBLIC
**U.S. Opinions on Schools Contradictory
**NCLB Requires Schools to Provide Student Info to Military, Unless Parents Object
**Pay Gap Widens for Teachers
**Walk for Education

MONEY MATTERS: FAMILIES AND THE ECONOMY
**Congress Considers New KIDS Accounts Legislation
**Two Economists Look At America through Very Different Glasses

EDITORIAL OF THE WEEK
**Poverty/Income Data: Conservatives and Liberals Respond
**City Affordable Housing: Trust Fund Worth a Try

BOOK REVIEW
**The Myth of Unskilled Labor: What It Takes To Work a Blue-Collar Job

RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITY BUILDERS
**Contest: 2004-2005 Non-Profit Environmental Writing Contest for Youth
**Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants
**Books for Literacy Programs
**Home Depot At-Risk Youth Leadership Grants
** U.S Dept. of Agriculture Community Connect Grant Program
**State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant

FOCUS ON THE STATES
**2004 Elections: School Spending Takes Center Stage in Governors?’ Races
**State-by-State News

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE


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NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG

**Bush, Kerry Answer Connect for Kids
Connect for Kids has the answers from the presidential candidates to questions you wanted to ask.
http://www.connectforkids.org/usr_doc/bush_kerry_intro.htm

**Young Journalists Share Views on Election 2004
Among the throngs of reporters covering the Republican National Convention in New York City this week is a young team from Children?’s PressLine, honing skills they learned in Boston covering the Democrats.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=237043

**TalkTime Live! Chat
On Wednesday, September 8 from 1 to 2 PM ET, Connect for Kids will host the young Children?’s PressLine reporters for a TalkTime Live! online chat about how they see Election 2004. Submit questions ahead of time to

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NEW CENSUS DATA ON U.S. POVERTY AND INCOME?…

**Census Bureau: Number of Americans Living in Poverty Increases
For the third year in a row, the number of Americans living in poverty grew, and many working families faced greater hardships as public services and wages eroded. An additional 1.3 million people were poor last year, many of them children, according to the Census Bureau?’s annual poverty, income, and health insurance data. More than 4 million more people live in poverty than did in 2000. The number of poor children has grown by nearly 1.3 million. In 2003, 5.6 million children were living in extreme poverty ?– earning less than $7,500 for a family of three.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/002484.html

**Connect for Kids?’ Background Facts on Children in a Slow Economy
Connect for Kids has gathered national and state data to provide a context for the Census poverty/income figures released last week.
http://www.connectforkids.org/newsletter1538/newsletter.htm

**The Census and Kids
The Census department issued a breakdown of child poverty and related data. Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, West Virginia and Arkansas had the highest rates of child poverty, ranging from 29.8 to 23.9 percent. The states with the lowest child poverty rates were New Hampshire, Minnesota, Maryland, Connecticut and Virginia.
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2003/pdf/R77T040.pdf

**CPBB: Poverty Up, Income Stagnating, and a Record Number of Americans are Uninsured
This Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis examines new Census Bureau data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in 2003. The full report also explores reasons behind recent developments and trends we?’re likely to see in 2004.
http://www.cbpp.org/8-26-04pov-stmt.htm

**The Outlook for Women and Mothers
The new Census numbers paint a particularly troubling picture for women, according to the National Women?’s Law Center. Two-thirds of uninsured Americans are women. In 2003, full-time working women earned 76 percent of what men earned, down from 77 percent in 2002. The bottom 20 percent of American households -- disproportionately headed by single mothers -- received 3.4 percent of aggregate income; the top 20% received nearly half (49.8 percent).
http://www.nwlc.org/

**CHN Facts-at-a-Glance: Poverty Increases in 2003
The Coalition on Human Needs has compiled an easy-to-read series of tables depicting the newest Census data. Among the information presented: Even with incomes twice the poverty line ($37,320 a year for a family of four), families struggle to make ends meet. Nearly four in ten of America?’s children live in families with incomes this low.
http://www.chn.org/pdf/povertyrises.pdf


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?… AND THE STATE OF AMERICAN HEALTH CARE

**Americans Without Health Insurance Reaches Highest Level on Record
The number of uninsured Americans rose to 45 million in 2003, the highest level on record, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The availability of health insurance coverage under Medicaid and SCHIP was essential in a year in which employer-based coverage continued to decline.
http://www.cbpp.org/8-26-04health.pdf

**Bush and Kerry on Health Care
The Kaiser Network, a nonpartisan resource on health policy, has a round-up of recent editorials from papers across the country on the presidential candidates?’ proposals for health care and the economy -- and what it will take to address America?’s health care situation.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=25413

**Bush Health Care Plan
President Bush proposes to extend health care to 10 million uninsured U.S. residents at a cost of $102 billion over 10 years. The Kaiser Network has ?“clipped?” recent articles and analysis of the proposal, including an August 21 Washington Post article noting that the Treasury Department, the Congressional Budget Office, and other analysts have expressed doubt that the plan can reach that many or reduce the overall number of uninsured Americans.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=25380

**Heads Up: Affordable Health Care for All Week, September 26
Groups around the country are preparing to take action and address the needs of the more than 43 million Americans without health care coverage.
http://www.results.org


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HEALTHY KIDS, SAFE KIDS

**Study Finds Depo Provera Shot May Increase Risk of STDs
A study funded in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the National Institutes of Health finds that the injectable form of the contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) -- marketed under the product name Depo Provera -- appears to increase a woman?’s risk of acquiring the sexually transmitted infections Chlamydia and gonorrhea by approximately three-fold. Oral contraceptives do not appear to increase the risk.
http://www.healthinschools.org/2004/aug25_alert.asp

**ChildTrends CrossCurrents Data Brief: Well-Being in Early Adulthood
This new brief provides a statistical portrait of early adulthood using the latest data in areas such as educational attainment, financial self-sufficiency, family formation, and health behaviors. It also includes descriptive portraits of the white, black, Hispanic, Native American, and immigrant populations in this age group.
http://childtrendsdatabank.org.

**NIH Steps Up Research on Obesity, Including Children
Research on the causes and prevention of obesity in children is one focus of a stepped-up research agenda on obesity announced on August 24, 2004 by the National Institutes of Health.
http://www.healthinschools.org/2004/aug24b_alert.asp

**FCC and Digital TV for Kids
The FCC is considering new rules covering children?’s programming on broadcast digital TV, which may be adopted September 9, 2004. According to Broadcasting & Cable, the changes will require an additional three hours of educational fare for each new channel that a digital broadcaster multicasts. But children's advocates say that the order doesn?’t go far enough, and the actual hourly requirement is unclear. Also, the draft order encourages but doesn't require broadcasters to provide additional information to parents about the educational and children's programming options in a digital age, and does little to protect kids from interactive advertising.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA446410?display=Breaking+News

Communications Daily, an e-alert from the Benton Foundation, is keeping en eye on the FCC ruling. (See, ?“FCC Draft On Kids Programming Obligations Said To Fall Short.?”)
http://owa.benton.org/listserv/wa.exe?A2=ind0408&L=benton-compolicy&F=l&P=1943

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW: SCHOOLS AND THE PUBLIC

**U.S. Opinions on Schools Contradictory
The recent Gallup/Phi Delta Kappa poll finds a growing consensus that adequate financial support is the number one problem facing schools today. Issues related to discipline and drugs dominated the poll as the major concern until 2000, when lack of financial support rose to the top. While the public continues to report it has too little information about the No Child Left Behind act to have an opinion, the evidence suggests that many agree with the goals of narrowing achievement gaps and raising performance ?– but not with high stakes testing, vouchers and other controversial aspects of NCLB?’s strategies for improving learning.
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0409pol.htm

**NCLB Requires Schools to Provide Student Info to Military, Unless Parents Object
A provision of the No Child Left Behind Act requires public high schools to provide the name and contact information for every junior and senior to military recruiters unless parents?’ specifically say not to. As the school year kicks off, parents who don?’t want their child?’s name on the list should contact their school principal or administrator.
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/hottopics/ht-10-09-02a.html

**Pay Gap Widens for Teachers
Pay for the nation?’s teachers is considerably lower than for other workers
with similar education and skills, according to a new book by the Economic Policy Institute, "How Does Teacher Pay Compare?" And it?’s falling. Since 1993, teacher wages have fallen 11.5 percent relative to workers in jobs with similar requirements.
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/books_teacher_pay

**Walk for Education
The Easy Spirit Freedom Walk for Scholarship America encourages people to pound their hometown pavement to boost local and national access to education. Learn more, or download the new 2004 outreach flyer for your local organization.
http://www.walkforeducation.org/site/index.php

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MONEY MATTERS: FAMILIES AND THE ECONOMY

**Congress Considers New KIDS Accounts Legislation
The American Savings for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education Act (the ASPIRE Act) was introduced July 22 as bill S.2751 in the Senate and H.R.4939 in the House. Among the provisions, the act would provide every child born after December 31, 2005 a small savings account to build assets for education, home ownership or retirement.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ri01_kennedy/pr_040722.html

Results.org, a grassroots lobbying organization, has background information, and a Domestic Action Sheet to help advocates contact Members of Congress and urge them to sponsor the ASPIRE Act.
http://results.org/website/article.asp?id=1127

**Two Economists Look At America through Very Different Glasses
Washington Post writer Joel Achenbach speaks to two economists -- Kevin Hassett of the conservative American Enterprise Institute and liberal Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute ?– to find out what each recommends for the economy. Says Achenbach, ?“They agree on one major concept: that America has a lot of inequality. That boom times for the affluent do not necessarily translate to boom times for the poor. But that's about where their agreement stops.?”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25121-2004Aug22.html


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EDITORIAL OF THE WEEK

**Poverty/Income Data: Conservatives and Liberals Respond
In a Scripps Howard editorial, Jay Ambrose argues that the new poverty figures reflect a low point but that the keys to fighting poverty are already in place -- the Bush administration's tax cuts, welfare reform and boosting marriage. (Registration Required)
http://www.courierpress.com/ecp/gleaner_opinion/article/0,1626,ECP_4480_3142611,00.html

In its editorial on the spread of poverty in America, the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette argues that the latest Census figures constitute an indictment against the Bush administration's economic policies, which are failing to boost good jobs or help struggling families.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04243/369857.stm

**City Affordable Housing: Trust Fund Worth a Try
In Philadelphia, as in a growing number of U.S. cities, safe, affordable housing can be hard to come by. The city offers emergency shelter to 23,000 homeless people a year, including nearly 9,700 children. A coalition of housing agencies has proposed creating a $20 million trust fund that could be used to leverage $50 million annually from federal, state and private investors. These funds will be used to build 400 new homes a year and repair another 1,200 -- in hopes of preventing 1,300 families from becoming homeless each year. The trust could also help higher-income families (earning 20,000 to $80,000) pay mortgages, encouraging mixed-income neighborhoods. This Philadelphia Inquirer editorial says housing help can help stabilize families and boost the city?’s economic vitality.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/9456913.htm

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BOOK REVIEW

**The Myth Of Unskilled Labor: What It Takes To Work A Blue-Collar Job
In a new book, writer Mike Rose, a faculty member at UCLA?’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, takes on common assumptions about blue-collar work. According to a review in the San Francisco Chronicle, Rose also contends with a paradox facing teachers: "How do you honor a student's construction worker father while creating the conditions for his child to not be a construction worker?"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2004/08/22/RVGKO87DFR1.DTL


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RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITY BUILDERS

**Contest: 2004-2005 Non-Profit Environmental Writing Contest for Youth
The Earth Foundation Writing Competition is a nationwide contest designed to
let students propose solutions for some of our most challenging environmental issues. The 2004-2005 competition theme, is "Tomorrow's Home Today," focuses on novel and exciting ways to use energy. Contest prizes, rules and deadlines are available online.
http://www.transformtheearth.org

**Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants
The National Education Association & Youth Service America will award twenty $500 Youth Leaders for Literacy grants to encourage and celebrate literacy service by
American youth ages 5-21, and honor them for doing reading-related
activities that benefit others. Applications must be postmarked by October 22, 2004.
http://www.nea.org/readacross

**Books for Literacy Programs
The National Book Scholarship Fund supplies books and materials to local literacy programs. Grants range from $500-$7000. Primary consideration is given to supporting family literacy initiatives, ESL, adult basic educational programs, and projects that involve women-focused basic literacy. Deadline: December 2, 2004.
http://nbsf.org/faq.asp

**Home Depot At-Risk Youth Leadership Grants
The Home Depot Foundation makes grants to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charities in the United States and to charitable organizations in Canada. Established programs that help to develop leaders and encourage young people to become contributing community citizens through job readiness training, leadership development and volunteerism are specifically of interest to The Home Depot Foundation. Grants are directed toward programs that target youth, ages 12-18, residing in under-served communities. October 15, 2004
$5,000-$25,000
http://www.homedepot.com/

** U.S Dept. of Agriculture Community Connect Grant Program
The Community Connect Grant Program provides grants to eligible applicants that will provide, on a ``community-oriented connectivity'' basis, broadband transmission service to foster economic growth and deliver enhanced educational, health care, and public safety services. Priority is given to rural areas that have the greatest need for broadband. Deadline: September 13, 2004
http://www.grantsalert.com/grants.cfm?id=1&gid=765

**State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant
Youth Service America announces the availability of one hundred grants
of $1,000 each to enable youth and educators to bring the benefits of service-learning to more people. Teachers, youth (ages 5-25), and school-based service-learning coordinators are eligible; grants should support projects for National Youth Service Day, April 15-17, 2005. You can apply the old fashioned way, or do it online. Deadline: October 18, 2004.
http://www.ysa.org/awards/partnerag/sf05/overview_parent.cfm

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FOCUS ON THE STATES

**State-by-State News

**2004 Elections: School Spending Takes Center Stage in Governors?’ Races
New education proposals are rare in the country's 11 governors' races, but struggles with school spending remain center stage along with job creation, health care and other economic issues.
http://www.stateline.org/stateline/?pa=story&sa=showStoryInfo&id=394330

**State-by-State News

California
The LA Times has a round-up of bills awaiting signature by Governor Schwarzenegger. (If they are not signed or vetoed, they automatically become law after 30 days.) Among them is a bill to raise the minimum wage in California from $6.75 to $7.25 per hour next year, and to $7.75 on July 1, 2006. The measure would most affect low-wage workers and small-business owners. It?’s supported by labor unions and liberal-oriented public policy think tanks, and opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce and California Restaurant Association. (See, ?“A Look at Some of the Key Bills Passed.?”)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-calbills29aug29,1,2151274.story

Florida
According to the St. Augustine Record, predatory lenders target low-income families, single moms and the elderly, and may be responsible for dozens of mortgage foreclosures. Nonprofits are stepping into educate residents about the potential dangers, and St. Johns County Housing and Community Services offers free credit counseling. http://www.staugustine.com/stories/082304/new_2505033.shtml

Illinois
The Illinois Medicaid program violates federal law by failing to provide young beneficiaries equal access to medical services, a U.S. District Court Judge has ruled in a case first brought before the court in 1992.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=25459

Iowa
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports progress as a result of closer links between Head Start and local elementary schools (See, ?“Head Start Seeing Results as it Moves Classrooms into Schools.?”)
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2004/08/22/news/top_news/76081c9e44ab140586256ef8000f435f.txt

North Carolina
A program sponsored by the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center's Education Institute, the connection between art and learning is filtering into the region's schools -- and may be changing the way children learn for the better, particularly those with different learning styles. (See, "Arts + Math, Science = Learning.?”)
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/9487801.htm


North Dakota
Find out how children in your county are faring on key indicators from the 2004 North Dakota Kids Count Databook.
http://www.ndkidscount.org

Ohio
The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks says the Census data underscores the need for emergency food services for Ohio residents. More than 280,000 Ohio families are living below the nation?’s poverty level, and the number has grown in the last three years. In 2003, foodbank use was up 27 percent, according to OASHF?’s annual hunger survey.
http://www.oashf.org/

In July, the Workforce Alliance released its third in a series of state polls about job
training and the economy within the context of the 2004 Presidential Campaign. This survey of Ohio voters shows that "jobs and the economy" is the most important issue for voters in determining which candidate to support in the November Presidential election. An overwhelming majority of the Ohio voters support investing in the skills of workers as the best way to move the economy forward
http://www.workforcealliance.org/policy/campaign2004.shtm

Oregon
The Oregon Center for Public Policy's analysis has local information on the new Census poverty, income, and health insurance data.
http://www.ocpp.org

Pennsylvania
According to Pennsylvania?’s 2004 Academic Achievement Report, 81 percent of schools -- compared with 62% last year -- made "adequate yearly progress" under No Child Left Behind. The standards will be raised for next year. (See, ?“"81% of Pa. Schools Get Passing Grades.?”)
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04238/367415.stm

Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Kids Count Data Book, released by the National Council of La Raza, offers the first comprehensive view of how children are doing in Puerto Rico. Key health trends are improving, but high rates of teen births and teen deaths, especially from homicide, raise serious concerns. Available in English and Spanish.
http://www.nclr.org

Tennessee
Governor Phil Bredesen (D) unveiled his revised TennCare reform plan, which would affect all 1.3 million beneficiaries of the state's Medicaid managed care program but would limit the introduction of benefit caps, premiums and copayments to about 270,000 beneficiaries. Changes include requiring some enrollees to pay co-pays (ranging from $1 for prescription drugs to $250 for hospital stays) and limiting some benefits -- for example, the number of doctor?’s visits per year -- for some enrollees. The changes are now open for public comment.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=25389

West Virginia
Cuts in state spending on welfare are leading to reductions in local programs, including a voucher program covering back-to-school clothing and supplies for families in need. The article, ?“Voucher Cuts Hurting Families?” examines the local impact.
http://www.dominionpost.com/a/news/2004/08/23/ab/

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Keep kids in mind this week, everyone!

Caitlin Johnson, filling in for Jan Richter, and the Connect for Kids team
jan@connectforkids.org