**Children, Youth & Families
Promoting Healthy Families in Your
Community: 2008 Resource Packet
Order your free copies of Promoting Healthy Families
in Your Community: 2008 Resource Packet today! Developed for service providers,
the packet highlights strategies to strengthen families by promoting key protective
factors that prevent child abuse and neglect. It also includes tip sheets
in both English and Spanish to share with parents. The Resource Packet is
produced annually by the Department of Health and Human Services' Children's
Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Child Welfare Information Gateway,
and the FRIENDS National Resource Center on Community-Based
Child Abuse Prevention.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/promoting-healt-1.php
Children Who Do Not Get Enough Sleep
Sustain More Injuries
Lack of adequate sleep can lead to increased injuries
among preschool children, new research shows. A study published in Public
Health Nursing shows that the average number of injuries during the preschool
years is two times higher for children who don't get enough sleep each day
as described by their mothers. Childhood injury is one of the 10 Leading
Health Indicators being tracked over the next 10 years by the U.S. Public
Health Service.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/children-who-do.php
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Children Show Goal-Oriented Behavior
by Age 3
Hang on, parents. After the terrible twos come the goal-oriented
threes. Kids seem to grow into the ability to act in pursuit of goals outside
of what they can immediately sense sometime around that age, according to
a new study published in the February issue of the Journal of Experimental
Psychology: General, published by the American Psychological Association.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/children-show-g.php
Low-Income Women More Likely to Suffer
from Postpartum Depression
Poor women in Iowa are much
more likely to suffer from postpartum depression than their wealthier counterparts,
a new University
of Iowa
study shows. In a second study on race and postpartum emotions in Iowa, UI researchers
found that African-American mothers are more likely than white mothers to
experience depressed moods immediately after giving birth, but Latina mothers
are less likely to experience depressed moods.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/study-lowincome.php
Women Who Suffered Child Abuse Spend
More on Health Care
According to an Ohio State University study,
middle-aged women who suffered physical or sexual abuse as children spend
up to one-third more than average in health-care costs, according to a long-term
study of more than 3,000 women. Even decades after the abuse ended, these
women used health services at significantly higher rates than did non-abused
women, the research found. What's remarkable is that women with an average
age in their late 40s still suffer consequences from abuse that occurred decades
ago.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/women-who-suffe.php
**Civic Engagement
Lack of Political Will and the Subordination
of Women are Major Barriers to Tackling AIDS
Denial, myths, complacency, lack of political will and
the subordination of women are major obstacles in the fight against HIV and
AIDS. And with no cure or vaccine in sight, scaling up prevention is of paramount
importance, according to Professor Lars Kallings,
a leading expert in the global fight against the world's first modern pandemic.
Trust in modern science is so great that people don't like to consider the
thought that it may not be possible to find a simple medical way to eradicate
the virus. The subordination of young girls and women, and the contempt they
are shown in many countries, is the major cause of the epidemic.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/lack-of-politic.php
**Community Development
Foundation Dollars to Ohio Economic
Development Nearly Triple to $24.6 Million
Philanthropic grants supporting economic development
activities in Ohio
have tripled in the last 10 years to $24.6 million, according to a first-ever
report released by the Foundation Center's regional
center in Cleveland.
The impact on this growing field of philanthropic endeavor has begun to show
signs of real progress in strengthening Ohio's economy.
"Spotlight on Economic Development Grantmaking in Ohio"
includes revealing data on economic development grantmaking, lists of top
grantmakers and recipients, insights from key grantmakers, and profiles of
Ohio foundations
that have prioritized giving in this field.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/foundation-doll.php
Marin Community Foundation Grants $450,000
for First Habitat for Humanity Homes in Marin County
To help build the first Habitat for Humanity homes in
Marin
County,
the Marin Community Foundation (MCF) has made a grant of $450,000 to support
the construction of four affordable single-family homes in the unincorporated
area of Strawberry. The Lower Eagle Rock development will enable four low-income
families earning 40 percent to 60 percent of the County's Area Median Income
- currently set at $37,000 to $55,000 for a family of four - to own their
own homes. Volunteer labor, donations of money and materials, and the "sweat
equity" of the families who will live there enable these homes to be
offered at this level of affordability.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/marin-community.php
**Economic Security
Real Wage Reversal Persists
Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show
that a combination of slower wage growth and faster inflation has led to falling
real hourly and weekly earnings for most workers. The Economic Snapshot from
the Economic Policy Institute shows the yearly change in real earnings
for the approximately 80% of the workforce that are non-managers in services
and blue-collar factory workers. After handily beating inflation last year,
wage growth began to slow as the economy lost speed in the last quarter of
2007.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/real-wage-rever.php
**Education
TV Show Spotlights Dropout Prevention:
Helping All Students Get on Track for Success
At a time when a high school diploma and further postsecondary
education or training is vital to getting a job in the knowledge-based economy,
the U.S. Department of Education's monthly TV show will offer tips for parents
and community strategies that work in a broadcast entitled, "Dropout
Prevention: Helping All Students Get on Track for Success."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/tv-show-spotlig.php
Educators, Students Call for Government-Higher
Education-Family Collaboration to Address
Soaring
College Costs
With the average price of college continuing to rise
considerably faster than per capita income, Americans are increasingly concerned
that soaring tuition costs and onerous loans will prevent qualified students
from pursuing a college education, according to participants in a public forum
on February 20th, presented by Public Agenda, the nonprofit, nonpartisan opinion
research and citizen engagement organization, and the National Center for
Public Policy and Higher Education at George Washington University.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/educators-stude.php
**Health
Health Care Insecurity Greatest among
Hispanics
Employer-based health insurance is eroding for everyone,
but among the major racial and ethnic groups, Hispanic workers are most likely
to work for small firms and in industry sectors that do not offer employer-based
insurance. Among whites, African Americans, and Hispanics, Hispanics experience
the most health care insecurity, according to the Rockefeller Foundation's
American Worker Survey. As compared to 17% of whites and 20% of African Americans,
26% of Hispanics do not visit the doctor because they are concerned about
costs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/health-care-ins.php
Health Care for America
A health care plan that combines the best elements of
the current employer-based system and the Medicare model would create big
savings, offer more choices, and guarantee affordable coverage to all U.S.
residents, according to a new cost and coverage analysis of Economic Policy Institute's plan by the Lewin
Group, a nationally respected nonpartisan consulting firm. Health Care for
America,
developed for EPI by Yale political scientist Jacob S. Hacker, would achieve
these goals and maximize consumers' health care choices without unraveling
existing health security.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/health-care-for-1.php
Calls for All Stakeholders to Work
Together to Help Medicaid to Provide Dental Care to Underserved Populations
The American Dental Association (ADA) called on all
concerned public agencies and private parties to work together to help Medicaid
fulfill its mission to provide dental care to vulnerable populations, particularly
low-income children. In a statement provided to the House Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, the ADA called on
health professionals, policymakers, parents and others to work to remove barriers
that block access to oral health care services.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/american-dental-3.php
**Nutrition and Healthy Living
Researchers Study Hispanic Children's
Activities, Views on Places to Play
Studies have shown that youthful playtime---running
in the park or playing ball in the schoolyard---fades by the time children
enter middle school years, sometimes with dangerous effects to their health.
An 18-month study will focus on 200 Hispanic fifth graders, monitor their
daily physical activity and record their views on places to be active, such
as parks or schoolyards. And because moms have so much influence in the home,
the study will also examine how moms view those locations and how their views
influence the child's likelihood of being active.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/uh-researchers.php
American Cancer Society Supports Menu
Labeling Bill
One in three cancer deaths are caused by poor diet and
obesity - a staggering statistic matched only by the number of cancer deaths
related to tobacco. We have seen the positive effects of education and outreach
when it comes to tobacco use. et millions of Californians
who eat out remain in the dark about the nutritional information of their
food. For this reason, the American Cancer Society strongly supports the
reintroduction of Senate Bill 1420 that would require restaurant chains with
15 or more locations to post nutrition information on menus and menu boards.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/02/american-cancer.php