**Children, Youth &
Families
Preschool
Pays Off
This commentary from a RAND researcher
appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on September
20, 2006. Sixty-two
percent of children under the age of 6 in Pennsylvania need care while their parents or guardians
work. In the near term, quality preschool can boost children's ability to
learn and succeed in school. In the longer term, the benefits can translate
into substantial savings for government, taxpayers and businesses.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/preschool_pays.php
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No
Shelter from the Storm: America's Uninsured Children
Over the past 10 years,
the advent of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the
increased push for children's coverage that the new program created have led
to marked declines in the number of uninsured children. And despite the common
misconception that these children somehow manage to get the care they need
even though they are uninsured, the truth is that uninsured children fare
far worse than their insured counterparts when it comes to a host of crucial
medical services, including doctor visits, dental care, vision care, and prescription
drugs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/no_shelter_from.php
Building
Bridges Between the Healthy Marriage, Responsible
Fatherhood, and Domestic Violence Movements
This brief from the Center
for Law and Social Policy explores how the healthy marriage, responsible
fatherhood, and domestic violence communities can work together to promote
the well-being of families and children. It explains some of the barriers
to building bridges between the three communities, and it suggests issues
around which cooperative work is possible. These initiatives funded a number
of state and local programs to strengthen existing marriages and prepare interested
individuals and couples for marriage in the future.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/building_bridge_1.php
**Civic Engagement
The
Benefits to Donating Blood
The importance of donating
blood cannot be underestimated. Thousands of U.S. corporations, organizations, and associations
are working to create a "donation friendly America" by joining the Workplace Partnership
for Life. Participants offer employees or members an opportunity to learn
about,discuss, and make decisions concerning the donation
of organs, tissue, marrow and blood.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/the_benefits_to.php
**Community Development
Getting
Ready for the Next Generation of Older Adults
Recently released national
studies have raised concern about the "aging readiness" of our communities.
"A Healthy Community Perspective on Aging Well" features six case
studies from throughout the country where communities are making a difference
in the health and quality of life of older adults. "While the publication
was primarily written for California, the ideas can be applied anywhere,"
according to the executive director of the Center for the Civic Partnerships
at the Public Health Institute.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/getting_ready_f.php
HUD
Awards $18.1 Million in Grants to Help Fight Housing Discrimination
The Department of Housing
and Urban Development awarded $18.1 million in grants to 102 groups in 85
cities throughout the nation to help reduce housing discrimination. The grants,
funded through HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives Program, will be used to investigate
allegations of housing discrimination, educate the public and the housing
industry about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act,
and work to promote equal housing opportunities.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/hud_awards_181.php
Refugee
Resettlement in Metropolitan America
Though comprising only 10
percent of annual immigration to the U.S., refugees are a distinct component
of the foreign-born population in many metropolitan areas. Using data from
the Census and the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, this report from
the Brookings
Institution examines where refugees come from---documenting significant
region-specific flows tied to various overseas conflicts---and where they
land, finding that refugee destinations have shifted away from typical immigrant
gateways housing large foreign-born populations to newer, often smaller, places.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/refugee_resettl.php
HUD
Awards $6 Million in Grants to Hispanic-Serving Universities for Community
Development
The Department of Housing
and Urban Development announced $6 million in competitive grants to 10 Hispanic-Serving
Institutions (HSI) to help revitalize low-income neighborhoods near their
campuses and bring new opportunities to students and working families living
there. The grants which are administered by HUD's Office of University Partnerships
range from $527,000 to $600,000. HSIC grants are awarded under HUD's Hispanic-Serving
Institutions Assisting Communities program.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/hud_awards_6_mi.php
**Economic Security
Most
Low-Income Parents are Employed, 2006
This fact sheet from the
National Center for
Children in Poverty includes children who live apart from both parents
(for example, foster children or children being raised by grandparents).
Previous versions of this fact sheet counted children living apart from parents
differently; therefore, comparisons with versions published prior to September
2006 are not valid. Despite low levels of unemployment, average household
income has declined substantially since 2000. The number of children living
in low-income families has continued to rise.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/most_lowincome.php
Revisiting
NAFTA: Still Not working For North America's Workers
According to the
Economic Policy Institute, When it was passed in
1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement was sold to the people of each
nation on the promise that it would bring large net benefits in better jobs
and faster growth. Twelve years later, it is clear that the costs to workers
outweighed the benefits in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/revisiting_naft.php
Researchers
Show Maps can be Powerful Tools in Fighting Poverty
The maps included in "Where
the Poor Are" show how advances in data collection and technology can
be used to put poverty-related indicators into meaningful visual context.
According to the Director for Science Applications at CIESIN, these maps and
data sets help broaden the understanding of the relationship between poverty
and geography--beyond the more common urban-rural framework.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/researchers_sho_1.php
Experiment
Will Test the Effectiveness of Post-Prison Employment Programs
Offering transitional jobs
to ex-convicts --- immediate, closely supervised work and help finding permanent
employment --- is a growing tactic in the effort to usher felons back to society
and curb recidivism. Now the effectiveness of this approach is about to be
tested scientifically for the first time. Starting in January, the employment
and recidivism rates of 2,000 newly released male prisoners, all with similar
histories of little work and poor schooling, will be studied in Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Chicago. The experiment is being sponsored
by the Joyce Foundation in Chicago and directed by the Manpower Development
Research Corporation in New York, which specializes in scientific studies
of poverty programs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/experiment_will.php
**Education
Keeping
Watch on Reading First
The report from the Center
on Education Policy finds that Reading First has led to many changes in
curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and that significant
majorities of participating states and districts credit Reading First
for student achievement gains, according to surveys conducted for the report.
Of the 35 states reporting achievement gains in the survey, 19 reported that
Reading First instructional programs were an important or very important cause
for improvement, while 16 said that Reading First assessments were an important
or very important cause.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/keeping_watch_o.php
Effects
of High School Students' Competencies on Postsecondary Earnings and Educational
Attainment
Does the growing focus on
academic test scores to measure educational success aid schools in helping
students develop the most important skills and abilities they will need in
life? A new issue brief from Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.,
looks at how students' competencies in high school relate to postsecondary
educational attainment and earnings later in life.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/effects_of_high.php
**Health
HHS
Announces Efforts to Expand and Streamline Access to Long-Term Care in Communities
The Department of Health
and Human Services announced nearly $6 million in additional funding to 22
states to expand their efforts to establish single entry points to long-term
care for families who are trying to learn about and access services in their
communities. These Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) grants are
part of the President's New Freedom Initiative and the Administration's commitment
to bring transparency to health and long-term care so consumers can make informed
decisions about their care options.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/hhs_announces_e.php
HHS
Announces More Than $13 Million for Community Prevention Programs for Older
Americans
The Department of Health
and Human Services announced the release of more than $13 million to 16 states
to improve the health and quality of life for older Americans. This announcement,
part of a collaboration with The Atlantic Philanthropies announced earlier
this year, supports the Administration’s HealthierUS
Initiative which encourages people to take control over their health in order
to live longer, better and healthier lives. HHS will support efforts over
three years in up to 16 states to support the delivery of evidence based programs
for senior aging services provider organizations, such as senior centers,
nutrition programs, senior housing projects and faith based organizations.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/hhs_announces_m.php
Medicaid
Changes Require Close Monitoring
This report from The Commonwealth Fund analyzes
the provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) and assesses their
implications for the provision of early childhood preventive and developmental
services in Medicaid. The DRA may have significant effects, given the high
proportion of young children enrolled in Medicaid---28 percent of all children
under age 6 in 2001-and the broad range of services covered.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/medicaid_change.php
Medicare
Insurers to Offer More Options in 2007
Medicare beneficiaries will
have access to more options for prescription drug coverage in 2007, with many
insurers offering better value and a larger number of medications, the Bush
administration announced on September 29. The drug program got off to a chaotic
start in January. But the Bush administration, realizing that health care
could be a potent issue for Democrats in midterm elections this fall, appears
to have solved many of the biggest problems.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/medicare_insure_1.php
**Hunger and Nutrition
FRAC
Issues New Tool for Evaluating School Wellness Policies
According to the Food Research
and Action Center, school districts with significant
numbers of low-income students have the responsibility to implement local
wellness policies that meet the specific needs of their students. Schools
must play an important role in low-income children's health and well-being
by providing an affordable source of healthy food and no-cost opportunities
for physical activity in a safe environment.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/frac_issues_new.php
**Nonprofit Management
4
In 10 Nonprofits Would Have Trouble Implementing Sarbanes-Oxley's Audit Committee
Provisions
Applying the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act's audit committee provisions to nonprofit organizations would test the
administrative mettle of two-fifths of America's charities, according to initial
findings from the Urban Institute's National Survey of Nonprofit Governance.
Only 20 percent of the survey's respondents had an independent audit committee,
ranging from 15 percent among nonprofits with under $100,000 in annual expenses
to 58 percent among those with over $40 million.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/4_in_10_nonprof.php
Leadership
Series for Board Members - How to Renew, Refresh, and Re-energize Your Board
This Webcast hosted by Local
Initiatives Support Corporation will present a discussion of board renewal
through long-term and long lasting strategies rather than the quick fix, short
and fleeting approaches. The featured speaker will be Dr. Freiwirth
share her perspective, both from her research and
rich experience in the Greater Boston area, on nonprofit board vitality and
renewal.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/leadership_seri.php
President
of Ford Foundation Announces Plans to Retire
Susan V. Berresford, the president of the Ford Foundation since 1996,
announced that she would retire in January 2008, when she turned 65. Berresford's
tenure as president, the foundation's assets grew to $11.4 billion from about
$8 billion, enabling it to build programs to increase home ownership for low-income
Americans, offer graduate fellowships for thousands of poor students around
the world and, most recently, create an organization to underwrite individual
artists.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/president_of_fo.php
**Substance Abuse
Oregon
School Will Study Many Facets of Methamphetamine Addiction
The National Institute on
Drug Abuse has given $5 million to the Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA Medical Center
to launch the Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center (MARC). The center will
study every aspect of methamphetamine addiction, from genetics to treatment,
and will seek to swiftly translate research findings into practice.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/10/oregon_school_w.php
