Exposure to Terrorist Attacks Increases
Mental Health Problems in Children
A new report published in Clinical Psychology: Science
and Practice reveals that children exposed to terrorist attacks show elevated
symptoms of mental health problems, including post traumatic stress disorder,
separation anxiety disorder, and general anxiety disorder. Within this present
climate of heightened awareness about terrorism, many children are exposed
to what the authors termed "second-hand terrorism," in which media
disproportionately focus on the possibility of being a direct victim of future
terrorism.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/exposure-to-ter.php
Some Temper Tantrum Styles may be Associated
with Clinical Problems in Preschool Children
Temper tantrums are common among preschool children
3 to 6 years of age. Although these tantrums can range in duration and intensity,
many parents often worry whether tantrums are also symptoms of more serious
problems. A study published in the January issue of The Journal of Pediatrics
suggests that certain types of tantrums may indicate serious emotional or
behavioral disorders. The researchers compared the tantrums of children previously
diagnosed with depression and/or disruptive disorders, such as ADHD, with
those of healthy children. They found that healthy children were less aggressive
and, generally, had shorter tantrums.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/some-temper-tan.php
Improving Access to Child Care and
Early Education for Immigrant Families: A State Policy Checklist
State policies can promote, or impede, access to high-quality
child care and early education for immigrant families. Center
for Law and Social Policy
has created a technical assistance tool for states that lists recommended
policies that states can implement to address immigrant access to high-quality
child care and early education programs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/improving-acces-1.php
**************************************************************************
Have a Website? Place HandsNet Headlines on your site
– visit http://www.handsnet.org/addheadl.htm
************************************************************************
Selected State and Local Policies to
Support Immigrant and Limited English Proficient Early Care and Education
Providers
As the young child population is growing in diversity,
the early childhood field is facing a shortage of bilingual and bicultural
providers. According to the Center for Law and Social Policy, one way to increase the supply of
qualified, bilingual and culturally competent early care and education providers
is to assist providers from immigrant communities to gain the skills to become
licensed child care providers, as well as to provide supports to immigrant
providers in order to retain them in the early childhood field and to encourage
further professionalization and credentialing.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/selected-state.php
Child Care and Development Block Grant
Participation in 2006
A fact sheet from the Center for Law and Social Policy provides a snapshot of participation
in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2006. CCDBG
served a monthly average of 1.8 million children. While 29 states increased
the number of children served, 20 states served fewer children in 2006 than
in the previous year.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/child-care-and.php
In Pursuit of Assistance, Children
with Disabilities Face Complex, Fragmented Service System
In a new book "Meeting the Needs of Children with
Disabilities," researchers detail the challenges facing children with
disabilities and their parents when these families try to navigate the multiple,
complex public service systems intended to meet their multifaceted needs.
The authors underscore that while not a homogeneous group,
children with disabilities are more likely than other children to live
in poverty, live with only one parent, have parents who are in poor health
or unemployed. The researchers note very little coordination of services
among the top three federal programs for children with disabilities: Medicaid,
special education, and Supplemental Security Income.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/in-pursuit-of-a.php
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:
What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?
It is estimated that 10–15 percent of children living
on the streets in the United States
are trafficked for sexual purposes. This report from the National
Institute of Justice
explores research into the organization of the commercial sexual exploitation
of children (CSEC), the effects of CSEC on victims, and what measures are
being taken and can be taken in the future to prevent its occurrence. The
research found that CSEC takes place at three levels: local exploitation by
one or a few individuals, small regional networks involving multiple adults
and children, and large national or international sex crime networks where
children are traded and sold as commodities.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/commercial-sexu.php
**Civic Engagement
Muslim Americans Share Mainstream Views
Muslim Americans are highly involved in the political
process, relatively affluent and educated, and resemble the average American
in terms of party affiliation, education and family income, according to research
by an associate professor of sociology at UC Irvine. According to the study,
Muslim immigrants are not any different from earlier immigrant groups who
came to America
- they are motivated by the same desire to integrate and achieve a better
way of life.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/study-finds-mus.php
AFJ Announces the Launch of State Resources
Alliance for Justice is proud to introduce our new web-based
state law resources that will provide comprehensive guidance on several key
issues and help answer questions on nonprofit advocacy. Understanding federal
law is only the beginning, the challenge of navigating state law in addition
to federal rules and regulations can make grassroots organizing and advocacy
feel like an impossible maze, deterring many organizations from advocating
at their full potential. Our hope is that we can help you overcome the challenge
these laws present with the launch of our new state law resources.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/afj-announces-t.php
The James Irvine Foundation Announces
$12.7 Million in New Grants
The Board of Directors of The James Irvine Foundation
has approved 25 grants totaling more than $12.7 million in support of the
Foundation's mission of expanding opportunity for the people of California to
participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. Of the $12.7
million, $4.4 million will fund an initiative to create partnerships between
California high
schools and community colleges that are focused on dual-enrollment programs
as part of Irvine's
Youth program. Additionally, a grant in the California Perspectives program
provides $375,000 to Community Partners for efforts to engage Latino immigrants
in Southern California in state and local policymaking.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/the-james-irvin.php
**Community Development
Grants to Aid Hundreds of "Green"
Homes in Rural America
Fifteen local organizations in rural places around the
country will create hundreds of environmentally friendly "green"
homes with help from Green Fund Grants awarded by the Housing Assistance Council
through the generous support of The Home Depot Foundation. The grants support
green building techniques in homes specifically intended for low-income families,
both buyers and renters. Green buildings are constructed to ensure that they
are healthy for their occupants, more affordable to operate and maintain,
and environmentally friendly.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/grants-to-aid-h.php
Childhood Exposure to Disadvantaged
Neighborhoods Negatively Affects Verbal Ability
According to researchers and Harvard and New York Universities,
childhood exposure to severely disadvantaged communities is linked to decreased
verbal ability later in childhood, a lasting negative effect that continues
even after moving out of the neighborhood, according to research that will
be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Living in "concentrated disadvantage" decreases later verbal test
scores by about four IQ points, which is roughly equivalent to missing a year
of school.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/childhood-expos.php
Immigrant Children are at Increased
Risk of Lead Poisoning
Immigrant children are five times as likely as U.S-born
children to suffer from lead poisoning in New York City,
according to a new Health Department study, and the risk is highest among
the most recent immigrants. The new study of children tested for lead poisoning
in 2002, published online in the American Journal of Public Health this month,
found that children who had lived abroad within the previous six months were
11 times as likely as U.S.-born children to have lead poisoning.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/study-shows-imm.php
**Economic Security
Increase in Inequality is Highest on
Record
New, high-quality data from the Congressional Budget
Office, analyzed by the Economic
Policy Institute,
reveal an historical sharp increase in household income inequality over the
past few years. The increase in income concentration in the 2003-05 period has been the largest on record back to 1979, and has
resulted in a transfer of $400 billion dollars from households in the bottom
95% of the income scale to those in the top 5%.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/increase-in-ine.php
Four Strategies to Overcome Barriers
to Employment
According to MDRC, in the post-welfare reform world,
an important policy question has taken new prominence: how to improve employment
prospects for the millions of Americans who face serious obstacles to steady
work. These individuals, including long-term welfare recipients, people with
disabilities, those with health or behavioral health problems, and former
prisoners, often become trapped in costly public assistance and enforcement
systems and find themselves living in poverty, outside the mainstream in a
society that prizes work and self-sufficiency. MDRC is leading the evaluation
of four programs and in this first report in the
Hard-to-Employ evaluation describes the origin of the project and the rationale
for the demonstration, the research design, and the four programs and the
characteristics of their participants.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/four-strategies.php
Future Jobs Much like Current Jobs
There are many claims that the skills and education
of the workforce are not sufficient to meet the needs of the jobs of the future.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the projected occupational structure
in 2016 dictates that 28.7% of employees have a college degree or more at
that time, a rise of just 1 percentage point over the next 10 years. However,
there are clear issues of a lack of opportunity of lower- and middle-income
students having access to and completing a college education.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/future-jobs-muc.php
Strengthening State Adult Education
Policies for Low-Skilled Workers
This brief from the Center for Law and Social Policy, prepared for the Working Poor Families
Project (WPFP), provides an overview of state adult education policies and
programs and recommends ways they can be strengthened to provide better job
advancement opportunities for lower-skilled adults and older youth. Adults
with less than a high school diploma earn 25 percent less over their lifetimes
than high school graduates and 86 percent less than those with a college degree.
Most of these adults only qualify for low-wage work. With many states facing
greater demand for literacy services than available resources can offer,
states need to explore ways to increase funding.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/strengthening-s.php
**Education
Baltimore
City's High School Reform Initiative
This report presents findings from the first detailed
study of Baltimore's
5 year high school reform. Using administrative data, Urban Institute researchers
found that test scores and attendance rates were higher for students in Baltimore's innovation
high schools than in the city's comprehensive or newly formed neighborhood
high schools. Students in innovation and neighborhood schools also showed
more stability in their enrollment than their counterparts in comprehensive
schools.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/baltimore-citys.php
Education Department Awards Over $52 Million to 21 States in School Improvement Grants
U.S. Secretary of Education announced over $52 million
to 21 States, the first of $125 million in School Improvement Grants to help
turn around low-performing schools. The grants will help States take a greater
role in developing and delivering comprehensive leadership and technical assistance
to help reform schools and districts that aren't making adequate yearly progress
(AYP). School Improvement Grants support the steps States and school districts
are taking to improve standards and outcomes in low-performing schools so
that our nation's students can succeed in classroom and beyond.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/secretary-spell-12.php
**Health
Teachers Play Critical Role in Adolescent
Health Promotion Efforts
Teachers are among the most important influences in
the lives of school-aged children, yet relatively little emphasis has been
placed on examining the potential role general academic teachers may play
in facilitating adolescent health promotion efforts, according to a study
conducted by researchers at Columbia University's
Mailman School of Public Health and published in the Journal of School Health.
The study results indicate that teachers provide valuable information to school
personnel about what health issues are important to adolescents, in particular,
because they hear feedback from adolescents on a daily basis.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/teachers-play-c.php
Health Needs Higher for Kids of Abused
Moms
Children whose mothers have a history of abuse by intimate
partners have higher health care needs than children whose mothers have no
history of abuse, according to a study conducted at Group Health, a Seattle-based
health plan. Children are the other victims when (IPV) occurs in the home.
Health care utilization and health care costs were higher in most categories
of care for children whose mother had a history of IPV, with significantly
higher levels of mental health costs and services, primary care visits, primary
care costs, and laboratory costs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/health-needs-hi.php
Moderate Exercise Cuts Rate of Metabolic
Syndrome
Research from Duke University Medical Center shows
that even a modest amount of brisk walking weekly is enough to trim waistlines
and cut the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), an
increasingly frequent condition linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
It's estimated that about a quarter of all U.S. adults have MetS,
a cluster of risk factors associated with greater likelihood of developing
heart disease, diabetes and stroke: large waist circumference, high blood
pressure, high levels of triglycerides, low amounts of HDL, or "good"
cholesterol, and high blood sugar.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/moderate-exerci.php
**Hunger and Nutrition
Tufts Researchers Update their Food
Guide Pyramid for Older Adults
Tufts University researchers
have updated their Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults to correspond with
the USDA food pyramid, now known as MyPyramid.
The Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults continues
to emphasize nutrient-dense food choices and the importance of fluid balance,
but has added additional guidance about forms of foods that could best meet
the unique needs of older adults and about the importance of regular physical
activity.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/tufts-researche.php
**Nonprofit Management
TechSoup Receives United Way of the
Bay Area Grant to Help Local Nonprofits Strengthen Technology Infrastructure
San Francisco
technology assistance provider TechSoup (www.techsoup.org) announced it has received a grant
from United Way
of the Bay Area (http://www.uwba.org/), which it will use to help Bay Area
nonprofits strengthen their technology infrastructure. The grant supports
TechSoup's Healthy and Secure Computing Program (HSC) (www.techsoup.org/hsc), an initiative that equips small-
to medium-sized nonprofits with the resources they need to build and maintain
a secure technology infrastructure.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/techsoup-receiv.php
**Seniors
Message to the Elderly: It's Never
Too Late to Prevent Illness
A new study by a NewYork-Presbyterian
Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center physician-scientist
has an important message for the elderly: It's not too late to improve your
health through diet and exercise, even if you've had an unhealthy lifestyle
in the past! The report surveyed scientific literature and found that adults,
65 and older, can have significant health improvements with simple and realistic
lifestyle changes. It found that risk can be reduced for many diseases --
including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/message-to-the.php
**Substance Abuse
Domestic Violence Identified as Stressor
Associated with Smoking
A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
researchers has found an association between domestic violence and adult smoking.
The researchers found that, for women who had ever been married, 19% reported
incidents of abuse; 85% of abused women reported abuse by their husbands.
The study found that women who reported past and current abuse had 20%-40%
increased odds of tobacco use compared with women reporting no abuse, even
after controlling for factors such as income and education level. Another
finding was that smoking risk increased for any adult in households where
domestic violence was prevalent, regardless of whether they were personally
a victim, a perpetrator or neither.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/domestic-violen-1.php
