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Agriculture
Appropriations, Child Nutrition Reauthorization, Budget Process
From: Food Research and
Action Center
In the next few weeks
Congress will take action on a number of vital appropriations, reauthorization
and procedural issues. Contact your
representatives and make your voices heard.
http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/cnreauthor/cnalert061004.htm
**Children, Youth &
Families
Dads and
Daughters: The One Stop Resource for Fathers of Daughters; Nonprofit Provides
Educational Resources, Forums, Advocacy Campaigns
Dads and Daughters released
the results of the first national poll on father-daughter relationships,
conducted by Roper International. According to the poll, which surveyed a
representative sample of 424 American fathers of daughters, 74 percent say
their relationships with their daughters are excellent or good. Yet as many as
two-thirds of fathers don't think their active involvement is vital to their daughters'
well being.
http://www.dadsanddaughters.org/Poll_Results.html
Retaliation
for Violence Plays a Larger Role for Preteen Girls than Preteen Boys
Researchers at The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia find that girls in middle and elementary schools
involved in violent incidents may be more likely than boys of the same age to
be retaliating for a previous event, to experience the violence at home, and to
have a family member intervene. The
researchers surveyed 190 children aged 8 to 14 brought to the hospital's
emergency department for injuries caused by interpersonal violence.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=159681&TICK=CHOP&STORY=/www/story/06-07-2004/0002188944&EDATE=Jun+7,+2004
CDC Reports Latest Data on
Suicide Behaviors, Risk Factors, and Prevention
Analysis of data on suicide
methods by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that among
youth aged 10-14 years, suffocation has replaced firearms as the most common
method of suicide. The findings were released along with data on the
relationship between suicide attempts and physical fighting in high school
students, school-associated suicides and suicide trends in Hispanic
populations. Suicide remains the third
leading cause of death among young people in this country.
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r040610.htm
School-Based
Interpersonal Psychotherapy Seems to be Effective for Treating Depressed
Adolescents
According to an article in
The Archives of General Psychiatry, adolescents who received interpersonal
psychotherapy for depression at school-based health clinics had fewer symptoms
of depression after 12 to 16 weeks than their peers who received other kinds of
psychotherapy at school.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-06/jaaj-sip060304.php
20-Year
Study Shows No Single Outcome for Children of Divorce; Some Children Do Better
After Divorce, Some Do Worse - Even in the Same Family
The Council on Contemporary
Families announced the publication of a 20-year study of families after
divorce. The report represents the first
major long-term study of divorce that includes joint as well as sole custody families,
and includes parents and stepparents as well as all the children in the family.
Contrary to the optimistic predictions of 1970s researchers or the more
pessimistic warnings of some 1990s best-sellers, the response of children to
their parents' divorce is extremely varied. The good news is that when the dust
settles, in most cases the children grow up to be effective adults who sustain
their family connections and commitments.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20040608.135601&time=14%2021%20PDT&year=2004&public=1
No
Evidence Welfare Reform Led to More Marriages
Researchers have found that
Welfare reforms enacted during the 1990s did not deter women from becoming
single mothers. The new emphasis on work may have actually given women greater
financial independence, thereby decreasing their incentives to marry, according
to two articles published in the latest issue of the journal Demography. The studies show that welfare reform is
associated with a decrease in the number of new divorces, but no evidence that
welfare reform led to an increase in the number of new marriages.
http://www.prb.org/cpipr/cpiprnewsrelease22.html
Economic
Resources, Supportive Relationships Linked to Marriage Among
Unwed Parents
According to an article
published in the latest issue of the journal Demography, both economic and
interpersonal factors play a role in the likelihood that unwed parents will
marry by their child's first birthday.
Researchers found that women who trusted men to be sexually faithful
were more likely to marry. Couples who believed marriage was better for
children and superior to living together were more likely to marry as well.
Fathers' problems with alcohol or drug use, as well as higher levels of
conflict in the relationship, discouraged cohabitation. Physical violence
contributed to couples' breaking up.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20040609.070613&time=07%2025%20PDT&year=2004&public=1
**Community Development
Low-Income,
Minority Populations Lack Places for Physical Activity; Study Finds Race,
Ethnicity, Economic Status Play Role in Access to Physical Activity Settings
According to a national
study, certain racial, ethnic and low-income populations have less access to
places for physical activity.
Researchers from ImpacTeen, a policy research
program based at the University of Illinois at Chicago and supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
found that higher median household income and lower poverty rates are
associated with greater availability of physical activity-related settings.
Communities with higher proportions of some minority races are likely to have
fewer physical activity settings.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20040609.124715&time=13%2050%20PDT&year=2004&public=1
Growing
the Middle Class
A study from the Brookings
Institution reports that Miami-Dade is failing to retain residents, including
immigrants, who have successfully moved up the income ladder, resulting in a
small middle class. This report defines
this challenge by examining the underlying trends, explaining some of the
reasons behind them, and suggesting policies that will help grow the middle class.
http://www.brookings.org/urban/publications/20040607_miami.htm
**Disabilities
DOL
Announces $1.5 Million Grant Aimed at Ending Chronic Homelessness Among People with Disabilities
The Department of Labor
announced the availability of a $1.5 million technical assistance grant
designed to help fulfill the Bush Administration’s ten-year goal of ending
chronic homelessness among persons with disabilities. The grant will strengthen
customized employment and permanent housing services so that chronically
homeless people with disabilities may live, work and fully participate in their
communities. The grant, known as the
Chronic Homelessness Employment Technical Assistance Initiative, is awarded
over a 36-month period of performance with additional option years and funds
available depending on performance and future funding availability.
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/odep/ODEP20041033.htm
**Economic Security
The Administration's
EITC Simplification Proposals
An analysis from the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities gives high marks to a package of legislative
proposals in the Administration's budget that would simplify the Earned Income
Tax Credit and reduce EITC errors significantly, without harming eligible
families.
http://www.cbpp.org/6-9-04tax.htm
Job Quality Dims for New
High School Graduates
The Snapshot
from the Economic Policy Institute offers a sneak preview of the forthcoming
book, The State of Working America 2004/2005, shows that the quality of jobs
available to young workers one to five years after graduation has deteriorated
markedly. The report shows that real
wages, health care benefits, and pension coverage for this group are now well
below 1979 levels.
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_06092004
**Education
NLC
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families Releases Study Highlighting
Municipal Roles in School Improvement
According to a new study
released by the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and
Families, vigorous leadership by mayors and city council members can yield big
dividends through improvements in the quality of public education. Stronger Schools, Stronger Cities is the
culmination of a 30-month technical assistance project led by the Institute to
support and assist municipal leaders in promoting school improvements within
their own communities. The report
profiles municipal leadership efforts in six cities with widely varying models
of school governance.
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/newsroom/nations_cities_weekly/display.cfm?id=87F67C17-7927-45B4-92C8024C309C726B
**Health
Parents' Views on
Well-Child Care
A study
partially funded by the Commonwealth Fund finds that while many parents are
satisfied with the care provided by physicians during well-child visits,
critical areas of health care and development are not being addressed. Results
of the National Survey of Early Childhood Health were released by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, & Communities.
http://www.cmwf.org/media/releases/nsech_release06072004.asp
Public Service
Campaign to Promote Breastfeeding Awareness Launched
The Health and Human
Services’ Office on Women’s Health announced the launch of a new national
campaign that encourages first-time mothers to breastfeed exclusively for six
months. The United States has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the
developed world. While most new mothers initiate breastfeeding, more than
one-half discontinue by six months. Recent studies have shown that breastfed
babies are less likely to develop ear infections, respiratory illness and
diarrhea and may have reduced risk for childhood obesity.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040604.html
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