JCCF NEWS SUMMARY
June 20, 2013

KIDS COUNT: A First Look at the New State Rankings on Children's Well-Being

  

 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation will release its 24th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book -- featuring national and state profiles of children's well-being on June 24. Journalists are invited to take an early look at the new state rankings under the one-week embargo period that ends at 12:01 a.m. EDT, Monday, June 24, at which time stories can be broadcast or can appear online or in print.

 

Please contact Sue Lin Chong, [email protected] or 410.223.2836 for information on how to access the embargoed materials.

 

A new KIDS COUNT Data Center is also being launched on June 24 that will offer a variety of ways to access data on thousands of indicators of child well-being at the state, city, community level and even school district level in many cases. Information is also available on racial and ethnic groups, including children in immigrant families. The new Data Center provides new search options and can be accessed on mobile devices at mobile.kidscount.org.

 

  

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 Event: AFI Docs

 

12 O'Clock Boys, Courtesy of AFI Docs

 

AFI Docs (the festival formerly known as Silver Docs) takes place in Washington D.C June 19- 23.  The festival features new non-fiction films on a range of subjects, including a handful of that depict the lives of youth in the U.S.  The festival is a chance to see some of these powerful documentaries on a large screen, perhaps before they get picked up by PBS or HBO or another network for distribution. Here's a list of seven flicks that caught our attention and might pique your interest, along with links to the trailers.

 

Lost for Life. More than 2500 individuals are serving life-without-parole sentences for violent crimes they committed as juveniles. What is the meaning of justice, punishment, mercy, redemption and forgiveness? Watch a preview

 

Remote Area Medical documents volunteer-run, pop-up clinics that provide much-needed basic health care to uninsured Americans. Watch a preview.

 

Teenage. The word "teenager" didn't even exist until 1945. This film blends archival footage, home movies and re-creations to illuminate youth culture and explore the history of the period between childhood and adulthood. Watch a preview

 

12 O'Clock Boys.  Growing up on the streets of inner city Baltimore, 13-year-old Pug wants to join a notorious urban gang of illegal dirt-bike riders.Watch a preview

 

Best Kept Secret. At a public high school for youth with special needs in Newark, New Jersey, a dedicated teacher struggles to prepares her autistic students for an independent life at age 21. Watch a preview

 

I Learn America. One in four children in the U.S. is an immigrant or was born to immigrant parents. This film follows four New American students over one year as they struggle with English, adolescence, and adapting to a new culture. Watch a preview

 

Life According to Sam documents a family's fight to save their son from progeria, a rare and incurable disease that causes rapid aging. Watch a preview

 

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NewsNEWS OF NOTE

 

From Foster Care to College: A Little Help Improving the Odds

Southern Education Desk, Dan Carsen | June 19

College students coming from foster care face extra hurdles. A new program at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa offers guidance, information, support and camaraderie to help improve their odds.

 

HPV Vaccine Reduces Cancer Virus in Girls by 56%

USA Today, Elizabeth Weise | June 19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a striking decline in the prevalence of the cancer-causing human papillomavirus among teen girls since vaccination began in 2006.

 

Food Stamps: Military Families Redeem $100 Million a Year in SNAP Benefits

Huffington Post, Michael McAuliff | June 19

The House version of the farm bill would cut over $20 billion in food stamp benefits to Americans, including active duty soldiers' families and disabled veterans.

 

Men More Involved at Home, With Child Care

Tulsa World/Associated Press, Beth Harpaz | June 17

As working moms increasingly become the norm, and as their financial contributions become more critical, fathers are increasing the amount of time they spend on household chores and child care.

 

Fostering Family: Programs Support Babies Born with Alcohol, Drug Exposure

Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star, Nicholas Bergin | June 16

About 400,000 children born each year are affected by prenatal alcohol or illicit drug exposure.

 

Mentor Made the Difference for Homeless Teen with Dream to Fly

Tampa Bay Times, Leonora LaPeter Anton | June 16

With the help and support of his family and his mentor, 18-year-old Robert Utley graduates from high school and joins the Navy.

 

Graduates From Low-Performing D.C. Schools Face Tough College Road

The Washington Post, Emma Brown | June 16

Past valedictorians of low-performing District high schools say they were not equipped to excel at the nation's top colleges.

 

In Colorado, Child Care the Key Between Self-Sufficiency and the Cliff

KUNC 91.5, I-News Network and Burt Hubbard | June 15

Child care assistance doesn't reach about three-fourths of Colorado's working poor and generally fails the other fourth's attempt to escape poverty.

 

Congress Turns Its Back on Rural America

BillMoyers.com, Sequester Watch, Greg Kaufmann | June 13

Sequester cuts in some cases may be more significant in rural areas, where families might have to travel great distances to find important housing, utilities, employment, medical care and child care services.

 

What Happens to Women Who Are Denied Abortions?

The New York Times, Joshua Lang | June 12

A study asks the question, what could the women who did not have the abortions they sought tell us about the women who did?

 

When Domestic Violence Becomes a Mass Shooting

The Stranger (Seattle), Anna Minard | June 12

Mass shootings that escalate from domestic-violence situations happen more often than you think.

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EventsEVENTS


June 24, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m ET 
American Enterprise Institute 
Washington, D.C.  
A research conference to reinvigorate discussions about student financial aid programs. 
 
June 26, 12:15 - 2 p.m ET
New America Foundation
Washington, D.C. 
An examination of the implications of the federal education and fiscal debates for children and families. 
 
June 27, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
First Focus, Foundation for Child Development
Washington, D.C. 
Join Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-New York) for a briefing on the social safety net's impact on child well-being.  
 
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Opportunities
OPPORTUNITIES
 
 
Deadline: July 1
Religion Newswriters Association
The scholarships give full-time journalists up to $5,000 to take any college religion courses at any accredited institution at any time. 

 

The MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program

Deadline: July 1

The Gerontological Society of America and New America Media

Selected Fellows will attend GSA's 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting and commit to completing one short-term story and a long-term in-depth project of their own design. 

 
Deadline: July 15
Youth Media Reporter
YMR is a peer-review journal, bringing together both academic research papers, journalism and multimedia from pioneering and emerging voices in youth media. 
 
Deadline: August 1
NW Film Center
Celebrates the next generation of youth filmakers in the Northwest by showcasing work around the region. Submissions are judged by a jury of professional filmmakers and educators. 
 
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ABOUT THE JCCF NEWS SUMMARY

Mina Dixon, Editor 


The Journalism Center on Children & Families, a program of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism, is a national nonprofit organization committed to supporting media coverage of children, youth and families, particularly the disadvantaged. The JCCF News Summary helps journalists and others keep in touch with the latest news, policy analysis and research reports on critical social issues that impact families and communities. We encourage redistribution of this material with credit given to the Journalism Center on Children & Families.

Journalists are encouraged to submit their stories for consideration for publication in the JCCF News Summary and on our website. Please send story links to: [email protected]. Stories should be archived and free of access charges for at least seven days.
 
JCCF thanks The Annie E. Casey Foundation for its generous support of our work.
 
www.journalismcenter.org

 

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