JCCFNews Summary
February 13, 2014

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Best Practices: Multilingual Children
  Photo Courtesy of Foundation for Child Development

 

The Society for Research in Child Development released a new Social Policy Report this week illuminating the diverse development and learning of multilingual children. The report emphasizes that there is no "typical" multilingual family, and the report's authors include a policy action plan to best support children's language and literacy development. 

 

Daniel Chen was born to Chinese immigrant parents. Throughout his childhood, Chen's English improved while his Shanghainese eroded, leaving him unable to communicate fluidly with his parents. 

 

Patrick Marion Bradley relayed Chen's experience in The Washington Post Magazine piece, "Learning Chinese to Fix the Language Barrier that Leaves Parents and Son Near-Strangers." Bradley spoke to JCCF about covering language barriers among immigrant families here.  

News
News of Note

 

Cafeteria Incident Renews Debate on School Lunch Debt

Education Week, Evie Blad | Feb. 13

School districts handle lunchroom debts differently. A Salt Lake City school cafeteria worker's decision to take away lunches from 32 students got the attention of school nutrition leaders and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which says that it will compile best practices for addressing overdrawn lunch accounts.

 

Through the Internet, Gay Teens Connected to Larger Community

NPR, Steve Henn | Feb. 13

Over the past 20 years, the internet has allowed gay kids to connect, find support and form communities.

 

What Do the Jobless Do When the Benefits End?

The Washington Post, Ylan Q. Mui | Feb. 12

Never in more than 65 years have so many workers been without a job and without a government lifeline. How do people survive when they suddenly have no money coming in?

 

Florida Moves to Better Manage Health Care for Foster Kids

Miami Herald and Kaiser Health News, Marissa Evans | Feb. 12

Florida will create a special Medicaid plan to closely manage the care of foster children. The idea is to close some of the gaps in services and provide physical, behavioral and dental health care.

 

Heroin's Small-Town Toll, and a Mother's Grief

The New York Times, Deborah Sontag | Feb. 10

In the wake of the prescription painkiller epidemic, heroin has wormed its way into unsuspecting communities as a cheaper and more easily obtained alternative.

 

100,000 Homes: Housing the homeless saves money? (Video)

60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper | Feb. 9

The 100,00 Homes Campaign targets chronically homeless people and gives them apartments. It may seem counterintuitive, but there's evidence that the approach saves taxpayers money, and the cities and counties affiliated with the movement have so far managed to get 80,000 people off the streets.

 

My Baby and AOL's Bottom Line (Opinion)

Slate, Deanna Fei | Feb. 9

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong is under fire for citing two "distressed babies" as the reason for paring employee benefits. Here, a mother of one of the babies describes how her family "supposedly became a drain on AOL's coffers."

 

Changing Face of Hmong Youth (Audio)

KVPR, The kNOw Youth Media, Mai Chong Vang | Feb. 7

Chonny is Hmong and her family practices Shamanism. Both Hmong and American cultures influence her, and she is challenged by each culture's perspective on body image.

 

Would You Want Your 12-Year-Old Child Picking Tobacco? (Video)

Fusion, Rayner Ramirez | Feb. 4
A Fusion investigation finds children as young as 8 and 10 working in North Carolina's tobacco fields
Events
Events

Feb.18,  9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. CT
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Chicago and webcast
A forum exploring the connection between healthy child development and well-being, and steps to improve well-being and developmental functioning. 

Feb. 19, 7 p.m. ET
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
College Park, Md.
A panel of professionals, including former University of Maryland Men's Basketball Coach Gary Williams and top high school recruits.

Feb. 24, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET
Urban Institute
Washington, D.C. or webcast
A discussion with leading experts on the role of higher education in creating opportunities and the uncertainty of the current economy. 

Feb. 27, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
New America Foundation
Washington, D.C.
Experts in the fields of education, library science and technology will discuss the problem of internet accessibility and what can be done to meet the needs of schools, libraries and communities. 

Opportunities
Opportunities

Ongoing
Poynter Institute News University
A free webinar to help reporters find and tell powerful stories about the suburban poor. 

Deadline: Feb. 21
Princeton University
A 10-day seminar on journalism for high school students from low-income backgrounds. 

Deadline: Feb. 24
Institute for Justice & Journalism

The issues faced by immigrant children and their families will be the focus of the Institute for Justice & Journalism's 2014 Immigration in the Heartland fellowship program. Up to 16 journalists will be chosen for the conference, to be held April 27-30, at the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord College of Journalism and Communication.

 

JCamp

Deadline: March 16

Asian American Journalists Association

A six-day intensive journalism training program for high school students. Applicants of all races and ethnicities are encouraged to apply.


Deadline: Early 2014
Data Driven Journalism and European Journalism Centre
A free 5-module online introductory course with five leading experts. 
Journalism Center on Children & Families |1100 Knight | University of Maryland | College Park, MD 20742
www.journalismcenter.org