In the counties of Eastern North Carolina, children are hard at work in dense acreage of tobacco plants, some working 60 hours a week to supplement their parents' income. They face dangers such as acute nicotine poisoning and the risk of dropping out of school.  And some are just 8 years old.

 

Find out how Fusion TV's Rayner Ramirez and Gabe Thompson of The Nation uncovered the story and learn about the obstacles they overcame along the way. Read more. 

 

 

JCCF presents a new opportunity for emerging and established journalists to get funding for their reporting.The 2014 Equal Voice Journalism Fellowship and Scholarship Program, sponsored by the Marguerite Casey Foundation, aims to increase the public's understanding of poverty in the U.S.

 

Professional journalists can apply for an Equal Voice Journalism Fellowship which provides a $4000 reporting stipend plus up to $1000 in travel reimbursement. College-enrolled student journalists may apply for the Equal Voice Journalism Scholarship which offers $1000 and up to $800 for travel. Read more. 

On the Brink in Brownsville
The New York Times, Mosi Secret | May 1
Brownsville is one of New York's poorest neighborhoods. Shamir teeters between the influence of neighborhood kids who have already committed serious crimes and people like his brother and parents, who have made it out of Browsville's crime-laden corners.

 

Health Care For Foster Youth, if They Can Find it
Marketplace, Sarah Alvarez | May 1
The Affordable Care Act allows young people to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26. But what about foster youth? Young people who aged out of foster care can sign up for extended Medicaid, but states have done little outreach about the provision.

 

Boy Joins Protest Blocking Traffic Near Congress To Highlight Immigration Reform Need
The Huntsville (Ala.) Times, Brian Lawson | April 30
Yahir Servin, an 11-year-old from Russellville, Ala., joined other children for a nonviolent protest in Washington, D.C. Yahir is an American citizen but his father entered the country unlawfully.

 

In Chicago, Advocate Finds Way to Bridge Gap for At-Risk Preschoolers

McClatchy/The Hechinger Report, Sara Neufeld | April 29
Ruth Kimble has ideas about how to get preschoolers prepared for kindergarten and beyond, and she's implementing them in her community. The grandmother and educator offers day care and preschool in a violent and impoverished section of Chicago.

 

The Photo Shoot That Changed a Teen's Life
CNN, Kelly Wallace | April 29
A professional photographer teams up with children in foster care to take portraits of them that truly showcase their personality.

 

Why Low-Income Kids Thrive in Salt Lake City
National Journal, Nancy Cook | April 29
Salt Lake City was named one of the best places in the country for upward mobility in 2013. To maintain its status and address population changes, government officials, civic leaders and the powerful Mormon church are pursing various strategies to ensure schools and neighborhoods continue to boost low-income children up the income ladder.

 

The DREAM Movement's New Agenda
Feet in 2 Worlds, Von Diaz | April 28

The struggle for immigrant rights is changing, as some young activists turn away from the DREAMer movement and its push for a path to citizenship.

 

National High School Graduation Rate Exceeds 80% For First Time
Los Angeles Times, Lalita Clozel |April 28
Graduation rates in the U.S. have risen eight percent in six years. Still, champagne corks are not popping. Low-income youth, children of color, English language learners and students with disabilities have much lower chances of getting their diplomas.

 

Shotgun Weddings Becoming Relics of Another Time
USA Today, Sharon Jayson | April 26
For a growing number of unmarried couples, a wedding is not the first reaction to an unexpected pregnancy. New studies suggest the so-called "shotgun wedding" is rapidly becoming a relic.

 

American Children Pose With Their Guns
WIRED, Jakob Schiller |April 25
A Dutch photographer was able to get pro-gun parents in the U.S. to agree to let her photograph portraits of their children with their firearms.

 

El Paso Struggles With Lack of English-Speaking Foster Homes
The Texas Tribune, Alexa Ura | April 24
A unique problem has surfaced in El Paso, Texas, a border community that is home to a growing U.S. Army base: the number of children from military families in need of foster families is far greater than the number of English-speaking foster families in the area.

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act: Tools and expansion
May 6, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. ET
Urban Institute
Washington, D.C.
Currently, thousands of institutions release loan-level mortgage data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. Presenters will provide tools and context for this data.

Best for Babies: The child development case for paid family and medical leave

A Congressional briefing on how national paid family and medical leave can boost outcomes for very young children and benefit employers, taxpayers and the economy.

Right on Time? Early initiatives for promoting employment
May 8, 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET
Mathematica Policy Research
Washington, D.C. or webcast
A disability policy forum where a panel will discus Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and vocational rehabilitation (VR) as means to promote entry or re-entry into the workforce.

A Foundation for Prosperity
May 13, 10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. ET
American Enterprise Institute
Washington, D.C. or webcast
Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) will suggest reforms to break the cycle of poverty many Americans still live in, 50 years after President Lyndon B. Johnson waged the War on Poverty.

An Intelligent Consumer's Guide to Poverty Measurement
May 14, 1p.m. - 2p.m. CT
Institute for Research on Poverty at Wisconsin
Webinar
Two experts will explain and contrast various measure of poverty and how to understand poverty at the local and regional level.