Kids Count 2013 Data Book Available: The Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT Data Book is the definitive resource on how children are faring in the United States. This year's Data Book ranks states in four domains: Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. Visit the KIDS COUNT Data Center for state-specific datasheets, state-to-state comparisons and state rankings, and other online data tools.
Single Parenthood facts: This single parent infographic is packed with key facts on the status of single parenthood, including the cost of raising a child, employment and the rise of poverty. It is housed on a website created to be used as a resource for single moms. It has information careers, education, grants, scholarships, help with housing, parenting tips, health and finances.
Marriage on the Rocks: Economic and Social Consequences for Kids: This column from Ron Haskins at the Brookings Institution describes the changing modern family. He notes that between 1970 and 2010, marriage rates declined by nearly 75 percent for 20 to 24 year old women and more than 30 percent for 30 to 34 year old women; non-marital births increased by over 280 percent; the percentage of women age 35 who are single with children increased by over 120 percent; and about 60 percent of men and women who marry cohabited prior to their first marriage. These are momentous changes in the American way of love, romance, and family formation. The fact that these trends have been going on for four decades, mostly at a fairly steady clip, leads him to conclude that they are permanent and will be difficult to change.
CWS Continuous Quality Improvement: While these resources were prepared for North Carolina county directors, child welfare administrators, and program managers, the materials are relevant to any child welfare serving agency. Click here to view short videos and other materials from the Family & Children's Resource Program at The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill on CQI and many other child welfare topics.
The Uninterrupted Scholars Act: How Does It Help Child Welfare Agencies Get Access to School Records?: The State Policy and Advocacy Center (SPARC), the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education held a recent webinar on The Uninterrupted Scholars Act. This webinar provided an overview of the changes to the law resulting from the January 2013 Uninterrupted Scholars Act, discussed the importance of information sharing between child welfare and education agencies, and highlighted available tools and resources. The slides and presentations may be accessed here. Click here for a two-page fact sheet.
Five Years Later: What Has Fostering Connections Accomplished?: Fostering Connections.org has released a series of white papers on the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. Each white paper addresses a key aspect of the federal legislation, summarizes the requirement put in place by the federal legislation, the progress that has been made to date and most interestingly, highlights policy considerations for the future. The areas addressed include adoption, education, health, kinship and guardianship, older youth and tribal implementation.
Education Options and Support for Homeless Youth: In 2007, Congress enacted the College Cost Reduction and Access Act which contained provisions for homeless youth and education. The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth has released a toolkit related to college access and success for homeless youth. The toolkit provides service providers with the resources they need to understand the options and supports available for college-bound homeless youth and assist these youth in accessing them. Download the toolkit here.
Map the Meal Gap: Every year, Feeding America conducts the Map the Meal Gap analysis in order to better understand hunger at the county level and provide geographically targeted solutions to feed people in need. Their most recent study was released last month. Click here to view the results for your county and state in their interactive Map the Meal Gap tool.
SSI Recipients by County: Prepared by the Social Security Administration, this report provides data on the number of Supplemental Security Income Recipients by state and county.
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