Research Digests
Feb. 2, 2005
Topics:
Preventing Abuse
and Neglect Among Ages 0-5
Early
Child Development Report Card
"Early Child Development in Social Context: A Chartbook" includes
33 indicators related to social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health
for children up to age 6, as well as family functioning, community characteristics,
and demographics. The report provides explanations of why the indicators
are important and recommendations for policymakers, service providers,
and parents. Chapter 4 includes information on child maltreatment and
aggravated parenting.
Immigrant
Mothers' Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
Recognizing that approximately 20 percent of U.S. children live with at
least one parent born outside the country, a study was conducted to assess
parenting knowledge in immigrant families. The study found that immigrant
mothers of 20-month-old children were similar to European American mothers
in their knowledge of children's health or safety guidelines, but immigrant
mothers scored lower on questions about child development and parent-child
relationships.
Nurse
Family Partnership May Reduce Future Child Abuse and Neglect
A report released by the Administration for Children and Families found
that future instances of child abuse and neglect may be reduced when a
nurse visits the home of first-time, low-income mothers from pregnancy
through the child’s second birthday. The study, which primarily
addressed effects on government costs, showed that interventions from
child protective services and foster care were lower among families visited
by nurses.
Also see June 2004 issue of Child Abuse & Neglect, The International
Journal 28(6), which includes two articles on the impact of home visiting
with paraprofessionals: http://authors.elsevier.com/JournalDetail.html?PubID=586&Precis=DESC
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Promoting
Emotional & Behavioral Health in Preteens
"Connectedness"
Key to Youth Violence Prevention
A national study on adolescent health indicates that the best way to reduce
the possibility of violent behavior among youth in middle school and high
school is to help them feel connected. According to the researcher, kids’
sense of feeling connected to school, family members, and adults in their
lives can affect their behavior.
Also see results on California students’ connection to school and
the prevalence of school assets: http://www.safestate.org/documents/final-css10fs3-assets.pdf
The
Multiple Contexts of Middle Childhood
An article in the Future of Children Journal on "Children of Immigrant
Families" lays out a framework for understanding middle childhood
(ages 6-12) for children of color and children of immigrants, noting the
contextual, racial, and cultural factors that can affect their development.
Authors suggest several changes, such as more culturally specific programs
and moving away from "one-size-fits-all" policies and programs.
Studies on After-School Programs
Issues
and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation
The Harvard Family Research Project has released several new briefs in
this series. "Moving Beyond the Barriers: Attracting and Sustaining
Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time (OST) Programs" presents
promising strategies to attract and sustain youth participation. "Understanding
and Measuring Attendance in Out-of-School Time Programs" examines
three indicators of youth attendance in OST programs—intensity,
duration, and breadth—and offers a few different models for how
youth's attendance can influence their outcomes. And "Promoting Quality
through Professional Development: A Framework for Evaluation" examines
OST professional development efforts and offers a framework for evaluation.
Exemplary
Practices in Adolescent Development
The Sierra Health Foundation examined evidenced-based practices that may
help improve the health and development of youth ages 10-15. The report
summarizes practices in both issue-focused efforts (teen pregnancy, bullying,
etc.) and strengths-based efforts (asset development, resiliency, etc.).
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Also of Note
Study
Finds Link Between Adolescent Substance Use and Youth Assets
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that
teens who have positive family communication, peer role models, good exercise
and nutrition, or aspirations for the future are up to two and a half
times less likely to use alcohol, and three times less likely to use drugs
than teens who did not have any of these "assets." The study,
which included more than 1,200 inner-city adolescents, suggests that "combinations
of assets may be more effective than any single asset for preventing risk
behavior."
California
Report Card 2004: Focus on Children in Immigrant Families
This Children Now report details the education, health, and economic status
of children in immigrant families. Forty-eight percent of all children
in California – and 55 percent of children in the San Jose metropolitan
area – live in immigrant families. These children are much less
likely to have access to health care and child care and much more likely
to live in poverty than children in U.S.-born families. The county tables
on the website provide selected local statistics.
See Also The Socioeconomic Well-Being of California's Immigrant Youth:
http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=327
And The Future of Children Journal Issue on Children of Immigrant Families:
http://www.futureofchildren.org/pubs-info2825/pubs-info.htm?doc_id=240166
America's
Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004
This report is a compilation of statistics about children’s economic
security, health, behavior, social environment, and education. Highlights
include: a striking decline in the level of violence affecting young people,
and a continued decrease in birth rates for adolescents. However, heavy
drinking remained steady (eighth graders included), and the percentage
of children living in poverty rose slightly, though remaining below its
recent peak.
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Web Resources
2004
Kids Count Data Book
This online database allows you to generate custom graphs, maps, ranked
lists, and state-by-state profiles. You also can download entire data
sets as delimited text files.
Youth
Development, Parenting, & Education Resources
The school-age section of the Children, Youth and Families Education and
Research Network (CYFERnet) website includes resources related to parenting,
youth development, educational activities, enriching learning environments,
site and program management, and partnerships/collaborations.
Family
Strengthening Policy Center
The National Human Services Assembly, an association of national nonprofits,
has launched this online clearinghouse of information and tools focused
on practices, programs, and policies to strengthen families. In addition
to policy briefings and updates, the site offers links to other resources,
including funding opportunities.
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