Family & Children

The Winner of New America Foundation's "Improving the Lives of Children" Essay Contest Will Receive $1000 on May 27

Communications — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:05:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. -- On May 27, the New America Foundation will announce the winner of its inaugural "Improving the Lives of Children" essay contest during a big check ceremony at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. The winner will receive a $1,000 award for college. Victor Reinoso, DC's Deputy Mayor for Education, will help present the award to the winning student. The contest's ten finalists receive recognition and the winning essay will be posted on New America's website www.newamerica.net.

According to David Gray, Director of the Workforce and Family Program at the New America Foundation, "The goal of the 'Improving… more

Trends in the Well Being of Younger Children

Communications — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/25/2008 - 10:00am

How are the kids doing? Pretty well, according to a new report unveiled at the New America Foundation on April 25th, but experts still have significant concerns about the future. The report, "Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006," was authored by Dr. Kenneth Land of Duke University and funded by the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) and is part of an on-going series of events and reports hosted by the New America Foundation designed to raise awareness about the status of children in the United States and spur meaningful action to improve their quality of life. The CWI seeks to measure the well-being of the “whole child,” using seven different quality-of-life indicators: economic well-being, social relationships, health, safety and behavior, education, community connectedness, and emotional/spiritual well-being. This Special Focus Report investigated trends in well-being along three distinct periods in children’s lives: infancy/early childhood, middle childhood (ages 6-11) and adolescence during the years 1994 – 2006. Fasaha Traylor of the Foundation for Childhood Development said that the groundbreaking work of the Child Well-Being Index Project is “fundamental to the nation’s well being.”

Dr. Land, the CWI Project coordinator, said the data reveals good news on several fronts: child mortality rates are down since 1994, as are the numbers of children with elevated lead levels in their blood and the number of mothers who smoke during pregnancy. More kids are enrolled in full-day kindergarten, which may contribute to the better performance of 9 year olds on reading tests. More kids are participating in extra-curricular activities, especially school-related lessons. Children overall are safer and fewer report that they fear being attacked while in school or on their way to and from school.

Amid the good news, however, there are some red flags. The study shows a 12.3 percent increase in the number of low birth weight babies. The number of children and toddlers who are overweight is up sharply, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Sara Mead, senior fellow in the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation, added that while number of children in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs has grown impressively since 1994, the overall preschool enrollment has decreased slightly. She added that difficult economic circumstances, which affect children’s families directly, can also put pressure on states’ fiscally strained early childhood programs.

Public opinion polls show overwhelming support for federal and state policies that promote child well being, but most child-focused programs at the federal level have seen declining programmatic funds in recent, said Bruce Lesley of First Focus. Mr. Lesley quoted heavily from a new report recently released by First Focus called “Children’s Budget 2008.” Valerie Kaufmann, who directs early childhood programs for the Maryland State Department of Education, described the programs Maryland developed in recent years to successfully boost infant health and school readiness. Lauren Ratner, who oversees Family and Community Health for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, gave a broader view of the inter-agency efforts underway at the state level to improve child health and academic performance. Ms. Ratner highlighted a variety of policy options available to and used by state legislatures and health officials to combat child health risks, such as those highlighted in the report.

Dr. Land closed the event with a note of caution. Just as the CWI indicators dropped during the 2001 economic downturn, he expects that they will decrease again in 2007 and 2008, as economic hardship once again puts pressure on families and the well-being of America’s youngest citizens.

-Christina Satkowski, Research Associate for Education Policy

Child Well-Being Index in Washington Post | For Children, a Better Beginning

Communications — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:32:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Washington Post | For Children, a Better Beginning

In a wide-ranging look at how children have fared in their first decade of life, a study to be released today offers a promising picture of American childhood: Sixth-graders feel safer at school.* Reading and math scores are up for 9-year-olds. More preschoolers are vaccinated. Fewer are poisoned by lead.

The analysis, which created a composite index of more than 25 key national indicators, reports an almost 10 percent boost in children's well-being from 1994 to 2006. This overall improvement comes in spite of two significant negative trends: increased rates of childhood obesity and low-birth-weight babies.

"There are some really encouraging signs of progress," said Ruby Takanishi, president of the nonprofit Foundation for Child Development, which funded the research. "I think it's important as a country . . . to see that there are things that parents can do, that government can do, that institutions can do, to make measurable differences for children." . . .

*The New America Foundation Workforce and Family Program convened an event for the release of the study by FCD. More information is linked here.

Foundation for Child Development Study in Reuters | Obesity and Low Birthweight Mar Health of Kids

Communications — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:59:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Reuters | Obesity and Low Birthweight Mar Health of Kids

Rising obesity rates and a large percentage of children born with low birthweights are dragging down the overall health of American children in their first decade of life, according to a report tracking the health and well-being of young children in the United States.*

While U.S. children overall have seen improvements in their well-being in recent years, American children aged 6 to 11 are four times more likely to be obese than similarly aged children in the 1960s, the report found.

The report, led by researchers at Duke University in North Carolina and the Foundation for Child Development, a private advocacy group, looked at the well-being of children in early childhood, those from birth to age five, and middle childhood, or those aged 6 to 11, from 1994 to 2006.

The researchers found obesity among children in middle childhood is nearly four times more common than in children of the same age in a national survey in 1960s. For children aged 2 to 5, it is three times higher. . .

*The New America Foundation Workforce and Family Program convened an event for the release of the report by the Foundation for Child Development.

Child Well-Being Index Special Focus Report

Workforce and Family — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:08:00 -0400

The Foundation for Child Development has initiated the development of the first comprehensive report on the overall health, education, well-being and quality of life of America's youngest children -- from birth through eleven years old. The Special Focus Report, "Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006," will be released on April 25 at the New America Foundation. The report presents the first wide-ranging picture of how children in their first decade of life are faring in the United States, and is the first to track and compare child well-being across three primary stages of development -- early childhood,… more

How Much Does the Federal Government Spend To Promote Economic Mobility, And For Whom?

Fiscal Policy — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:30:00 -0400

In an economically mobile market economy, individuals and families are able to raise their private incomes, wealth, and ability (sometimes referred to as human capital) over time and across generations. In the United States, many associate economic mobility with the pursuit of the American Dream. Education, work experience, and saving enhance the opportunity for upward economic mobility. To this end, many federal spending and tax expenditure or tax subsidy programs aim to enhance economic mobility. But exactly how much does the federal government encourage economic mobility? What form does this encouragement take? And who benefits from these efforts?

To begin answering these… more

The Lost Children

Ron Tang — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the summer of 1995, an Iranian man named Majid Yourdkhani allowed a friend to photocopy pages from “The Satanic Verses,” the Salman Rushdie novel, at the small print shop that he owned in Tehran. Government agents arrested the friend and came looking for Majid, who secretly crossed the border to Turkey and then flew to Canada. In his haste, Majid was forced to leave behind his wife, Masomeh; for months afterward, Iranian government agents phoned her and said things like “If you aren’t divorcing him, then you are supporting him, and we will therefore arrest you and torture you.”… more

"Future of American Politics" Event on C-SPAN

Communications — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:20:00 -0500

New America in the News:

The first panel spoke on the changing political culture in the United States and how it will affect the next social contract. Panelists focused on the growing demand for post-partisanship, teamwork, and tolerance among younger voters. The second panel discussed political institutions and elections, including the past political era, which began in 1978, and the possible shape of the new political era that panelists believe is beginning. The third panel discussed possible policies in the next political era? Some topics were broadening asset ownership, modernizing the tax system, and workplace flexibility. The final panel spoke on political parties in the next political era. They discussed how each party is struggling to build a new majority coalition and the growing popularity of the Democratic Party, particularly among young people. Following each panel panelists answered questions from members of the audience. For the video, visit the C-SPAN Event Page.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Child Well-Being

Communications — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:30:00 -0500

A New America Event
01/29/2008 - 10:30am

Parents and policy makers have long looked to close the educational, health, economic and other gaps in child well-being between children of different backgrounds. As the 2008 campaign heats up, many are wondering about the increasingly diverse generation of America’s children and asking: Where is policy helping and failing to close the gaps between children of different backgrounds? Where do the gaps currently exist? What changes could have the greatest impact?

On January 29th, we released a report detailing some surprising results about the true state of the disparities between children. This new report is the first to analyze trends in the well-being of black, Hispanic, and white children over a nearly two-decade span.

At the New America event, hosted by the Workforce and Family Program, Dr. Donald Hernandez of the University of Albany presented the results of his new study. Among the key findings:

Black, Hispanic, and white children experienced overall improvements in the quality of life.
Both black children and Hispanic children were advantaged compared to white children in the emotional/spiritual well-being domain.
Black and Hispanic children also benefited from advances in the safety-behavioral domain, including reduced cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, and use of illicit drugs.
Gaps in family economic well-being narrowed for both black and Hispanic children as parental employment and health insurance coverage increased.

According to Dr. Hernandez’ research, gaps in the well-being of our children are not intractable. Pending the pace of progress, racial and ethnic gaps in child well-being could be closed in as little as 18 years, in more than 50 years, or not at all. Dr. Hernandez used this finding to emphasize that progress is in no way guaranteed, and that the well-being of children must remain an issue at the fore of our consciousness.

Following the presentation of the report, Rev. David Gray moderated a distinguished panel of experts in a discussion that explored the survey results and implications.

Ms. Melissa Pardue, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave an in-depth overview of the child-focused programs run by HHS. She focused specifically on the TANF program and the changes in child well-being since the enactment of welfare reform legislation. Other areas where she cited progress include the increasing number of children served in Head Start since the mid-1990’s and the large increase in State-funded pre-Kindergarten programs. Ms. Pardue also expressed the Department’s pleasure at the continuing drop in teen birth rates since the early 1990’s and improvements in the Child Welfare system, including an increase in the adoption rate for Hispanic children in foster care.

Ms. Miriam Calderon, Associate Director of the Policy Analysis Center at the National Council of La Raza emphasized the growing population of Hispanic and black children, noting that America will become a “majority minority” country in the future. A major issue for all children is the potential for economic downturn, as many issues of child well-being are clearly related to family economic status. In addition, Ms. Calderon pointed out NCLR’s commitment to working on issues of immigration, including the challenges faced by citizen children with non-citizen parents. A looming issue for many children whose parents do not speak English is the coming reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and its programs directed at English Language-Learners.

Dr. Joseph Youngblood, Director of the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State College brought a state-wide perspective to the discussion, focused on New Jersey, one of the most populous and diverse states in the nation. Dr. Youngblood talked about a vision of education and services for children that is multi-generational, multi-institutional, and focused on the whole family. He emphasized the need to raise expectations and create the conditions necessary for success in the educational field. Through his experience with the Abbott districts and education in general in New Jersey, Dr. Youngblood talked about the need for teachers to be both of high quality and possessing of cultural competencies that will allow them to effectively reach and teach their students. He also emphasized the need for federal policy to be effectively communicated to and connected with local decision-making units, especially mayors, as they control many of the levers of power needed to create positive change at the local level.

Julia Isaacs, Child and Family Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution presented results from her recent study on economic mobility across generations of Americans. Her findings show that, in general, two of three Americans do better economically than their parents. However, much of this growth in recent decades has been due to women entering the workforce, and that these gains have generally not manifested themselves among African-Americans. Ms. Isaacs entire study is available at the Brookings Institution’s website. As a policy matter, Ms. Isaacs highlighted the importance of high-quality pre-Kindergarten and education generally.

The presentations of the panelists were followed by a lively question and answer session with the audience that covered a wide variety of topics and engendered some excellent discussions among the panelists. To view this discussion, please click on the video at right.

Child Well-Being Index in USA Today | 'Report: Black, Hispanic Children Making Gains'

Communications — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:03:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Report: Black, Hispanic Children Making Gains (USA Today)

Black and Hispanic children have made significant gains in health, safety and income over the past two decades, narrowing gaps between them and white children, according to a pioneering report on child development to be released Tuesday.*

They still fare worse overall than whites, but they're catching up in several areas and are less likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, abuse drugs or commit suicide, according to the report. It was sponsored by the Foundation for Child Development, a philanthropy that funds research on children.

"There's a long way to go, but this is an enormous closing of the gap," says co-author Donald Hernandez, a sociology professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He says the overall gap between black and white children closed by one-fourth, and between Hispanics and whites by one-third. "That's stunning. I was frankly surprised by the extent of it."

The report evaluates how children fared from 1985 to 2004, based on 28 measures of income, education, health, safety, social relationships and community involvement. It combines them for a score known as a child well-being index. It found that children, especially minorities, fared worse in the 1980s but made significant gains in the mid- to late 1990s. more

*New America Foundation Workforce and Family Program convened the event for the release of the report.