July Children's Advocate now online!

The full issue is online at http://www.4children.org/issues/2009/july_august/. For Spanish or Chinese, click the link at the top of any page.

Articles in this issue:

• Grassroots snapshot: Parents win change in school lunch policy
• Hot topics: A statewide quality improvement system for California?
• Early care and education: Teachers can help English learners build skills in two languages
• Raising kids: A parent shares how she helped her children cope with divorce
• California Child Development Corps participant speaks out—and is heard—at budget hearing
• Parent Voices: Parents rally for child care
• Children's Advocates Roundtable: bills in the legislature, combating the Cradle to Prison Pipeline, stimulus funds, state budget

Resources for advocates

• Crisis in the Kindergarten, from Alliance for Childhood, finds that many kindergarten programs allow very little time for play -- even as children's behavioral problems worsen. Also finds that children in play-based kindergartens do better in school and have better social and emotional skills compared with their peers. Includes policy recommendations.
  
• Early Experiences Matter Policy Guide, from Zero to Three, offers tools for taking action on issues affecting infants, toddlers, and families, including health, strong families, early learning experiences, and early childhood programs and services.
  
• Perceived Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Its Association With Mental Health, a study in the May 2009 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, found that fifth-graders who feel they have been mistreated because of their skin color were two to four times more likely to have symptoms of depression, ADHD, or oppositional defiant disorder.
  Summary online from USA Today.
  
• Policy for Results, from the Center for the Study of Social Policy, offers online tools and
  policy strategies for achieving measurable results for children and families. Topics include priorities and indicators, trends and targets, strategies and success stories.
  
• Indoor Environmental Factors and Parental-Reported Autistic Spectrum Disorders, a study in Neurotoxicology, found a correlation between autism and indoor air quality in young children in Sweden -- particularly when maternal smoking, low ventilation, and PVC flooring were present. Summary online from Science Direct.
  
• Swine Flu Fact Sheets, from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, provide information on the swine flu in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian,
  and Tagalog.

State budget update

Where are We? Where are We Going?, from the California Budget Project, summarizes the Governor's recent proposals for closing the state budget gap. Proposed cuts include:

• Eliminating Healthy Families (which provides low-cost state health insurance for children)
• Cutting $1 billion from Medi-Cal -- which could include cuts to eligibility, benefits, and provider paymentsLimiting Medi-Cal for certain immigrants to emergency services
• Eliminating CalWORKs (support for poor families) and CalWORKs child care assistance
• Cutting funds for schools (spending per pupil would drop to $6918 from $8257)

Advocates are taking action and protesting the proposed cuts. For more information, contact:

• California Partnership, 213-385-8010
• Health Access, 213-413-3587 or 510-873-8787, also has a budget factsheet
• Western Center on Law and Poverty, 213-487-7211 or 707-373-4572

Stimulus fund resources

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides stimulus funds to states, including additional funding for a range of programs that benefit young children. Advocates can use the following policy options and tools to make sure California uses these funds to better support
children and families.

Official resources:

• Recovery.gov
• US Department of Education
• California Economic Recovery Portal
• California Department of Education

Early childhood:

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, from NAEYC
• Making Use of Economic Recovery Funds: Child Care Policy Options for States,
  from the Center for Law and Social Policy and National Women’s
  Law Center
• Navigating the Opportunities for Families with Young Children in the American
  Recovery and Reinvestment Act, from Zero to Three (an interactive
  tool)
• Federal Stimulus Funding Available for Children's Programs in California, from Children Now, is organized by area—after school, early care and education, health, K-12 education, media, obesity

Health:

• Recommendations for the Prevention and Wellness Funds, from Prevention Institute
  and PolicyLink
• Federal Stimulus Funding Available for Children's Programs in California, from Children Now, is organized by area—after school, early care and education, health, K-12 education, media, obesity

Schools:

• Federal Stimulus Funding Available for Children's Programs in California, from Children Now, is organized by area—after school, early care and education, health, K-12 education, media, obesity
• The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Recommendations for Addressing
  the Needs of English Language Learners, from the English Language Learner Working Group
• Using ARRA Funds to Drive School Reform and Improvement, from the US
  Department of Education

General:

• What does the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act mean for California?
  from the California Budget Project
  
  

California Budget Gridlock: Grandma Tells the Story

A Children's Advocate comic book

Now available!

Grandma talks with her grandson, Tony, about the state budget crisis, including

• how the budget crisis started
• its continuing negative effects on services for children and families
• some ideas for creating change.

In an easy-to-read, accessible, comic book format.

Download the pdf
Spanish pdf version
Chinese pdf version (download each page separately)

On the ballot May 19

With the May 19th election fast approaching, here are some nonpartisan election resources that can help you get the word out to colleagues, parents, and students:

• Children's Advocate election coverage of Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E includes summaries of the measures along with pro and con arguments.
  
• Easy Voter Guide is available from the California League of Women Voters in six languages.
  
• Smart Voter, also from the League of Women Voters, provides nonpartisan information on state and local ballot measures, searchable by address or zip code.
  
• California Budget Project offers in-depth, nonpartisan analyses of Propositions 1A, 1C, 1D, and 1E.

May Children's Advocate now online!

This issue includes our election coverage for the May election and a special easy-to-read comic book about California's budget gridlock. Teachers and providers will be interested in our professional development article -- learning social skills through play, as well as an article about how the Water Cooler is bringing children's advocates together. Articles of interest to parents include our parent advice article on raising boys and two articles about parent activism. Here's a full list of articles:

• On the Ballot May 19: Nonpartisan election coverage of Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E
  
• Grassroots snapshot: San Francisco parents get an advocate on the school board
  
• Hot topics: “I don’t want more kids to get asthma”
  Parents and advocates take action against pollution to prevent asthma in their communities
  
• Early care and education--Learning through play: “A recipe for life success”
  Children develop social skills through play
  
• Raising kids: Overcoming Stereotypes, Part 2: “We’re encouraging ourson to be happy and expressive”
  Families and educators share tips for raising boys
  
• “A coalition that’s broad enough to make it happen”
  The Water Cooler brings advocates for young children together
  
• News from the California Child Development CORPS: “I wanted to be part of it!”
  
• News from Parent Voices: Members get involved in federal advocacy campaigns
  
• California Budget Gridlock: Grandma Tells the Story
  A Children's Advocate comic book (available in PDF format only)
  
• Children's Advocate Roundtable: Spring into action: Sacramento lobby days

Read these articles in English and Spanish (Chinese will be up next week), or download the pdfs to share with colleagues, parents, and students. Online at http://www.4children.org/issues/2009/may_june/

Tools for advocates

Here's a round-up of recent reports, websites, and other resources that you might find useful in your work on behalf children and families:

• Better Schools Manual, from the Education Equity Project, is an easy-to-use guide for filing and following up on Williams complaints (a tool that helps parents and other advocates get problems fixed at schools).
  
  
• A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States, from the Pew Hispanic Center, finds that about 10% of California K-12 students are the children of undocumented immigrants. Also finds that nearly three-fourths of the children of undocumented immigrants are U.S.-born citizens -- and a third of the children of undocumented immigrants live in poverty.
  
  
• Foreclosure-Response.org, from the Center for Housing Policy and other organizations, provides information on state and local policy solutions related to foreclosure prevention and neighborhood stabilization.
  
  
• Unemployment LifeLine, from Working America, is a guide that links workers to the resources in their area, from unemployment offices to veterans' services to child care. It also offers the opportunity to talk to others and share support.
  
  
• LEARN WorkFamily, from the Labor Project for Working Families, is an online labor education and resource network to help unions build a family friendly workplace culture.

March-April Children's Advocate

Check out our latest Children's Advocate issue -- now available and online in English, Spanish, and Chinese! In this issue:

• Grassroots snapshot: Fresno families push for healthy food and safer streets
• Hot topic: “The very last thing that should be cut!”
• Early care and education--Learning through play: “Forget about the facts and remember the wonder”
• Raising kids: “I don’t want my daughter to feel like she has to sacrifice something”
• Hot topic: “I need money for my family”
• News from the California Child Development CORPS: “We’re in the trenches”
• News from Parent Voices: “We wanted to be someone to be reckoned with”
• Bookbasket: Beyond sugar and spice, snakes and snails

In English at http://www.4children.org/issues/2009/march_april/
(for Spanish or Chinese, click on the link at the top of that page)

Push for paid sick leave

Action: Let your state legislators know your views on whether California should guarantee all workers a certain number of paid sick days.

Background: The bill to guarantee paid sick days got stuck in the legislature last year, but the Work and Family Coalition is back with an energetic campaign to make California the first state in the nation with paid sick days for all workers to use to take care of themselves or sick family members. (Now almost 40% of California workers have no paid sick days). The coalition promoting paid sick days includes the Labor Project for Working Families, ACORN, Parent Voices, the California Labor Federation, the Family Caregiver Alliance, 9to5 National Association of Working Women, and more. Coalition members will be visiting legislators and collecting endorsements and letters of support.

More info: 510-643-7088, http://www.paidsickdaysca.org/

Read more news like this in the Mar-Apr Children's Advocate's Roundtable report, http://www.4children.org/issues/2009/
march_april/childrens_advocate_roundtable/ (for Spanish or Chinese, click on the link at the top of the page)

Upcoming advocacy days

May 6: Stand for Children Day is an opportunity to rally with hundreds of other parents in support of affordable, quality child care. Sacramento. For more info, contact Parent Voices, 415-882-0234

May 20: Hunger Action Day is an opportunity to join anti-hunger advocates in educating legislators about hunger issues. Sacramento. For more info, contact the Hunger Action Coalition, Steve Diaz, 213-388-8228 or Betsy Edwards, 510-635-3663 x307

State budget update

Governor Signs Budget Plan, from the California Budget Project, reports on the Feb 20th spending bill signed by the governor, which includes tax cuts, new revenues, and steep spending cuts to state programs.

May 19 special election: As part of the budget process, the legislature put several propositions on the ballot, including:

• Prop 1A, which would establish a state spending cap
• Prop 1B, which would send more funds to school districts and community colleges
• Prop 1C, which would authorize the sale of $5 billion in bonds backed by lottery proceeds
• Props 1D and 1E, which would divert funds from First 5 (Prop 10) and mental health (Prop 63) to fund existing state programs.

(Stay tuned for our coverage of the ballot measures in the May-June Children's Advocate!)

Preschool for All in your county?

How are counties that are implementing Preschool for All dealing with professional development, financing, and program quality?

The Children’s Collabrium, with funding from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, is offering free, 90-minute workshops (through April 2009) on these and other topics, for both center- and home-based early care and education professionals.

For more information or to schedule a workshop in your community: 415-362-4880, mailto:info@thechildrenscollabrium

Read more news like this in the Jan-Feb Children's Advocate's Roundtable report, http://www.4children.org/issues/2009/
january_february/childrens_advocate_roundtable/ (for Spanish or Chinese, click on the link at the top of the page)

Resources and tools

Advocacy for flexible work schedules

MomsRising is an internet-based campaign “to bring together millions of people who share a common concern about the need to build a more family-friendly America.” They’ve collected many great tools to help people advocate for more family-friendly work schedules, including part time, flex time, and more. www.momsrising.org/work

Health and safety information in Spanish

Nuestros Niños radio program (http://www.nuestrosninos.org/) has published a Spanish-language booklet of culturally appropriate child health and safety information, advice, and resources. This is the first in a series, ¡Adelante con Nuestros Niños! Agencies that would like to buy copies for distribution ($2 each for orders up to 250, discounts for larger orders) can contact Interactive Parenting Media, PO Box 1212, Berkeley, CA 94701 or info@interactiveparentingmedia.org

Building a child care business

Building Child Care is new collaborative of child care organizations that offers help with:

• Capital financing ideas
• Developing a business plan
• Locating grant and loan resources
• Finding local child care resources

The collaborative includes Insight Center for Community Economic Development, the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, the Low Income Investment Fund, and The Children’s Collabrium. For info: 888-411-3535, http://www.buildingchildcare.org/

Read more news like this in the Jan-Feb Children's Advocate's Roundtable report, http://www.4children.org/issues/2009/january_february/childrens_advocate_roundtable/ (for Spanish or Chinese, click on the link at the top of the page)

The budget and the recession

The California Budget Project has produced a report called Budget Cuts or Tax Increases: Which Are Preferable during an Economic Downturn? (www.cbp.org/pdfs/2008/0807_pp_cutsortaxes.pdf).

According to CBP Executive Director Jean Ross, “If you look at the overwhelming body of economic research, it tells you that cutting spending is absolutely the worst thing you can do in a down economy. Why? Because public dollars that go out through state budgets, county budgets, school district budgets...immediately recycle through local economies.”

Read more news like this in the Jan-Feb Children's Advocate's Roundtable report, http://www.4children.org/issues/2009/
january_february/childrens_advocate_roundtable/ (for Spanish or Chinese, click on the link at the top of the page)