This section
offers a variety of information relevant to the developmental
needs and stages of children between the ages of 5 and 13.
It includes
information, resources, and research findings that can help
with the development of sound public policy around issues
such as mental and physical health, education, violence prevention,
and family, care-giver, and community relationships.
Wired Safety
WiredSafety, Is A 501(c)(3) Program and the largest online safety, education and help group in the world. We are a cyber-neighborhood watch and operate worldwide in cyberspace through our more than 9,000 volunteers worldwide. (WiredSafety is run entirely by volunteers.)
Understanding and Measuring Attendance in Out-of-School Time Programs
Number 7, August 2004. Sandra Simpkins Chaput, Priscilla M. D. Little, and Heather B. Weiss.
This brief reviews developmental research and out-of-school time program evaluations to examine three research-based indicators of attendance—intensity, duration, and breadth—offering different models for how attendance in out-of-school time programs can influence youth outcomes.
Moving Beyond the Barriers: Attracting and Sustaining Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time Programs
Number 6, July 2004. Sherri Lauver, Priscilla M. D. Little, and Heather B. Weiss.
This brief culls information from several implementation and impact evaluations of out-of-school time programs to develop a set of promising strategies to attract and sustain youth participation in the programs.
Severely troubled children and youth: What everyone needs to know
A Wilder Research Center report that provides a brief overview of major research about troubled children and youth, including definition of how the term "troubled" is used in this report, what is known about causes and impacts of their troubles, and effective approaches for working with them. An estimated 6,000 children and youth in Ramsey County have severe, long-term difficulties that make it very hard for them to function at home, at school, and in the community.
Sensible
approaches to children's weight problems
The Mayo Clinic
has developed an informative overview of the issues surrounding
overweight children with links to many research-based resources.
Initial Behavior Outcomes For the PeaceBuilders Universal School-Based
Violence Prevention Program
PeaceBuilders is a universal, elementary-school-based violence prevention
program that attempts to alter the climate of a school
by teaching students and staff simple rules and activities
aimed at improving child social competence and reducing
aggressive behavior. From Developmental Psychology 2003,
Vol. 39, No. 2, 292-308.
An
uneven start: Indicators of inequality in school readiness
Analyzing
cross-sectional data from the
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), Kindergarten Class of
1998-1999, this
report examines the inequities
among children that are apparent upon school entry. Download a copy
in
PDF format from this web site.
Administration
for Children and Families: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
The Administration
for Children and Families (ACF) is responsible for Federal
programs that promote the economic and social well-being of
families, children, individuals, and communities. ACF oversees
and finances a broad range of activities in partnership with
state, local, and tribal governmental agencies. These agencies
provide direct services and assistance to children, youth,
families, persons with developmental disabilities, refugees,
migrants, Native Americans, legalized aliens, and others eligible
to receive help under ACF legislative authorities.
American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
This site
is designed to serve both AACAP Members, and Parents and Families.
Information is provided as a public service to aid in the
understanding and treatment of the developmental, behavioral,
and mental disorders which affect an estimated 7 to 12 million
children and adolescents at any given time in the United States.
A
View from the Middle Life Through the Eyes of Middle Childhood
A summary
of findings on how middle-aged children perceive themselves
and their environment.
Board
on Children, Youth, and Families
The Board
on Childen, Youth, and Families (BOCYF) provides a national
focal point for authoritative, nonpartisan analysis of child
and family issues in the policy arena.
Center
for Child and Family Policy
The mission
of the Center for Child and Family Policy is to contribute
to solutions to important problems affecting today’s
children and families, through an integrated system of scientific
research, debate and dissemination, public service, and teaching.
The Center emphasizes the bridge from basic research to policy
and practice.
Center
for Health and Health Care in Schools
Information
on health programs and health care services in schools,
from the George Washington University School of Public Health and
Health Services.
Child
Policy Project
Research
in child policy is conducted in multiple research areas and
draws upon the expertise of over 140 researchers and consultants.
The research includes children from prenatal to age 18, addressing
issues such as child health, education, child care, substance
abuse, juvenile justice, and much more. The Child Policy Project
serves as a gateway to this research area by providing easier
access to objective information that will help improve policy
and decisionmaking on children’s issues. This site organizes
RAND’s child policy research by topic area, including
current research projects and a composite list of publications,
as well as a staff listing.
Child
Trends
Child Trends
is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families
by providing research and data to inform decision-making that
affects children.
Children
of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study Go to School
The Cost,
Quality, and Child Outcomes Study in Child Care Centers Study,
begun in 1993, was designed in part to examine the influence
of typical center-based child care on children’s development
during their preschool years and then subsequently as they
moved into the formal elementary education system. These children
have now been followed through the end of second grade. Findings
of this study are presented in summary form and in detail.
Children’s
Mental Health
On January
3, 2001, David Satcher, MD, PhD, Assistant Secretary for Health
and Surgeon General, relates a National Action Agenda for
Children’s Mental Health, which outlines goals and strategies
to improve the services for children and adolescents with
mental health problems and their families.
Consortium
on Child and Adolescent Research
The mission
of the Consortium is to stimulate research on mental health
and mental illness to benefit youngsters with emotional, developmental,
and brain disorders.
EARLY
INTERVENTION POVERTY PREVENTION PROGRAM
The Early
Intervention Program is worth continuing and expanding. The
annual evaluations, the five year evaluation, and the longitudinal
study reinforce the findings of each other and show that the
Early Intervention Program has proven its value. The longitudinal
data show that children in the EIP do better at graduation
than children in the comparison group.
Effective
Truancy Prevention and Intervention
A review of the research describes approaches that have
been found effective, others that have not, and still others
that are inconclusive or relatively untested. This review,
completed by the Wilder Research Center, was commissioned
by the Hennepin County School Success Program.
Future
of Children
The primary
purpose of The Future of Children is to disseminate timely
information on major issues related to children's well-being,
with special emphasis on providing objective analysis and
evaluation, translating existing knowledge into effective
programs and policies, and promoting constructive institutional
change.
Integrated
Curriculum in the Middle Schools
This document
addresses the debate over middle school curriculums.
Middle
Childhood Development
A document
intended to inform those caring for middle-ages children.
You will learn some activities to help seven and eight-year
old children grow and develop and what to expect from them.
Middle
School Malaise
This document
describes the transition from elementary education to secondary
education and its effects on young adolescents.
LEARNING
READINESS
This is
an evaluation design that won an award from the American Evaluation
Association. It provides an overview of the learning readiness
program and findings from three pilot sites.
National
Association for the Education of Young Children
NAEYC is
the nation’s largest organization of early childhood
educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of
programs for children from birth through third. The Web site
offers many resources related to early education.
National
Council on Family Relations
The National
Council on Family Relations (NCFR) provides a forum for family
researchers, educators, and practitioners to share in the
development and dissemination of knowledge about families
and family relationships, establishes professional standards,
and works to promote family well-being.
Northwest
Regional Educational Laboratory
The Northwest
Education Collaboration is a resource center for family, school,
and community partnerships developing family-centered and
school-linked comprehensive services for families and children.
Policy
Information and Analysis Center for Middle Childhood and Adolescence
The overall
goal of the Policy Center is to assist MCHB in identifying,
developing and analyzing information to assist practitioners
and policymakers at the national, state and local levels to
enhance the health status of the middle childhood and adolescent
populations.
Promising
Practices Network (PPN)
The Promising
Practices Network (PPN) Web site highlights programs and practices
that credible research indicates are effective in improving
outcomes for children, youth, and families. The information
offered is organized around three major areas: Proven and
Promising Programs, Research in Brief, and Strengthening Service
Delivery.
Research
& Training Center on Family Support and Children’s
Mental Health
The research
and training center’s activities focus on improving services
to children and youth who have mental, emotional, or behavioral
disorders and their families. A variety of resources are available.
Research
Network on Successful Pathways Through Middle Childhood
The Research
Network on Successful Pathways Through Middle Childhood is
supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
This research network addresses issues of middle childhood.
Television
and Children: Towards the Millennium
Communication
Research Trends A Quarterly Information Service from the Centre
for the Study of Communication and Culture
What
Makes Parent Education Programs Work?
These days
parent education programs and classes are offered in schools,
community centers, social service agencies, businesses, and
congregations. Indeed, almost anyone can easily get involved
with some kind of family education.
KidsHealth
KidsHealth
provides doctor-approved health information about children
from before birth through adolescence. Created by The Nemours
Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, the award-winning
KidsHealth provides families with accurate, up-to-date, and
jargon-free health information they can use. This site has
separate areas for kids, teens, and parents - each with its
own design, age-appropriate content, and tone.
afterschool.gov
This site
is a clearinghouse to federal resources that support children
and youth during out-of-school hours.
21st
Century Community Learning Centers
The federal
government's official site for 21st Century Community Learning
Centers. The 21st CCLC program is a key component of President
Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.
Out-of-School
Time Project
The Finance
Project's Out-of-School Project is devoted to financial and
technical assistance for out-of-school time and community
initiatives.
Out-of-School
Time Evaluation Database
Harvard
Family Reserach Project's Out-of-School Time Evaluation Database
provides accessible evaluation information on programs and
initiatives.
North
Central Regional Educational Laboratory: Resources for After-School
Programming
North Central
Regional Educational Laboratory: Resources for After-School
Programming provides resources for effective school-based
after-school programs with links to potential partners.
National
Institute on Out-of-School Time
Located
at the Center for Research on Women, the NIOT is commited
to aligning the diverse fields of educational reform, welfare
reform, and crime prevention to strengthen after-school programming.
Twin
Cities BEST
Twin Cities
BEST (Building Exemplary Systems for Training) provides training
and professional development for youth workers, including
an interactive web-based training program to be launched in
the fall of 2002.
Innovation
Center for Community & Youth Development
The ICCYD
seeks, tests, and promotes innovative concepts and practices,
providing cutting-edge tools for youth workers in diverse
settings. They are committed to youth participation at all
levels.
