Child Care as a Competitive Target for Stimulus of Economic Development?

The Cornell University Linking Economic Development and Child Care Research Project’s Child Care Multipliers: Stimulus for the States makes the case that the child care sector’s contribution to the economy makes it a competitive target for dollars to stimulate economic development. Through its direct employment and output and purchase of goods and services, child care contributes significantly to the regional economy. The author’s analysis found that, on average, each new dollar spent in the child care sector produces a broader statewide impact of two dollars; each new job created in the sector means 1.5 jobs statewide. In addition to its importance as a parental support and contributor to child well-being, child care is established by this paper as a smart, strategic target for economic development policy and funding.

Policies to increase early care and education and expand economic opportunity.

New Juvenile Delinquency Data: Progress and Work to be Done

Recently released 2008 data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provide a picture of juvenile delinquency in the U.S. While the data shows progress in areas like overall arrest rates, others, such as disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, demand continued attention. Highlights of the data include:

• An estimated 2.11 million juveniles were arrested in 2008.
• Overall juvenile arrests declined 3% from 2007 to 2008.
• Juvenile arrests for violent offenses decreased by 2% from 2007 to 2008.
• In 2008, 11% of all murder victims were younger than 18.
• In 2008, black youth comprised 16% of the youth population ages 10 to 17. However, black youth were involved in 52% of juvenile arrests for violent crimes and 33% of juvenile arrests for property crimes.

Policies to reduce juvenile detention.

Preparing Foster Youth for Employment

Chapin Hall’s Employment Needs of Foster Youth in Illinois: Findings from the Midwest Study discusses the labor market involvement of youth who have aged out of foster care in the state as the youth reported it to researchers. Limited prior research on this subject has shown poor employment outcomes for these youth, and the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program and later legislation were intended to provide funding to states to help foster youth transition into adulthood and self-sufficiency, including employment. Chapin Hall found that most aged-out foster youth had difficulty staying employed, that those employed tended to be in a job that paid less than a living wage, and that only 63 percent reported having received one service or support to aid with their preparation for employment. With the economy in its present state, the unmet employment needs of young people in the foster care system demand examination and programmatic responses by policymakers and administrators.

Policies to improve job training.

Looking at the Data: School Crime and Safety

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2009, the twelfth in a series of annual publications issued jointly by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education and the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the U.S. Department of Justice, presents the most recent data available on school crime and safety. Utilizing national survey of students, teachers, and principals, and other data sources, the report presents data on victimization, weapons, teacher injury, student perceptions of school safety, and availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, among others.

Policies for preparing youth to succeed in life. Visit our homepage and sign up for email updates on new content, including policies to support high school completion and address teen binge-drinking and substance abuse!

Lessons from Nebraska: NACC’s Evaluation of the State’s Guardian Ad Litem System

The National Association for Counsel of Children’s Evaluation of the Guardian Ad Litem System in Nebraska offers a comprehensive study of the state’s GAL system as requested by the Nebraska legislature. Though strengths were identified in the current system, NACC found that its major challenge was a lack of basic accountability. Particular areas identified as in need of reform include:

• There is not one GAL system in Nebraska; there are 93 different systems,
• There is no uniform, comprehensive set of practice standards for GALs to follow
• GALs do not routinely tell the court what their child-clients’ own views on the case are – in large part because they don’t know what their clients’ views are
• GALs are insufficiently familiar with their clients’ needs
• GALs do not receive adequate training or supervision
• In one county in particular, individual attorneys’ caseloads are crushingly high”

In light of this evaluation and the best practices of other jurisdictions, NACC recommends the establishment of an independent oversight body for GALs and the implementation of several other reforms. Policies for building strong and stable families. Also, sign up on our homepage for email updates about forthcoming content on child abuse and neglect!

The Missing Piece in Strategies for Turning Around Underperforming Schools?

A recent brief from Chapin Hall argues for a new understanding of improving academic achievement in underperforming schools. Using findings from several Chapin Hall studies, the authors describe the challenges faced by vulnerable children—those who have experience disruptions in home life and are more likely to come into contact with public service systems—and the academic and behavioral changes they face in school. Providing evidence that a disproportionate number of these children attend underperforming schools, the authors discuss the disruption in classroom and school environment that can occur when teachers are not trained to work with vulnerable children. Successful strategies for improving underperforming schools, they argue, must include training for teachers to work with these youth, organization that allows schools to respond to their needs, and recognition in the field of education that “social support is not an ‘extra,’ but essential to student achievement.”

Policies to improve early grade level reading through investments in education and support of vulnerable families.

Creating and Sustaining Gains in Early Education: Lessons from New Jersey

New America Foundation’s white paper, Education Reform Starts Early: Lessons from New Jersey's PreK-3rd Reform Efforts, recounts New Jersey’s path to national leadership in early education and the lessons learned from that journey. After the New Jersey Supreme Court’s mandate that the state provide high-quality pre-Kindergarten programs, New Jersey crafted an expansive provider system and worked to link its early education investments with reforms in the K-12 system. The paper details the state’s successes and challenges in this effort, identifying lessons and providing recommendations for state and national policymakers to create and sustain large-scale gains in early education.

Policies to increase early care and education and improve K-3 academic success.

Child Care and the Recession, Families caught in the squeeze

First, some of the numbers:

- The average family spends 14% income on child care.

- Almost 43% of families changed their primary child care arrangement in the past year and 50% of those made the change due to economic issues.

- Of the families who made a change in child care 63% were worried that the changes had negatively impacted their child’s care.

The State of Care Index, from care.com, outlines the annual cost of childcare and senior care, details families' efforts to save money on care arrangements,and reports on the tie between employment and caregiving. Policies for states to increase access to quality child care for parents and improve family economic success.

Six Things Policymakers Should Watch to Avoid Becoming the Next California.

In an interesting analysis reported by Stateline.org, a new methodology developed by Pew looks at two questions: How did California get into its current fiscal situation, and could other states find themselves facing similar difficulties? The methodology examined six key areas:

1. Change in revenue
2. Budget gap as a percentage of general funds
3. Change in unemployment
4. Foreclosure rate
5. A supermajority requirement to raise revenue and ratify budgets
6. The “money” grade from the Pew Center on the State’s Government Performance Project, which assesses how well states are managing their fiscal affairs

Based on this research, nine states are currently at risk of following in California's path. Policymakers should look at policies to address employment and foreclosures to point their state in the right direction.

Some States are Taking Advantage of Under-Used Federal Fund

We previously noted that states are leaving money on the table by not accessing the TANF emergency fund. But Florida announced that it is creating 25,000 new jobs

Between now and September 30, 2010, Florida can potentially receive up to $200 million – with no matching state funds required – for the Florida Back to Work initiative designed to help pay for jobs for low-income families on a time-limited basis.“Nothing is more important than returning Floridians to the workforce and restoring their hope and economic security,” Governor Crist said. “These funds will provide businesses throughout our state a tremendous opportunity to give someone in need a fresh start and a new direction for the future.”

(Hat tip to Front and Center)