The federal government has a long history of investing in programs for feeding children, starting with federal aid for school lunch programs in the 1930s. Today, federal child nutrition programs support food served to children in schools and a variety of other institutional settings. The child nutrition programs support meals and snacks served to…

Imagine a magical treehouse hidden in the woods, with secret doors and rope swings--the stuff of one's wildest dreams! Imagine children rolling their wheelchairs all the way around a lake and arriving at this wondrous place. At Camp Twin Lakes (CTL), a not-for-profit organization in Georgia, one doesn't have to imagine--it's the real thing. Each…

For difficult or challenging children and teenagers in therapeutic or school settings, creative activities can be an excellent way of increasing enjoyment and boosting motivation, making the sessions more rewarding and successful for everyone involved. This resource provides over one hundred tried-and-tested fun and imaginative therapeutic…

New Jersey children and families begin this new decade with the state and nation in an economic downturn that has been marked by widespread job losses, an increased rate of child poverty and a growing number of households without enough to eat. These challenges are reflected in the measurements of child well-being in this report. "New Jersey…

Patterns of career development in the field of child and youth care are reexamined in relation to roles that involve working directly with children in specific settings as well as in relation to roles that involve working indirectly in support of children through working with other adults, be these parents, other caregivers or professionals. Other…

Traditional clinical professions, as well as the emerging child and youth care profession, have focused primarily on the welfare of identified clients. While the personal and professional well-being of practitioners has long been addressed in the training and supervision of human service workers, serious efforts to identify problems confronting…

A social worker and a psychologist, working with troubled youth in a day treatment setting, describe unique ways to use the concepts of Positive Peer Culture (PPC) to facilitate groups from the elementary to high school levels. The authors have adapted the well-known PPC concepts and incorporated them into their strength-based program, SPLASH, to…

This monograph presents descriptions of 11 residential and day treatment programs serving seriously emotionally disturbed youth. Each program's description includes information about the program's origins, type of children served, guiding philosophy and treatment approach, services offered, work with families, linkages with other child-serving…

Summer camps provide opportunities for children to experience play, pleasurable activities, and social interaction with other children of similar ages and interests and are an integral part of the modern-day American cultural landscape. The authors discuss the emergence of summer camps for children with special needs, the types of play activities…

Group care centers are established to provide a range of living, learning, treatment, and supervisory opportunities for children and young people who, for a variety of reasons, need alternative, supplementary, or substitute care. It is important, therefore, that group care centres establish an organizational climate, ethos, or culture of caring…

For the past two decades, economic influences have significantly impacted the provision of health and welfare services for children, young people and their families in communities around the world. The dynamic of cost has reshaped both the nature and provision of group care services, promoting de-institutionalization and transforming the nature of…

Attention is drawn to important themes thought likely to influence the continuing development of group care services for children and young people in the decade ahead. These include a poorly educated workforce, autonomous training, multi-disciplinary approaches, centres of excellence, diversified programs, new trends and issues shaping the future,…

This article describes the steps taken by the University of Oregon to create a prototype contracted camp service for 6-13 year old children of military personnel stationed overseas. Selection and training of college students for staff positions is outlined, and brief descriptions of the day and resident camps are given. (IAH)

A cooperative camp program trained three teenagers with developmental delays to be counselors-in-training (CITs) for a children's day camp. Trainees learned about the basic chain of command at camp, first aid and emergency care, child development, and behavior management. The program was deemed successful in increasing job opportunities for…

Children learn through movement and interactions with their environment and/or with others. For children who have physical limitations, this natural developmental process is affected. The use of assistive technology to enhance movement, communication, play and learning allows the child with physical impairments to learn in a more independent…