The "new federalism" paradigm offers an explanation why the federal government has devolved much of its administration of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, formerly AFDC) and Medicaid (through managed care) programs. A review of child and family outcomes data resulting from these devolutionary changes in TANF and…

Disasters can be defined as catastrophic events that challenge the normal range of human coping ability. The technological/human-caused disaster, a classification of interest in this article, is attributable to human error or misjudgment. Lower socioeconomic status and race intersect in the heightened risk for technological/human-caused disasters…

Political changes underway at both the federal and state levels will dramatically affect public policies for children and their families in the years ahead. Drawing from over 550 budget line items in 10 state departments from 1990 to 1995, this report looks at spending on Illinois' children and families by program areas, with some specific…

This booklet provides data on a series of related measures of child and family well-being in Indiana, following national guidelines established by the Kids Count project to help Americans better understand the problems faced by children and adolescents and to foster greater commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable children and their…

Millions of American children and youth, especially low-income and minority children, lack health insurance and access to appropriate health care services. This publication addresses several major public policy topics related to improving children's health, and is designed to serve as a resource for policymakers who want to improve access to…

This report outlines what is known about the requirements for optimal development during the first 3 years of life, considers the ways in which society might reverse the trends toward risk for families and children, and describes the necessary conditions for families to function well in the interests of their young children. Part 1 describes "the…

Because increasing numbers of children come to school with problems caused by poverty, divorce, drug use, and teenage pregnancy, schools may no longer be able to limit themselves solely to academic roles. This brief argues that schools, families, and communities need to work together to help children overcome the challenges that they face. It also…

This document reports the findings of Project Respond, a program designed to develop a model for assessing and addressing risk to children in the St. Louis community. Section A concerns: (1) a definition of risk; (2) effects of profound sociological risk on children; (3) social and economic costs of sociological risk. In Section B, the Project…

The problem of adolescent suicide worldwide is discussed. Teen suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-19 year olds in the United States, and has become an increasing concern for counselors employed in schools. Contributing factors to suicide, such as cultural and socio-demographic factors, dysfunctional family patterns, cognitive…

This text integrates state-of-the-art theory and empirical research on a wide range of child and adolescent disorders. Featuring contributions from leading scholars and clinicians, the volume provides comprehensive coverage of the biological, psychological, and social-contextual determinants of childhood problems. Each chapter focuses on a…

Learners may be categorized as follows: (1) intrinsically motivated intellectuals; (2) extrinsically motivated mass learners, as represented by modern school youth; (3) extrinsically motivated learners in continuous requalification; and (4) intrinsically motivated "trendsetters." Although intrinsically motivated learners tend to be found…

Funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this report examines strategies for linking the health and child care systems in an effort to improve poor children's health. Studies show that poor, African American and Latino children have less access to health care and worse health outcomes than middle-class or non-Hispanic white…

This final project report describes three related studies that examined reform efforts in a major metropolitan school district. Emphasis was on seven schools that had developed collaborative service approaches to reduce fragmentation of service delivery, increase accountability for students "at risk," and eliminate duplication of services. In…

The Wisconsin Framework for Comprehensive School Health Programs is a multistrategy approach to address the entire range of youth risk behaviors and promote the health, well-being and positive development of students and other members of the school-community as an integral part of a school's overall mission. The framework is a collection of…

This Kids Count report examines national and statewide trends in the well-being of the nation's children. The statistical portrait is based on 10 indicators of well being: (1) percent of low birth weight babies; (2) infant mortality rate; (3) child death rate; (4) rate of teen deaths by accident, homicide and suicide; (5) teen birth rate; (6)…