PPN Newsletter March 2009
Listed below are recent updates to the Promising Practices Network on Children, Families and Communities website (http://www.promisingpractices.net).
WHAT'S NEW
Newly Added Resources on Child Abuse and Neglect in PPN's Resources and Tools Section
PPN has added a new Resources and Tools page on the topic of Child Abuse and Neglect. This new page includes links to data tables, fact sheets, seminal reports, and a variety of other resources that are among the best research-based materials available on this topic. Also featured is a working paper that summarizes the findings of PPN's survey of the child abuse and neglect prevention field regarding current priorities of the field and promising ideas for future prevention efforts. The survey was part of a larger project conducted for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Child Abuse Prevention Program. More Resources and Tools pages are available on the topics of childcare/preschool, low birth weight, mental health, and substance abuse.
See the Child Abuse and Neglect Resources and Tools See all Resources and Tools
Two Recent Studies Examine the Effects of Media in Early Childhood
A survey of parents of preschoolers investigated parents' knowledge of expert recommendations regarding appropriate use of media and parental screen media monitoring practices. Findings were recently published in Pediatrics in an article titled Parents of Preschoolers: Expert Media Recommendations and Ratings Knowledge, Media-Effects Beliefs, and Monitoring Practices. Investigators found that parental knowledge of expert recommendations regarding television viewing was poor, and that young children view an average of 12 hours of television every week, which is higher than the recommended amount. Many parents also expressed the belief that television is potentially beneficial to the very young. In another recent Pediatrics article titled Television Viewing in Infancy and Child Cognition at 3 Years of Age in a U.S. Cohort, a related longitudinal study found that higher average television viewing by infants was not associated with differences in language or motor skills at age three. These findings contrast with parents' commonly held perception that television targeted at the very young is beneficial to their development.
Read the Parents of Preschoolers article at pediatrics.org Read the Television Viewing article at pediatrics.org
LAST CHANCE — Submit Your Questions about Child Care Quality to Child Policy Experts
Improving child care quality has been a priority for policymakers over the last decade, and child care quality rating systems have proliferated across the country. However, several studies released in 2008 find little evidence that the ratings reported by these systems are associated with measures of children's well-being. As such, the evidence raises questions about the reliability of these systems to accurately measure the quality of child care services. Reliable systems of measurement are necessary in order to design and appropriately target quality improvement initiatives. In this Expert Perspectives feature, we invite you to ask three leading child policy experts your questions on the topic of child care quality and methods used to measure child care quality. There are only a few days left to submit your questions. Experts' responses will be posted in the upcoming weeks.
Learn more and submit your question to the experts
RESEARCH IN BRIEF
Listed below are research summaries that have been added to the PPN site this month.
See all in this area » Healthy and Safe Children
Substance Use and Delinquency Among Fifth Graders Who Have Jobs
— Apr. 2009
Journal abstract at American Journal of Preventive Medicine website
America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness
— Mar. 2009
News release at National Center on Family Homelessness website
Does Participation in Organized Sports Predict Future Physical Activity for Adolescents from Diverse Economic Backgrounds?
— Mar. 2009
Effectiveness of Educational Materials Designed to Change Knowledge and Behaviors Regarding Crying and Shaken-Baby Syndrome in Mothers of Newborns
— Mar. 2009
The Effects of Varying Periods of Uninsurance on Children's Access to Health Care
— Mar. 2009
Hyperbaric Treatment for Children with Autism: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial
— Mar. 2009
Parents of Preschoolers: Expert Media Recommendations and Ratings Knowledge, Media-Effects Beliefs, and Monitoring Practices
— Mar. 2009
Smoking Patterns in Oregon Youth: Effects of Funding and Defunding of a Comprehensive State Tobacco Control Program
— Mar. 2009
Television Viewing in Infancy and Child Cognition at 3 Years of Age in a U.S. Cohort
— Mar. 2009
Breaking the Link Between Special Health Care Needs and Financial Hardship
— Feb. 2009
Suicidal Thinking May Be Predicted Among Certain Teens with Depression
— Feb. 2009
Trends in Child Health 1997-2006: Assessing Hispanic-White Disparities
— Feb. 2009
Racial Disparities in Perinatal Outcomes and Pregnancy Spacing Among Women Delaying Initiation of Childbearing
— Jan. 2009
Trends in Child Health 1997-2006: Assessing Black-White Disparities
— Jan. 2009
Fertility Effects of Abortion and Birth Control Pill Access for Minors
— Nov. 2008
Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Consequences of Poor Infant Health: An Analysis Using Siblings and Twins
— Winter 2008
See all in this area » Children Ready for School
Parents of Preschoolers: Expert Media Recommendations and Ratings Knowledge, Media-Effects Beliefs, and Monitoring Practices
— Mar. 2009
Television Viewing in Infancy and Child Cognition at 3 Years of Age in a U.S. Cohort
— Mar. 2009
See all in this area » Children Succeeding in School
America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness
— Mar. 2009
Study Finds Inconsistent Teaching Quality in First Grade Classrooms
— Feb. 2009
Trends in Child Health 1997-2006: Assessing Hispanic-White Disparities
— Feb. 2009
Instruction, Student Engagement, and Reading Skill Growth in Reading First Classrooms
— Jan. 2009
Trends in Child Health 1997-2006: Assessing Black-White Disparities
— Jan. 2009
Class Size Reduction and Student Achievement: The Potential Tradeoff Between Teacher Quality and Class Size
— Winter 2009
Taking a Chance on College: Is the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program a Winner?
— Winter 2009
Does Job Corps Work? Impact Findings from the National Job Corps Study
— Dec. 2008
Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Consequences of Poor Infant Health: An Analysis Using Siblings and Twins
— Winter 2008
See all in this area » Strong Families
America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness
— Mar. 2009
The Effects of Varying Periods of Uninsurance on Children's Access to Health Care
— Mar. 2009
Breaking the Link Between Special Health Care Needs and Financial Hardship
— Feb. 2009
A Longitudinal Analysis of Family Migration and the Gender Gap in Earnings in the United States and Great Britain
— Feb. 2009
Trends in Child Health 1997-2006: Assessing Hispanic-White Disparities
— Feb. 2009
Trends in Child Health 1997-2006: Assessing Black-White Disparities
— Jan. 2009
Does Job Corps Work? Impact Findings from the National Job Corps Study
— Dec. 2008
The Long-Term Effects of Housing Assistance on Work and Welfare
— Dec. 2008
Parental Leave Policies and Parents' Employment and Leave-Taking
— Dec. 2008
How Does Job-Protected Maternity Leave Affect Mothers' Employment?
— Oct. 2008
Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Consequences of Poor Infant Health: An Analysis Using Siblings and Twins
— Winter 2008
ABOUT OUR SUPPORTERS
The Promising Practices Network appreciates the generosity of our supporting organizations:
Annie E. Casey Foundation
The California Wellness Foundation
Colorado Foundation for Families and Children
The Colorado Trust
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Family and Community Trust
Foundation Consortium for California's Children & Youth
Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media, at Saint Vincent College
Georgia Family Connection Partnership
Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families (GCYF)
Kansas Action for Children
KidsOhio.org
New York State Office of Children & Family Services
RAND Corporation
The Spencer Foundation
GENERAL INFORMATION
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