PPN Newsletter February 2010
Listed below are recent updates to the Promising Practices Network on Children, Families and Communities website (http://www.promisingpractices.net).
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
We want to hear from you! Try our new PPN Quick Poll
PPN is pleased to announced our newest feature, PPN Quick Polls. In an effort to learn how PPN can best meet the information needs and interests of our visitors (you!), we will periodically be posting a Quick Poll question on the home page. This is your chance to give anonymous input about ways that PPN can continue to be a valuable resource for people who work to improve the lives of children, families and communities. Check out the PPN Quick Poll feature on the right side of the home page to participate in our first poll.
WHAT'S NEW
New policy forum video now available: Promising Practices Related to Child Care Quality
The Promising Practices Network (PPN), RAND Corporation, and Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families (GCYF) recently hosted a special event featuring a panel of leading national experts discussing research evidence related to assessing the quality of child care. This policy forum, held on December 9, 2009 in Santa Monica, California and via Webinar, was designed to help decision makers and funders understand the latest research related to child care quality and the implications for policymakers. Audience members included leaders from the region as well as visiting guests from around the country. Video of this event is now available for viewing online.
See video of this event at the RAND Corporation website 
See PPN's Expert Perspectives feature on child care quality
Public school-based abstinence-only sex education program for 6th and 7th grade students delays sexual initiation
A randomized trial that compared an abstinence-only program to sex education programs that emphasized condom use and a comprehensive approach that combined condom use, abstinence and HIV prevention found that the abstinence-only program increased the age of sexual initiation and reduced the rate of recent sexual intercourse among participants at two-year follow-up. Participants included sixth- and seventh-grade African American students in urban public schools from one city in the northeastern United States. The abstinence-only sex education program aimed to educate participants about the risk of HIV and pregnancy, as well as provide skills to help participants negotiate abstinence and resist pressure to have sex. The program followed a structured curriculum, including group discussions, games, videos, exercises, and brainstorming, and was based on social-cognitive theory and the theory of reasoned action. This abstinence-only curriculum differs from many abstinence programs in that it emphasizes the health and life course benefits of abstinence rather than focusing on abstinence-until-marriage messages.
Read the abstract at the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine website Read more on this topic in PPN's Research in Brief and Programs that Work sections
Food stamp participation grows by 24 percent from 2008 to 2009
A recent analysis of U.S. Census data, conducted by the Brookings Institution and reported in the research brief The Effects of the Recession on Child Poverty, found that the number of people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (formerly called "food stamps") grew by 24 percent between August 2008 and August 2009. This increase represents 7 million Americans, nearly half of whom are children. Nationwide, nearly one in five children below the age of 18 were living in poverty as of September 2009. Eight states, including Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as Washington D.C., have very high rates of child poverty and have seen very high growth in food stamp participation.
Read the research brief at the Brookings website Read more on this topic in PPN's Research in Brief and Programs that Work sections
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
Efficacy of a Theory-Based Abstinence-Only Intervention Over 24 Months
— Feb. 2010
Journal abstract at Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine website
Generation, Language, Body Mass Index, and Activity Patterns in Hispanic Children
— Feb. 2010
Hunger in America 2010
— Feb. 2010
Executive summary at Feeding America website
Improving Early Identification & Treatment of Adolescent Depression: Considerations & Strategies for Health Plans
— Feb. 2010
It's Your Game: Keep It Real: Delaying Sexual Behavior with an Effective Middle School Program
— Feb. 2010
Longitudinal Intervention Effects on Parenting of the Aventuras para Niños Study
— Feb. 2010
Trends in Birth Weight and Gestational Length Among Singleton Term Births in the United States: 1990-2005
— Feb. 2010
Effectiveness of Weight Management Interventions in Children: A Targeted Systematic Review for the USPSTF
— Jan. 2010
Factors Associated with Detection and Receipt of Treatment for Youth with Depression and Anxiety Disorders
— Jan. 2010
Interventions for Reducing Adolescent Alcohol Abuse
— Jan. 2010
Long-Term Effects of Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Visitation on the Life Course of Youths: 19-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial
— Jan. 2010
Prevalence and Treatment of Mental Disorders Among U.S. Children in the 2001-2004 NHANES
— Jan. 2010
Prevalence of High Body Mass Index in U.S. Children and Adolescents, 2007-2008
— Jan. 2010
Reducing Maternal Intimate Partner Violence After the Birth of a Child: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Hawaii Healthy Start Home Visitation Program
— Jan. 2010
Rising Social Inequalities in U.S. Childhood Obesity
— Jan. 2010
Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09
— Jan. 2010
State Strategies to Help Schools Make the Most of Their National School Lunch Program
— Jan. 2010
U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity
— Jan. 2010
The California Index of Child and Youth Well-Being
— Dec. 2009
What Works for Parent Involvement Programs for Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Interventions
— Dec. 2009
What Works for Parent Involvement Programs for Children: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Interventions
— Dec. 2009
Birth Weight Effects on Children's Mental, Motor, and Physical Development: Evidence from Twins Data
— Nov. 2009
Changes in the Oral Health of U.S. Children and Adolescents and Dental Public Health Infrastructure Since the Release of the Healthy People 2010 Objectives
— Nov. 2009
Dental Care and Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Population-Based Perspective
— Nov. 2009
Socioeconomic Gradients in Infant Health Across Race and Ethnicity
— Nov. 2009
Update on Disparities in Oral Health and Access to Dental Care for America's Children
— Nov. 2009
The Health and Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007
— 2009
See all in this area » Children Ready for School
Birth Weight Effects on Children's Mental, Motor, and Physical Development: Evidence from Twins Data
— Nov. 2009
See all in this area » Children Succeeding in School
Long-Term Effects of Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Visitation on the Life Course of Youths: 19-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial
— Jan. 2010
The California Index of Child and Youth Well-Being
— Dec. 2009
What Works for Parent Involvement Programs for Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Interventions
— Dec. 2009
What Works for Parent Involvement Programs for Children: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Interventions
— Dec. 2009
The Health and Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007
— 2009
See all in this area » Strong Families
Hunger in America 2010
— Feb. 2010
Long-Term Effects of Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Visitation on the Life Course of Youths: 19-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial
— Jan. 2010
State Strategies to Help Schools Make the Most of Their National School Lunch Program
— Jan. 2010
The California Index of Child and Youth Well-Being
— Dec. 2009
The Effects of the Recession on Child Poverty
— Dec. 2009
State Poverty Task Forces: A Step Ahead on Modern Poverty Measures
— Dec. 2009
The Health and Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007
— 2009
ABOUT OUR SUPPORTERS
The Promising Practices Network appreciates the generosity of our supporting organizations:
Annie E. Casey Foundation
The California Wellness Foundation
The Colorado Trust
The Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Family Communications, Inc. (FCI)
Family and Community Trust
Georgia Family Connection Partnership
Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families (GCYF)
Hands On Gulf Coast
Kansas Action for Children
KidsOhio.org
New York State Office of Children & Family Services
RAND Corporation
The Spencer Foundation
GENERAL INFORMATION
Please forward this newsletter to anyone who is interested in what works for children and families.
To subscribe to this newsletter, please visit our sign up page.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please visit our unsubscribe page.
If you have any questions or comments about this message, please send them to promisingpractices@rand.org.
|
The Promising Practices Network is operated by the RAND Corporation,
RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208. |
Back to Top