This updated manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. It is hoped that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The main focus of this manual is to provide…

Elements of Success 1: Structural Options outlines the range of current children's cabinet and council structures in place and offers tips and warnings for getting the most effective structure in place. This issue brief builds heavily on interviews conducted by the Forum and on the detailed documentation work done by Susan Robison for the National…

This manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. It is hoped that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The main focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read…

Children who lack health insurance do not have access to preventive care, placing them at greater risk of serious illness. This special report of the Voices for Illinois Children describes federal and state efforts to address the problem of uninsured children and issues that will need to be monitored as Illinois begins to help children access…

The document, over two-thirds of which consists of attachments, presents Part I of the final report on a child advocacy research and demonstration program in Tennessee, called County Agents for Children. The program established four county agents as general advocates for children in four rural counties, with roles modeled after those of county…

While the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 included many provision of concern to child advocates, the Act also gave states increased flexibility to design welfare programs in ways that support children, or that ameliorate some of the harshest provisions of the Act. This issue brief describes innovative…

This Kids Count special report examines the relationship between poverty status and the number of children in Arkansas lacking health insurance. The report also presents information on two programs providing health care to Arkansas children whose parents lack insurance coverage, Medicaid and ARKids First. The report describes how these two…

The Healthy Start and Healthy Families programs offer children up to age 19, parents, and pregnant women in Ohio the health services families need, including doctor's visits, prescriptions, hospitalization, immunizations, prenatal care, eyeglasses, dental care, and mental health care. This tool kit was designed to help practitioners in programs…

The primary goal of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is to provide nutritious meals to children in low-income areas when school is not in session. This report presents the findings of the SFSP Implementation Study, a descriptive study of the operations of the SFSP at the state and local levels and how SFSP staff feel the program could be…

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was designed in 1997 to support working families by providing affordable, quality health coverage for their children in an efficient, effective, and coordinated way. This report examines the progress made in implementing CHIP nationwide. Information sources included the following: (1) federal…

This document is comprised of 9 issues of a newsletter providing information on current child advocacy initiatives and accomplishments. Each issue describes one local or state child advocacy program or initiative and its accomplishments. The issues of this publication represent a series of short information pieces to highlight the National…

Since its creation in 1997, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has provided low-income children the access to health care they desperately need. Recognizing the important role health insurance plays in assuring that children come to school healthy and ready to learn, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSCO) gathered…

Minnesota Statute 169.685 (Seat Belts and Passenger Restraint Systems for Children) requires all drivers to correctly place children under the age of 4 years in child car seats. In response to the requirements of the amended statute, this report presents information to the Minnesota legislature on the commissioner's activities and expenditure of…

Examines how the child support enforcement program in Alaska has responded to the challenges of distance, weather, and cultural differences through training representatives, making waiting areas more comfortable, conducting random customer evaluation of services, establishing travel hubs in regional offices and meeting with community leaders and…

Summarizes the beginnings of family support programs for developmentally disabled children and their families; their present workings; and the direction they should be going. (BB)