This paper reviews the contributions of the United States to the promotion of children's rights. In the 19th century, the United States created public schools to supplement family education. Societies to protect children were also established. Early in the 20th century, the government began a series of White House Conferences on Children and…

Under Oklahoma's new "in need of treatment" (INT) procedure, juvenile commitments have increased 10 times since 1983. About 8% of commitments are American Indian children. Generally, the mental health dilemma of Indian communities is characterized by multiple and interacting problems, acute symptoms masked by related problems such as…

The status of state maternity/parental leave laws throughout the United States is depicted in eight figures and three tables. Information is reported by state for maternity/parental leave laws, months of available leave, maternity/family illness laws, days of leave for family illness, temporary disability insurance laws, temporary disability…

In this article we argue that the asset-based approach is one explanation for sustainability in programmes supporting vulnerable children. We structure our argument by formulating five questions and then pursuing tentative answers to them. We start our contention by highlighting the particularity of the challenges faced in schools to support…

This paper reviews social support programs designed to have a preventive impact on young adolescents. A review of supportive programs for reducing adolescents' risks of educational failure and poor health has identified a number of innovative school- and community-based support programs. School-based support programs are aimed at enhanced…

By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. This "Pocket Guide" is derived from the 2005 "KIDS COUNT Data Book." The following sections are included: (1) Essay; (2) Charts on 10 Key…

This study examined participation in preschool and its relationship with the cognitive and social development of language-minority students. Although there is a large body of research that demonstrates the cognitive and social benefits of attending preschool (Barnett, 1995; Gorey, 2001; National Research Council, Committee on Early Childhood…

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" uses data from a multilevel longitudinal study, the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), to investigate possible effects of neighborhood residence on…

This study estimates the effect of maternal education on birth outcomes using data from the Vital Statistics Natality files for 1970 to 1999. It also assesses the importance of four potential channels through which maternal education may improve birth outcomes: use of prenatal care, smoking behavior, marriage, and fertility. In an effort to…

The United Nations Special Session on Children in May, 2002, was a landmark for children and human developmentthe first Special Session of the General Assembly devoted exclusively to children and the first to include them as official delegates. Participants came together to assess the progress made toward achieving the goals of the 1990 World…

Despite expansions in children's health insurance programs, rates of uninsurance in California continue to be high. Noting that absenteeism due to poor health is associated with school failure and asserting that schools offer an established framework on which to build a coordinated approach to enrolling children in health insurance programs, this…

This digest reports on the very limited research that has focused specifically on early childhood issues in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health, development, and education. Extant research focuses primarily on infant mortality, birth weight and growth, obesity, and hearing and speech. Beginning in 1985, a longitudinal study called the…

This booklet, written in English, Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese, Russian, Spanish, Bosnian, Arabic, Somali, and Nuer (this translation is published in the form of a Tape and Book Set) provides culturally appropriate educational information and photographs on baby and child safety, addressing: safe feeding; (always hold the baby when bottle-feeding so…

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the seventh month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…

Noting that childhood lead poisoning is one of the most common preventable pediatric health problems, this report examines lead poisoning as a health problem to which infants and young children are most susceptible and as a housing problem directly related to a shortage of safe, affordable housing. The report details screening rates in Rhode…