Formal mentoring programs have historically tended to match youth with same-sex mentors; more recently, mentoring programs designed specifically for girls have begun cropping up in response to theories on gender and adolescent girls' psychological health and development, which suggest girls have particular psychosocial needs and ways of relating.…

This publication is a compilation of original and republished materials from numerous individuals and organizations working on pesticide reform and integrated pest management (IPM)--using alternatives to prevailing chemical-intensive practices. The manual provides comprehensive information on implementing school IPM, including a practical guide to…

Concerning the issue of molds and indoor air quality in school buildings, addresses the importance of planning and design for building operations and maintenance, the effects of indoor air quality, and ongoing documentation and training. (EV)

Discusses the history of special needs (SN) adoption, the current status of SN adoption services, and future challenges and directions for reform. Recommends increased provision of postadoption services and offers of financial assistance to families with adopted SN children, and increased emphasis on foster parent adoption of SN children. (MDM)

Growth is the most vital sign of overall health in a child, and many medical conditions are identified by abnormal growth patterns. A Georgia school district, with the assistance of the Human Growth Foundation, implemented growth screening in all 55 elementary schools and in 9 out of 18 middle schools. (MLF)

Evaluates the impact of adult tobacco use on the health of children based on review of research reports and meta-analysis of risk ratio for various conditions studied. Results indicated that the use of tobacco products by adults has an enormous adverse impact on children's health and is associated with lower respiratory tract illnesses and…

Proposes that demand for high-quality child care will increase only when consumers have better information about child care and stronger economic incentives to purchase excellent care. (Author/MM)

Purpose: Prescription medication use is essential to the health and well-being of many elderly persons. However, the cost of medications may be prohibitive and contribute to noncompliance with medical recommendations. This study identifies community-dwelling elders who reported a delay in medication use because of prescription medication cost.…

When a child is sick, parents want answers. They want to know what is wrong, what they can do, and how to get their child healthy--pronto. Regrettably, there are some puzzling illnesses affecting children that are surrounded by mystery. One of them is gastroesophageal reflux (GER), otherwise known as acid reflux--or "reflux" for short. Reflux…

This article summarizes state and community policy activities during the first six months of 2007 and provides updates of the progress to serve infants, toddlers, and their families. The following states are included in the report: (1) Arkansas; (2) California; (3) Indiana; (4) Iowa; (5) Michigan; (6) Minnesota; (7) New York; (8) Ohio; (9)…

This review seeks to question the marked concentration in the work of both government and non-governmental agencies on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is not part of the law in England, as contrasted with the relative absence of reference to the European Convention on Human Rights, which has, since 2 October 2000,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore views about cycling among members of identified community groups living near the Loop Line, a cycling and walking path in a deprived part of North Liverpool, UK. Design/methodology/approach: Following a literature review, qualitative focus group research was conducted among six groups of children,…

Childhood obesity has become an alarming problem in this country. Risk factors associated with childhood obesity include having obese parents, a history of low or high birth weight, Black or Hispanic ethnicity, and low socioeconomic background. Although most healthy American infants and toddlers have adequate diets, many parents and health…

Within-family associations between changes in income and changes in the home environment during infancy and early childhood were examined using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 1364). Linear and nonlinear (i.e., semilog) specifications were estimated for…

Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, the authors modeled trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms from infant age 1 month to 7 years. The authors identified 6 trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms: high-chronic, moderate-increasing, high-decreasing,…