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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Poverty; Children; Child Welfare; Nongovernmental Organizations; Child Health; Caring; Inclusion; Access to Education; Personal Autonomy; Mobility; Housing; Gender Differences; Disabilities; Age Differences; Freedom; Rural Areas; War; Developing Nations; Social Indicators; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Socioeconomic Influences; Research Methodology; Surveys; Childhood Needs

Abstract:
This paper examines multidimensional poverty among children in Afghanistan using the Alkire-Foster method. Several previous studies have underlined the need to separate children from their adult nexus when studying poverty and treat them according to their own specificities. From the capability approach, child poverty is understood to be the lack of freedom to do and to be what children themselves value and have reason to value. The case of Afghanistan is particularly relevant as years of conflict aggravated by several severe droughts, political insecurity, bad governance and ongoing violence have significantly increased poverty in the country. The paper discusses the relevant dimensions when analysing child poverty and uses data from a survey carried out by Handicap International which contains information on dimensions of children's wellbeing that is typically missing in standard surveys. Ten dimension are considered in this paper: health, care and love, material deprivation, food security, social inclusion, education, freedom from economic and non-economic exploitation, shelter and environment, autonomy, and mobility. Our results show that younger children, those living in rural areas, girls and disabled children are the most deprived. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Children; Program Effectiveness; Depression (Psychology); Age Differences; Interviews; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Child Development; Childhood Needs; Nutrition; Outcomes of Treatment; Adults

Abstract:
Background: Depression in adolescence is common and early onset predicts worse outcome in adulthood. Studies in adults have suggested a link between higher total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and lower risk of depression. Objectives: To investigate (a) the association between serum 25(OH)D[subscript 2] and 25(OH)D[subscript 3] concentrations and depressive symptoms in children, and (b) whether the associations of 25(OH)D[subscript 2] and 25(OH)D[subscript 3] are different from, and independent of, each other. Methods: Prospective cohort study with serum 25(OH)D[subscript 2] and 25(OH)D[subscript 3] concentrations measured at mean age of 9.8 years and depressive symptoms assessed with the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire by a trained interviewer at the mean ages of 10.6 years (n = 2,759) and 13.8 years (n = 2,752). Results: Higher concentrations of 25(OH)D[subscript 3] assessed at mean age 9.8 years were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms at age 13.8 years [adjusted risk ratio (RR; 95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.90 (0.86-0.95)], but not at age 10.6 years [adjusted RR (95% CI): 0.98 (0.93-1.03)] and with increased odds of decreasing symptoms between age 10.6 and 13.8 years [adjusted RR (95% CI): 1.08 (1.01-1.16)]. Serum 25(OH)D[subscript 2] concentrations were not associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions: This is the first study in children to suggest that the association between 25(OH)D[subscript 3] concentrations and depression emerges in childhood. The association is independent of a wide range of potential confounding factors, and appears to be stronger with greater time separation between assessment of 25(OH)D[subscript 3] and assessment of depressive symptoms. Confirmation of our findings in large prospective studies and trials would be valuable. (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Opportunities; Kindergarten; Professional Development; Feedback (Response); State Departments of Education; Cooperation; Partnerships in Education; School Districts; Preschool Teachers; Young Children; School Community Relationship; Family School Relationship; Advocacy; Organizations (Groups); Alignment (Education); Educational Assessment; Student Evaluation; Preschool Curriculum; Curriculum Design; Surveys; Educational Policy; Financial Support; Transitional Programs; School Readiness; Childhood Needs

Abstract:
In this brief, Christine Patton and Justina Wang, from Harvard Family Research Project, look at ways of helping to make the transition into kindergarten a positive experience that will serve as a foundation to help children reach their full potential throughout their school years. The brief highlights promising practices in six states--New Jersey, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia, and California--where local- and state-level leadership support a variety of initiatives to ensure successful transitions into kindergarten. The authors examine effective collaborative approaches in which state departments of education, advocacy organizations, school districts, early education teachers, kindergarten teachers, families, and community members work together to help kindergartners enter school ready to begin this pivotal new phase of their lives. The six states featured have each developed an integrated approach to the transition into kindergarten through the use of two or more of the following types of supports: (1) Aligned assessments, standards, and curriculum; (2) Professional development; (3) Programs for special populations; and (4) Communication and dissemination. Promising local-level transition practices include: (1) Transition teams; (2) Feedback surveys; and (3) Ongoing/year-round activities. The brief concludes with a set of recommendations for policymakers to help support these innovative practices at the local, state, and federal levels. State and federal policies to support collaborative and thoughtful transitions should accomplish the following: (1) Promote the importance of family and community partnerships during transitions through reporting and accountability systems; (2) Make joint preschool and kindergarten training and professional development opportunities available to increase teachers' knowledge of transition practices; (3) Build capacity for continued statewide and regional sharing of promising practices; and (4) Provide districts with funding opportunities to support their transition practices. Transition Practices by State are appended. (Contains 1 figure and 33 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Well Being; Cultural Differences; Family Life; Young Adults; Counties; Private Financial Support; Childhood Needs; Quality of Life; Barriers; Needs Assessment; Children; Adolescents; Public Health; Safety; Access to Education; Socioeconomic Status; Geographic Location; Racial Differences; Immigrants; Child Health; Disabilities; Health Behavior; Child Development; Adolescent Development; Substance Abuse; Early Parenthood; Sexuality; Health Insurance; Violence; Delinquency; Family Income; Welfare Services; Child Welfare; Child Abuse; Special Needs Students; Youth Programs; Dropouts; Volunteers; Enrollment Trends; Reading Achievement; Mathematics Achievement; Grade 4; Standardized Tests; Victims; Poverty; Limited English Speaking

Abstract:
The National Capital Region (NCR) is home to more than one-and-a-half million children and youth (ages birth through 24 years). Although the NCR is known as a place with a highly transient population, if history is any guide, many of these young people will remain in this region and fundamentally shape the quality of life--not only for themselves, but for the region's economic, political, social, and cultural life for years to come. On the other hand, many young people in the Region face enormous challenges--barriers that not only threaten their chances of personal success and undermine their contribution to the future vitality of the Region, but that will surely (if not addressed forthrightly) act as a heavy brake on the Region's progress. A comprehensive, baseline assessment of the status of children and youth in the NCR is a prerequisite for identifying needs, making the case for investing in youth, determining specific priorities (for example, by age-group, well-being domain, geographic sub-region, or demographic sub-group), and tracking progress over time. This report is unusually comprehensive, along several dimensions. Its geographic scope includes three independent cities and six counties, in two states. Indicators reports focusing on children have, in the last couple of decades, become widespread, from a national level, to states, counties, and cities. However, far fewer have attempted a regional approach that encompasses multiple political jurisdictions. From a developmental perspective, this report treats children and youth from birth through 24 years of age. Additionally, it encompasses a number of important well-being domains, including health and safety, family life, education, economic security, and more. Any one of these life-stages (for example, infancy, early childhood, adolescence), any one of these domains, or indeed any one of these civic jurisdictions, could easily be the subject of a separate report. This breadth is strength of the report. It highlights the reality that, despite the geographic, economic, and cultural differences across the Region, residents' current lives and their future well-being are intertwined. Like it or not, nearly all who live in the NCR are tied, to one degree or another, to the resources, the problems, and the aspirations of their Regional neighbors. Families and young people, in particular, will make important decisions--including whether to remain in the NCR or not--based upon how well the Region functions as a setting promoting a widely shared quality of life. Accordingly, the authors need to examine the strengths and challenges of the Region as a whole, so that it may prosper. Appended are: (1) Additional tables; and (2) Reports consulted. (Contains 60 figures, 90 tables, and 31 footnotes.) [This report was prepared for Venture Philanthropy Partners.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Gifted; Psychological Patterns; Coping; Physical Development; Social Development; Emotional Development; Individual Characteristics; Child Development; Cognitive Development; Interpersonal Competence; Childhood Needs

Abstract:
Children, particularly young children, demonstrate characteristics of giftedness in many different ways. These characteristics manifest themselves based on gender, experiences, cultural identity, personal passions and interests, and family or community. Gifted children develop asynchronously. Morelock (2000) stated that "asynchrony in the gifted population means a lack of synchronicity in the rates of their cognitive, emotional and physical development." This asynchrony is present in young gifted children and can pose challenges when addressing social-emotional characteristics. There are a few strategies that are universally applied when addressing social-emotional characteristics of gifted children. Cross (2005) provided the following strategies: (1) teaching the child to anticipate and understand how he or she reacts to events and situations; (2) providing techniques and strategies to either change the reaction or deal with his or her reaction; (3) guiding the child in dealing with the difficulties and as he or she develops strategies; and (4) communicating with teachers and other caregivers to understand the child and the goals for the child. By using a variety of strategies to meet the social and emotional needs of the child, there is better chance of him or her developing appropriate coping skills. (Contains 1 table and 5 online resources.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Caseworkers; Childrens Rights; Child Advocacy; Interviews; Transitional Programs; Caregiver Attitudes; Participant Satisfaction; Needs Assessment; Childhood Needs; Integrated Services; Statistical Surveys; Childhood Attitudes; Child Care; Child Caregivers

Abstract:
EPIC is an independent voluntary organisation in the Republic of Ireland that advocates for the rights of children in care and young people who have care experience. One aspect of EPIC's work is the Aftercare Advocacy and Support Service, which provides confidential advice and support to young people who are preparing to leave care, those in aftercare and those who have left the care system. This paper reports on research undertaken in North Dublin with care-leavers and aftercare workers, using a survey and interviews to collect both quantitative and qualitative data, to inform EPIC's work in this area. The paper presents findings from the research along with other relevant literature and considers the implications for developing leaving-care services in the Republic of Ireland. The importance of adequate planning and access to both practical and emotional support to facilitate a gradual transition from care and the need to fully involve young people in the leaving-care process are emphasised. (Contains 2 figures and 1 note.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Disabilities; Special Needs Students; Educational Change; English Language Learners; Educational Improvement; Administrator Attitudes; Parent Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Educational Strategies; Childhood Needs; Intervention; Educational Research; Data; Educational Objectives; Interviews; Professional Development; Community Involvement; Mixed Methods Research; Academic Achievement

Abstract:
As a nation we need to identify a set of practical tools to help schools meet the needs of diverse learners. Schools must improve learning for all students, including children living in poverty, students learning English for the first time, students with special needs, students that are mobile, and students with diverse backgrounds. It is critical to their success that decision making be based on real-time accurate data and include classroom interventions based on research. An increase in staff knowledge is required to promote a unified focus on strategies, targets, and data monitoring that is tied directly to the school mission, beliefs, and objectives for improvement. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Life Style; Purchasing; Consumer Economics; Infants; Preschool Children; Early Childhood Education; Popular Culture; Pregnancy; Parent Education; Parent Role; Child Development; Childhood Needs; Cultural Differences; Film Study; Documentaries; Critical Reading; Audiences; Advertising; Marketing; Quality of Life; Child Rearing; Social Influences

Abstract:
We focus on the recently emerging "baby culture" that is fostering a curriculum of consumption and consumerism among parents-to-be and infants aged zero-to-three. To gain insight into how the cultural artifacts, practices, and trends emerging from this demographic are shaping the way we think and act in a consumer culture, we investigate "Babies," a popular documentary film by French director Thomas Balmes, who spent nearly two years following the lives of four babies from Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, and the USA. We identified a metanarrative positing the civilising nature of consumption; this metanarrative was exhibited through two main themes: colonising images and "civilised" cleanliness. These themes reinforce assumptions of a thriving or readily emerging baby culture in the featured consumer economy nations as contrasted with what could be read as the "uncivilised" approach to parenting and child development portrayed by the film in developing countries. We argue that the film perpetuates an obsession with a baby culture defined by consumerism as it simultaneously reproduces colonialist depictions of the "other". We posit that audiences in industrialised countries who view this film participate in "cinematic tourism" and thus become implicated in what Willinksy calls "imperialism's educational project." Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Social Change; Technological Advancement; Technological Literacy; Economic Climate; Global Approach; Educational Environment; Futures (of Society); Children; Young Adults; Social Networks; Childhood Interests; Computer Games; Childhood Needs; Family Environment; Time Perspective; Influence of Technology; Technology Uses in Education; Creativity; Participation

Abstract:
The early twenty-first century is characterised by rapid change. Commentators note how permeating digital technologies engage increasing numbers of children, young people and adults as consumers and also producers. In the shifting technological landscape, childhood and youth are changing. Connectivity around the clock, with a parallel existence in virtual space, is seamlessly integrated with actual lives. Young people are skilful collaborators, navigating digital gaming and social networking with ease, capably generating and manipulating content, experimenting virtually with versions of their "social face". They are implicit, inherent and immersed consumers. They are digital "possibility thinkers" posing "what if?" questions and engaging in "as if" activity. This paper seeks to theorise such possibility thinking in a digital, marketised age, using two competing discourses: young people as vulnerable and at risk; or alternatively as capable and potent. The former perspective imbues anxiety about the digital revolution; the latter embraces it as exciting and enabling. As education providers seek to re-imagine themselves, neither is sufficient. Local and global challenges urgently demand our creative potential and wisdom. Drawing from work with schools, the paper argues for co-creating with students their education futures through dialogue to nurture the 4 Ps: plurality, playfulness, participation and possibilities. (Contains 3 figures and 4 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Accidents; Traffic Safety; School Psychologists; Teaching Experience; Elementary School Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Interviews; Trauma; Training; Childhood Needs; School Psychology

Abstract:
A considerable number of children are exposed to extreme stressors such as the sudden loss of a loved one, serious traffic accidents, violence, and disaster. In order to facilitate school psychologists' assistance of teachers working with traumatized children, this study aimed to explore elementary school teachers' perspectives. Using a qualitative design, the study explored the perspectives of a purposively varied sample of 21 elementary school teachers (ages 22-55 years; with 0.5-30 years of teaching experience; 5 men). The teachers participated in semistructured interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed in line with the method of "summative analysis" by F. Rapport. Even though some teachers expressed confidence in working with children after traumatic exposure and many referred to a supportive atmosphere within the school, the most prominent themes in the participants' narratives reflected uncertainty about, or a struggle with, providing optimal support to children. They searched for a clear role definition as well as a good balance in answering conflicting needs of the exposed children and classmates, wished for better knowledge and skills, and experienced difficulties related to the emotional burden of their work. The findings suggest a need for further research into this understudied topic. In addition, the identified themes can be used by school psychologists to systematically explore individual teachers' strengths and difficulties and to provide them with tailored advice and training. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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