Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-being, 2012
Prepared by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, “America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2012” highlights 14 key indicators on important aspects of children’s lives across seven domains:
- Family and social environment
- Economic circumstances
- Health care
- Physical environment and safety
- Behavior
- Education
- Health
Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities
This Guide was developed to help youth service professionals better understand issues related to learning disabilities so that they can help youth with learning disabilities develop individual strategies that will enable them to succeed in the workplace.
Guidance to Improve Educational Outcomes of Children and Youth in Foster Care
This guidance, released by the Department of Education, provides states with information to implement the Uninterrupted Scholars Act, making it easier for caseworkers, child welfare agencies, and tribal organizations responsible for the placement and care of children and youth in foster care to have direct access to their education records.
Joint Letter: Supporting the Well-being of Students in Foster Care
Released by the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, this joint letter to education authorities discusses increasing educational stability for children and youth in foster care.
Quality Education Services Are Critical for Youth Involved With the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
In May 2010, the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University released the monograph ”Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems” (PDF, 74 pages), which examines a number of topics relevant to the education and experiences of youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This new practice guide (PDF, 27 pages) developed by NDTAC examines the principle included in the monograph that quality education services are critical for youth involved with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, and offers a range of practices and strategies that juvenile justice, child welfare, and education professionals can use to improve education programming and outcomes for youth in their care.
Students in Foster Care
This Department of Education webpage provides information about important laws, guidance, and technical assistance materials related to the educational experience of youth in foster care.
Student Voices Session: Shining a Spotlight on Native Youth in Foster Care
This blog post describes a Student Voices session held at The White House on December 8, 2014. Here, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, and current and former foster care youth from American Indian and Alaska Native nations discussed the struggles of Native youth. In the post, the author, a public policy specialist and a former foster care youth of Native Hawaiian and American Indian (Blackfeet) descent, also shares her personal experiences and the important role school played in her life.
Supporting Successful Transition to Adulthood for Current and Former Youth in Foster Care Through Coordination With the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program
This training and employment notice informs states and local areas about how youth programs can help youth who are or were in foster care to complete postsecondary education and training. Intended for youth programs that receive formula funding through the Workforce Investment Act, the training highlights how youth programs can coordinate with state and local independent living coordinators to ensure that youth have knowledge of and access to state tuition waivers and education and training vouchers from the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program.
Selecting Appropriate Pre-Posttests
This tip sheet highlights key questions and areas to consider for Title I, Part D administrators regarding the selection of an appropriate pre-posttest for tracking student progress in reading and mathematics. It focuses on students receiving educational services in juvenile justice and child welfare settings.
Share with Youth: Foster Care Transition Toolkit
This toolkit (PDF, 66 pages) includes tips and resources to help current and former foster youth as they transition to adulthood and pursue college and career opportunities. It provides information on important topics like finding a job, managing money, and securing housing.
Resource: Non-Regulatory Guidance: Ensuring Educational Stability for Children in Foster Care
This guidance (PDF, 28 pages) provides information to states, school districts, and child welfare agencies on new provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act for supporting children and youth in foster care.
Children in Foster Care with Parents in Federal Prison: A Toolkit for Child Welfare Agencies, Federal Prisons, and Residential Reentry Centers
Roughly 10% of incarcerated mothers in state prison have a child in a foster home or other state care. Some estimates indicate that as many as 1 in 8 children who are subjects of reports of maltreatment and investigated by child welfare agencies have parents who were recently arrested. Though there is clearly overlap between the prison system and the child welfare system, it is often difficult for prison officials to know how to help incarcerated parents stay in touch with their children in foster care and work towards reunification. Similarly, it is difficult for child welfare agencies to know how to engage parents in prison. The purpose of this toolkit is to help facilitate communication and cooperation between child welfare agencies and federal prisons so that parents can stay engaged in their children's lives.
Children of Incarcerated Parents – Fact Sheet
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2007, an estimated 1.7 million children under the age of 18 had a parent in prison, an increase of almost 80 percent since 1991. The negative consequences for children with an incarcerated parent can be substantial, including financial instability, changes in family structure, shame, and social stigma. However, research also shows that supporting healthy and positive relationships between these vulnerable children, who are the innocent bystanders of adult decisions, and their families has the potential to mitigate negative outcomes.
An interagency group, that includes the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, and Agriculture as well as the Social Security Administration, has partnered with stakeholders both inside and outside of government to identify opportunities to support these children and their caregivers. This fact sheet describes the efforts of the interagency group.
Best Practices Guide on Mentoring Youth with Disabilities
This best practices guide funded in part under a grant/contract supported by the Office of Disability Employment Policy of the U. S. Department of Laborh and the Technology Opportunities Program of the U. S. Department of Commerce,
National Telecommunications and Information Administration aims to help communities to start mentoring programs or expand a program to include youth with disabilities.
Neighborhood Networks
HUD created Neighborhood Networks in 1995 to encourage property owners to establish multiservice community learning centers in HUD insured and assisted properties. Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal initiatives to promote self-sufficiency and help provide computer access to low-income housing communities. Neighborhood Networks centers are alike. With support from innovative public-private partnerships, Neighborhood Networks centers sponsor a range of services and programs. Nearly all centers offer job training and educational opportunities, and many also provide programs that include access to healthcare information and microenterprise development.
Reintegration of ExOffenders Program
The Department of Labor's Reintegration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Program targets court-involved youth, young adults, and adult ex-offenders through a variety of discretionary grant awards. Organizations partner with juvenile and adult justice systems to assist in providing employment and training to this population of individuals who may find it difficult to obtain employment or training without additional assistance. Projects support a comprehensive strategy for serving youth in a local area to which many are returning from juvenile correctional or detention facilities. Both the adult and youthful offender grants serve as demonstration projects for improving communities with high rates of crime and poverty.
YouthBuild
Youthbuild provides an alternative education pathway that encourages youth to obtain a high school diploma or GED, while advancing toward employment while developing leadership skills and serving the community.
Fatherhood Is a Community Value
This blog post describes President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative and the administration’s efforts to provide guidance, mentoring, and support to all children, including young boys and young men.
Resource: The Mentoring Toolkit 2.0: Resources for Developing Programs for Incarcerated Youth
This toolkit, developed by the National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or Delinquent Children and Youth, provides information, program descriptions, and links to important resources that can assist juvenile correctional facilities and other organizations with designing effective mentoring programs for neglected and delinquent youth, particularly those who are incarcerated.
Archived Webinar: Performance Partnership Pilots (P3) Round 2 Bidders Conference
This archived webinar presents details of the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for the second round (FY 2015) of Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3), including application requirements and selection criteria for potential applicants.
Resource: Youth Workforce Development
This resource (PDF, 6 pages) describes the stark consequences of youth unemployment, especially among youth of color, and provides an overview of “what works” for youth workforce development. It highlights critical strategies and best practices, exemplars, and additional resources to support local practitioners’ efforts to develop and implement workforce development programs for young people in their communities.
Supporting Community College Delivery of Apprenticeships
This report, developed by Jobs for the Future, highlights the findings of a survey of 38 community colleges on apprenticeship program design, occupations, and participant diversity. It also provides recommendations for four areas of focus for organizations partnering with community colleges to expand apprenticeship initiatives.
Comprehensive Services for Opportunity Youth Resource List
This resource provides a list of comprehensive services for opportunity youth.
Move Over. It's The Law. Protecting Law Enforcement Personnel on Our Nation’s Highways
All 50 States have “Move Over” laws designed to protect law enforcement officers and other first responders who are stopped on roadsides. But only 71% of the public know about these laws. The Move Over campaign seeks to raise awareness about these laws and the importance of protecting public safety professionals. Find banner ads, fact sheets, news releases, and other tools that you can use to spread the word about Move Over.
A Guide to School Vulnerability Assessment Key: Principles for Safe Schools
This guide is a companion piece to the Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities (above). It emphasizes a valuable part of emergency management planning—ongoing vulnerability assessment—and is intended to assist schools with the selection and implementation of an effective vulnerability assessment tool.