Federal Resources

Summer is a time for having fun outdoors, but teens must be aware of sun safety and air quality in order to avoid injury and aggravating chronic conditions. These federal resources can help young people — and the adults who work with them — stay safe while enjoying the summer months:

• The Environmental Protection Agency’s ultraviolet (UV) index forecasts can help users prepare for, and avoid excess, UV exposure.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Sun Safety for America’s Youth Toolkit has sun-safe policies for community programs.
• Use Airnow.gov to track local air quality and prepare accordingly for outdoor activities for youth with asthma.

CNCS, DOE, EPA, NOAA, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Cities of Service announced a new commitment to launch the Resilience AmeriCorps pilot program. Resilience AmeriCorps will help communities plan and implement efforts necessary to become more resilient to shocks and stresses, including extreme weather and other impacts of climate change. AmeriCorps VISTA members will serve in up to 12 communities in 2015-2016 to support the development of resilience strategies. 

This website allows users to contact and participate in peer-to-peer learning and sharing with school districts in their area that have earned the distinction of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) champions by the EPA for their achievements in improving IAQ. 

This archived webinar series features four hour-long technical web-based trainings that address how to improve or sustain indoor air quality (IAQ) management programs within schools or school districts. School professionals can use this training to learn about the implementation of a successful framework for IAQ management, critical actions needed to address building-related environmental health, and the use of tools in the School IAQ Assessment Mobile App to identify and prioritize IAQ improvements. 

This toolkit helps school officials responsible for the maintenance and/or safety of schools’ drinking water implement prevention programs for lead in drinking water. The toolkit introduces the 3Ts for an approach to reducing lead in drinking water: training, testing, and telling. 

This report provides a broad framework that clarifies research types and provides basic guidance about the purpose, justification, design features, and expected outcomes from various research types. It aims to establish cross-agency guidelines for improving the quality, coherence, and pace of knowledge development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

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. 

This booklet is for the parents, caregivers or representatives of children younger than age 18 who have disabilities that might make them eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. It helps these individuals decide if their child is eligible.

The Ticket to Work Program provides most people receiving Social Security benefits (beneficiaries) more choices for receiving employment services.  Under this program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issues tickets to eligible beneficiaries who, in turn, may choose to assign those tickets to an Employment Network (EN) of their choice to obtain employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services necessary to achieve a vocational (work) goal.  The EN, if they accept the ticket, will coordinate and provide appropriate services to help the beneficiary find and maintain employment. Learn more about Ticket to Work

This resource (PDF, 2 pages) describes the Social Security benefits children whose parents are disabled, retired, or deceased may be eligible for, and what is needed to apply.

This blog post provides youth with disabilities information and tips for finding and applying for meaningful internship and job opportunities. It also includes links to additional resources related to employment. 

This website allows users, including youth, to access and manage their social security benefit information to plan for retirement.

This resource can help young people prepare for the transition from school to adult life. It includes information about SSI work incentives that primarily affect youth, as well as common programs and services that parents, guardians, and youth may find helpful.