Studies in the News is a very current compilation of items significant to the Legislature and Governor's Office. It is created weekly by the State Library's Research Bureau to supplement the public policy debate in California’s Capitol. To help share the latest information with state policymakers, these reading lists are now being made accessible through the State Library’s website. This week's list of current articles in various public policy areas is presented below.

Service to State Employees:

• When available, the URL for the full text of each item is provided.

• California State Employees may contact the State Information & Reference Center (916-654-0206; cslsirc@library.ca.gov) with the SITN issue number and the item number [S#].

• All other interested individuals should contact their local library - the items may be available there, or may be borrowed by your local library on your behalf.

DEMOGRAPHY

CHILDREN

Nation’s Population One-Third Minority: Press Release. By the U.S. Census Bureau. (The Bureau, Washington, DC) May 10, 2006.

["The census figures show that the number of Hispanic and Asian children younger than 5 grew by double-digit percentages since 2000. The number of black children grew more slowly. The number of non-Hispanic white children younger than 5 declined for two years this decade before increasing again." Washington Post (May 10, 2006) A1.]

Press Release: 5 p.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/006808.html

Selected Age Groups for the Population by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1 p.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2006/nationalracetable3.pdf

[Request #S62201]

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Children of Immigrants: Facts and Figures. By the Urban Institute. (The Institute, Washington, DC) May 2006. 4 p.

Full Text at: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/900955_children_of_immigrants.pdf

["While Congress and the administration debate the future of the 11-12 million unauthorized immigrants, it is important to look also at the more than 5 million children in families with unauthorized parents. Two-thirds of these children are U.S.-born citizens, a share that increases to 93 percent among those under age 6." Urban Institute Update (May 18, 2006) 1.]

[Request #S62202]

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Young Children in Immigrant Families: The Role of Philanthropy: Sharing Knowledge, Creating Services, and Building Supportive Policies. By Kinsey Alden Dinan, National Center for Children in Poverty. (The Center, New York, New York) May 2006.

["A growing number of young children in this country are children of immigrants - and while immigrant families display important strengths, they are also more likely than native-born families to be low income and face other challenges that can place their children at risk.... Members of the foundation community came together to explore strategies for promoting positive outcomes for this critical population. The NCCP report on this meeting provides an overview of the key issues and findings that emerged from the meeting panels and discussions."]

Executive Summary: 6 p.
http://nccp.org/media/imr06_sum.pdf

Full Report: 80 p.
http://nccp.org/media/imr06_text.pdf

[Request #S62204]

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EDUCATION

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Early Literacy: Policy and Practice in the Preschool Years. By Dorothy S. Strickland and Shannon Riley-Ayers, National Institute for Early Education Research. (The Institute, New Brunswick, New Jersey) April 2006. 12 p.

Full Text at: nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/10.pdf

["Early literacy plays a key role in enabling the kind of early learning experiences that research shows are linked with academic achievement, reduced grade retention, higher graduation rates and enhanced productivity in adult life. This report synthesizes the body of professional knowledge about early literacy and offers research-based recommendations."]

[Request #S62205]

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Community Voices: Preschool Directors Speak on Policy Options: Preliminary Findings. By the Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley. (The School, Berkeley, California) May 16, 2006.

["Directors of neighborhood preschool programs worry about the prospect of aligning their classrooms with standardized tests and the move to unionize a low-paid teaching force, according to a statewide survey.... 'The voices of those running community preschools have not been sufficiently heard,' said Bruce Fuller, who directed the survey. 'We discovered openness to change, but great concern over the possibility of Sacramento controlling their classrooms and child development philosophy.'"

Community Voices - Preliminary Findings: 11 p.
http://gse.berkeley.edu/preschoolsurvey/Preschool_Survey_Results.doc

Community Voices - Graphics: 9 p.
http://gse.berkeley.edu/preschoolsurvey/Preschool_Survey_Results_Graphics.doc

Community Voices - Map: 1 p.
http://gse.berkeley.edu/preschoolsurvey/ca_page.jpg

[Request #S62206]

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California’s Preschool for All Act (Proposition 82): A Policy Analysis. By W. Steven Barnett and others, National Institute for Early Education Research. (The Institute, New Brunswick, New Jersey) May 18, 2006. 15 p.

Full Text at: nieer.org/resources/files/CAProp82Analysis.pdf

["Researchers said California has the opportunity to create the nation's premiere preschool education system. In their study, they also addressed many of the criticisms of preschool education for all. Specifically, they took issue with suggestions that the benefits of preschool fade out as children advance in elementary school, that preschool teachers don't need Bachelor degrees, that expanding preschool to all children would serve only a limited number of children not now in preschool and that it will disproportionately benefit the children from wealthy families."]

[Request #S62207]

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Leadership Matters: Governors’ Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2007. By Jennifer V. Doctors and L. Carol Scott, Pre-K Now. (Pre-K Now, Washington, DC) May 2006. 24 p.

Full Text at: www.preknow.org/documents/LeadershipReport_May2006.pdf

["The report found that: The trend toward increased funding for pre-k enjoys the support of both Democratic and Republican governors alike, including 11 Republicans and 12 Democrats as well as the Mayor of D.C.; Gubernatorial budget proposal increases for FY07 averaged 25 percent; Governors in every region of the country proposed increases for pre-k and only two governors proposed decreased funding for pre-k." US Newswire (May 10, 2006) 1.]

[Request #S62208]

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Is More Better? The Effects of Full-Day vs. Half-Day Preschool on Early School Achievement. By Kenneth B. Robin and others, National Institute for Early Education Research. (The Institute, New Brunswick, New Jersey) May 2006. 22 p.

Full Text at: nieer.org/resources/research/IsMoreBetter.pdf

["Findings from a randomized trial comparing children in half-day and full-day public preschool programs show that children attending full-day programs fared better on mathematics and literacy tests than children in a traditional 2.5 to 3-hour public preschool program. What's more, those achievement gains continued at least until the end of first grade." NIEER Online Newsletter (May 19, 2006) 1.]

[Request #S62209]

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Proposition 82 Analysis: Understanding Universal Preschool from a Research Perspective. By the USC California Policy Institute. (The Institute, Sacramento, California) May 2, 2006. 28 p.

Full Text at: www.usc-cpi.org/content/CPIProp82Analysis42406.pdf

["Preschool has garnered support as the ounce of preventive policy that is worth several pounds of cure.... However, policymakers should exercise caution on how to interpret and use the research showing long-term benefits.... Herein lies the dilemma for California voters. The population to be served and the program components and quality are substantially different than what is found in the research."]

[Request #S62401]

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HEALTH

CHILDREN

Department of Social Services: In Rebuilding Its Child Care Program Oversight, the Department Needs to Improve Its Monitoring Efforts and Enforcement Actions. By the California State Auditor. (Bureau of State Audits, Sacramento, California) May 2006. 82 p.

Full Text at: www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2005-129.pdf

["The state fails to ensure that people with serious criminal records aren't lurking in child-care facilities and needs to improve its discipline of child-care operators cited for serious safety violations, the Bureau of State Audits said.... The audit also found that the state is still so far behind in its regular day-care inspections that some centers may not be visited by a state worker within a decade, despite recent improvement efforts. The report - the state auditor's third investigation of the Community Care Licensing Division in six years - painted a picture of a slow bureaucracy that may be placing children 'at unnecessary risk' because it 'has struggled' to meet its duties to ensure safety in the state's 61,000 day-care centers and homes." Sacramento Bee (May 26, 2006) A3.]

Save for children's issue - JD.

[Request #S]

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How States Are Working with Physicians to Improve the Quality of Children’s Health Care. By Helen Pelletier, National Academy for State Health Policy. (The Academy, Portland, Maine) April 2006. 100 p.

Full Text at: www.nashp.org/Files/CW13_final_website.pdf

["This report examines how state agencies and medical providers are working together to improve the quality of health care for children, particularly for those who are underserved and members of at-risk populations. The paper discusses the roles that states can play in supporting providers’ quality improvement efforts and offers detailed profiles of a number of different models."]

[Request #S62212]

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Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: Focus on Industry. By the Committee on Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity, National Institute of Medicine. (National Academies Press, Washington, DC) 2006. 45 p.

Full Text at: www.nap.edu/books/0309101905/html/R1.html

["This summary highlights the recurring themes for accelerating change and how industry collectively can move forward with obesity prevention efforts that emerged from the symposium. The themes include; reverse the obesity trend; market health and nutrition; make a business commitment to health; change the food and physical activity environment; forge strategic partnerships; garner political support to ally public health and industry; educate stakeholders; collect, disseminate, and share local data; and evaluate programs and interventions."]

[Request #S62213]

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Improving the Delivery of Health Care that Supports Young Children’s Healthy Mental Development: Early Accomplishments and Lessons Learned from a Five-State Consortium. By Neva Kaye, National Academy for State Health Policy. (The Academy, Portland, Maine) April 2006. 48 p.

Full Text at: www.nashp.org/Files/CW14_final_website.pdf

["This report examines the early experiences of the five states, [including California], involved in the second phase of the Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD II) program. Medicaid and other state agencies in each of the five states are working to improve the delivery of services that support young children’s healthy mental development."]

[Request #S62214]

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Opening Doorways to Health Care for Children: 10 Steps to Ensure Eligible but Uninsured Children Get Health Insurance. By Dawn Horner and Beth Morrow, The Children’s Partnership. (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Washington, DC) April 2006. 44 p.

Full Text at: www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/7506.pdf

["Seventy percent of uninsured children are eligible for public health coverage. This report lays out a plan for creating a series of enrollment doorways that make enrollment and renewal of children both routine and timely - as close to automatic as possible. The recommendations require a combination of both state and federal action."]

[Request #S62215]

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State of the World's Mothers 2006: Saving the Lives of Mothers and Newborns. By Save the Children. (Save the Children, Westport, Connecticut) May 2006. 58 p.

Full Text at: www.savethechildren.org/publications/SOWM_2006_final.pdf

["An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide and the United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world.... American babies are three times more likely to die in their first month as children born in Japan, and newborn mortality is 2.5 times higher in the United States than in Finland, Iceland or Norway. The United States has more neonatologists and neonatal intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, but its newborn death rate is higher than any of those countries." CNN (May 9, 2006) Online.]

[Request #S62216]

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HUMAN SERVICES

CHILD CARE

Investing in Quality: A Survey of State Child Care and Development Fund Initiatives. By Melanie Pittard, National Association of State Child Care Administrators, and others. (Child Trends, Washington, DC) April 2006. 54 p.

Full Text at: www.childtrends.org/Files/InvestinginQualityChildcareRpt.pdf

["The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is a critical work support for low-income families, and a key component in national and state efforts to support early childhood development and promote school readiness.... The state agencies that administer CCDF programs decided to conduct a survey - the results of which are provided in this report - to more closely examine state quality investments.... The survey asked states to identify the objectives of their quality activities, based on a list of 17 objectives, each of which is grounded in child development research."]

[Request #S62217]

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Toxic Playground: Growing Up in Skid Row: Youth Survey Findings and Recommendations. By the United Coalition East Prevention Project. (Social Model Recovery Systems, Inc., Covina, California) 2005. 8 p.

Full Text at: www.socialmodel.com/pdf/Toxic%20Playground.pdf

["Hundreds of children are growing up in the dangerous, toxic environment of downtown Los Angeles’ 'skid row.' They endure horrible living conditions, with no place to play, no sports, no chance for a good education. These young people are easy targets for the drug dealers and sexual predators. We must start now to improve their environment and provide them with opportunities for the future.... Remarkably, the children themselves are leading the way. This report sets out practical recommendations for steps public agencies can take to make a qualitative difference in the lives of our children living in 'skid row.'"]

[Request #S62219]

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Child Care Subsidies and TANF: A Synthesis of Three Studies on Systems, Policies, and Parents. By Pamela Holcomb and others, Urban Institute. (The Institute, Washington, DC) 2006. 30 p.

Full Text at: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311302_synthesis.pdf

["Although the connection between child care as a work support and the TANF program’s mandate to help welfare recipients obtain employment is conceptually simple, the actual processes and policies used by states and localities to ensure child care assistance are far more complicated.... This document highlights overarching issues and themes, including those facing administrators and agencies working to provide these services to parents, and the implications of these issues for TANF clients and their children."]

[Request #S61629]

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Parents’ Perspectives on Child Care Subsidies and Moving from Welfare to Work. By Kathleen Snyder and others, Urban Institute. (The Institute, Washington, DC) 2006. 54 p.

Full Text at: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311303_parents_perspectives.pdf

["The report examines how parents accessed and retained child care subsidies as they moved through and off welfare. However, it is important to note that this study did not examine the experiences of families that were not using subsidies. As a consequence, this study provides important information to help us better understand how these systems and polices work for families in the system, but it does not represent the perspectives of families that were unsuccessful in navigating these systems."]

[Request #S62220]

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Child Care Subsidies and Leaving Welfare: Policy Issues and Strategies. By Gina Adams and others, Urban Institute. (The Institute, Washington, DC) 2006. 49 p.

Full Text at: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311304_policy_issues.pdf

["The study examined a range of issues around subsidy use among parents who leave TANF. It included... an examination of research on welfare leavers and subsidy patterns, a review of state policies regarding child care subsidies for welfare leavers for a range of states, and interviews with national experts to discuss the retention of child care subsidies as parents transition off cash assistance."]

[Request #S62221]

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Child Care Subsidies for TANF Families: The Nexus of Systems and Policies. By Gina Adams and others, Urban Institute (The Institute, Washington, DC) 2006. 114 p.

Full Text at: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311305_nexus.pdf

["This report focuses on the systems and policies that affect families' child care subsidies while they are receiving cash assistance through TANF and participating in work activities."]

[Request #S62222]

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When Five Years Is Not Enough: Identifying and Addressing the Needs of Families Nearing the TANF Time Limit in Ramsey County, Minnesota. By LaDonna A. Pavetti and Jacqueline Kauff, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (Mathematica, Princeton, New Jersey) March 2006. 24 p.

Full Text at: www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/timelimitramsey.pdf

["This report finds that despite the extreme difficulties program staff uncovered, they believed that, with the right services and supports, most recipients could eventually work. However, staff ended up granting numerous time-limit extensions and transferring many recipients to the Supplemental Security Income rolls because funding was insufficient to sustain the intensive interventions they believed necessary to help recipients make a lasting transition to unsubsidized employment." Mathematica Update (April 11, 2006) 1.]

[Request #S62223]

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[The following studies, reports, and documents have been ordered or requested, but have not yet arrived. Requests may be placed, and copies will be provided when the material arrives.]

HEALTH

CHILDREN

"Disparities in Primary Care for Vulnerable Children: The Influence of Multiple Risk Factors." By Gregory D. Stevens, and others. IN: Health Services Research, vol. 41, no. 2 (April 2006) pp. 507-531.

["Researchers analyze vulnerability as a profile of multiple risk factors for poor pediatric care based on race/ethnicity, poverty status, parent education, insurance, and language.... Higher profiles appear to be associated with greater barriers to accessing primary care for children in 'fair or poor' health, suggesting that vulnerable children who have the greatest health care needs also have the greatest difficulty obtaining primary care." RAND Child Policy Update (March 2006) 1.]

[Request #S62225]

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