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Strengthening Families Update: May 18, 2010 In this update: Data Links Rise in Abusive Head Trauma to Economic Decline The State of Preschool 2009 Strengthening Families Webinar: Family Child Care Study and Self-Assessment - REGISTER NOW Data Links Rise in Abusive Head Trauma to Economic Decline Earlier this month, data was presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies that confirmed what many in child- and family-serving fields anticipated - the incidence of child abuse increased during the recession. While practitioners had compelling anecdotal information about the rising number of calls to child abuse hotlines and overwhelmed service providers, until this month, quantitative data linking cases of abuse to this economic downturn were not available. The data come from a study of cases of abusive head trauma (formerly known as Shaken Baby Syndrome) in four hospitals around the country, each indicating more cases during the recession. Although the study does not link abusive head trauma cases to their immediate antecedents (such as job loss or lack of access to services), researchers will continue to study the connection between the economic decline and increased incidence of abuse. Read more about the data on our blog Read the complete press release from the American Academy of Pediatrics The State of Preschool 2009 The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University has released it’s newest report on state-funded pre-K initiatives across the country. The annual assessment provides a snapshot of access to pre-K programs, ranking states according to ten measures of quality. The report delivers encouraging news - investments in early care and education continue to grow. However, it points out, the rate of growth of these investments has slowed significantly. Children are more likely than ever to be in state-funded pre-K programs, but, according to NIEER, only 16 states are spending enough money to deliver a program that meets all ten of NIEER’s quality benchmarks. For more on the new report, including a look at how more programs are struggling to help parents meet their concrete needs, read the full entry on our blog Read the full report, The State of Preschool 2009, download state profiles, and use NIEER’s new interactive database Strengthening Families Webinar: Family Child Care Study and Self-Assessment - REGISTER NOW DATE: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 TIME: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT REGISTER NOW Although approximately 22% of children under 6 who attend child care are in family child care settings, we know relatively little about the programs and providers that serve their families. In 2009, the Center for the Study of Social Policy released the report, “Almost Like Family: Family Child Care,” the culmination of a four-state study of family child care programs, their providers, the families that use them, and the systems that support them. The report focuses on the unique needs and challenges of family child care programs and providers, and explores how a Strengthening Families approach, centered on building Protective Factors with families, can benefit the children, parents, and providers in family child care. This webinar will present the findings from the study and will introduce an adaptation of the Strengthening Families Self-Assessment for family child care homes. DATE: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 TIME: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT REGISTER NOW SUBSCRIBE TO THE STRENGTHENING FAMILIES UPDATE Strengthening Families Online | Twitter | Facebook | Blog