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NEWS RELEASES
Media contact: David Carrier at (202) 572-6138 or dcarrier@childtrends.org.
June 17, 2010 - Ready For Kindergarten? A Review of State Practices
A new research brief released today provides an overview of state Early Learning Guidelines (ELGs) and school readiness assessments. Child Trends’ A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States also outlines key policy considerations for developing and utilizing school readiness assessments at the state level. Researchers analyzed state approaches to school readiness assessments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, identifying seven states that utilize assessments in order to monitor statewide levels of school readiness.
July 14, 2009 - The Achievement Gap Begins Early: Study Finds Disparities in Child Outcomes Among Infants
A new study finds disparities between poor, at-risk children and more advantaged children as early as 9 months of age—-extending prior research that primarily focuses on disparities at kindergarten entry and beyond.
April 9, 2009 - New Study Finds Nearly One-Half of Children in Immigrant Families Live in Poverty
Nearly one-half (47.9 percent) of children in immigrant families live in poverty when basic living and child care costs are taken into account, according to a new research brief from Child Trends and the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis, University at Albany, SUNY.
February 24, 2009 - Extended Families Help Children Avoid Foster Care
Federal and state policies give preference to relatives as foster parents to care for children taken into state custody. Increasingly, however, states are using relatives to care for abused and neglected children to avoid having to take children into custody, according to a new Child Trends study.
February 18, 2009 - Child Trends Grows with Two New Senior Staff
Child Trends is pleased to welcome Hope Cooper as Vice President for Public Policy and Timothy Ross, Ph.D., as Senior Program Area Director for Child Welfare.
February 17, 2009 - New Survey Finds that State Child Welfare Budgets May Face Perfect Storm
Although child welfare spending has increased for at least a decade, several factors – driven by the current recession – may be converging to threaten states’ capacity to serve abused and neglected children.
November 19, 2008 - School Food Unwrapped: What’s Available and What Our Kids Actually Are Eating
Higher-income fifth grade students in suburban school districts are no more likely to have access to healthy or unhealthy foods than are their lower-income, urban peers, according to a new Child Trends study. However, schools attended by higher-income students offer their students a greater selection of both healthy and unhealthy food choices.
October 8, 2008 - Sexual and Contraceptive Behaviors of Teen and Young Adult Men
Young adult men between the ages of 20 to 24 are less likely to use condoms than teen males, and very few young men, including teens, seek out reproductive health services, according to a new Child Trends report.
July 30, 2008 - Latest State Data on Teen Birth Rates, Abstinence, and Contraception
The 2008 edition of Child Trends’ annual Facts at a Glance contains a state-by-state list of teen birth rates as well as data on the percentage of teens in grades 9-12 who abstain from sex or use contraception.
June 17, 2008 - Teens from Religious Families Engage in Less Risky Behavior
Teens from more religious families wait longer before having sex; this is due, in part, to higher levels of family cohesion in more religious families and teen involvement with friends who engage in positive behaviors.
May 15, 2008 - One Quarter of Science/Math Students Have “Out-of-Field” Teachers
Twenty-six percent of secondary-level science and math students in public schools were taught by teachers who did not have “in-field” majors or state certification in the 2003-04 school year, according to a new Child Trends study.
March 18, 2008 - Teens and Older Sexual Partners: New Research Points to Long-Term Negative Consequences
Teens who have a sexual relationship with an older partner may face adverse consequences not only in the short-term but also into young adulthood, according to new research from Child Trends.
February 21, 2008 - Teens, Romance, and...Contraception?
New research from Child Trends presented in a Fact Sheet indicates that teens in strong, positive romantic relationships are more likely to use contraception.
November 14, 2007 - New Analysis Finds Early Childhood Vaccination Rates Have Stalled
Progress towards full immunization of young preschoolers has stalled since 2004, according to a Child Trends analysis of recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
October 25, 2007 - Double Jeopardy: Repeat Births to Teens
For one in five teens giving birth, it is having another baby as a teen. A new Child Trends research brief reveals that 20 percent of births to female teens between the ages of 15 and 19 in 2004 were to teens who were already mothers.
October 17, 2007 - America Needs New Social Contract to Balance Needs of Children and Seniors
The federal government must revise its social contract with the nation’s seniors and children to meet the needs of both generations without bankrupting the country, stated economist Isabel Sawhill in a speech today at the National Press Club. Sawhill, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, presented Child Trends’ first annual Kristin Anderson Moore Lecture, entitled The Intergenerational Balancing Act: Where Children Fit in an Aging Society.
August 29, 2007 - New Brief Identifies Specific School Features Linked to Elementary Achievement Scores
According to a new research brief from Child Trends, three elements of elementary school environments – strong principal leadership, high academic standards, and frequent teacher meetings to plan instruction – are associated with higher third grade math and reading scores.
August 8, 2007 - Adoption Tax Credit Not Fulfilling Original Purpose
As Congress considers extending the federal adoption tax credit, a new Child Trends research brief summarizing U.S. Treasury data finds that the vast majority of adoption tax credit dollars support children adopted privately or from foreign countries, while the original intent of the tax credit was to promote adoption of U.S. foster children.
July 12, 2007 - One in Eight U.S. Households with Infants is Food Insecure
One in eight U.S. households with infants (12.5 percent) reports being 'food insecure,' according to a new analysis by Child Trends. 'Food insecure' is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be 'limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods.'
June 27, 2007 - New Report Reveals Wide State Variation in Teen Birth Rate
Teens in some states are much more likely to have a baby than are teens in other states, according to the 2007 edition of Child Trends’ annual Facts At A Glance.
June 12, 2007 - So You’re Going to Be a Dad! How Involved a Dad Will You Be?
Just in time for Father's Day: A new research brief from Child Trends provides fresh evidence that a man’s attitudes about a partner’s pregnancy and his actions during the pregnancy can tell us a lot about how involved a father he will be.
May 14, 2007 - Unmarried and Living Together With Children: Births to Cohabiting Couples at All-Time High
A new research brief
published by Child Trends takes a closer look at trends in childbearing outside of marriage, in general, and trends within cohabiting relationships, in particular. Recently, the number of births to unmarried, but cohabiting, parents has been on the rise.
April 12, 2007 - Children in Immigrant Families Firmly Rooted in America; Three Out of Four Speak English Fluently
A new research brief, by Child Trends and the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis of the University at Albany, State University of New York, reveals that children in immigrant families are deeply rooted in the U.S. (four in five are American citizens) and nearly one-half speak English fluently and another language at home. En Espanol.
February 12, 2007 - A Child's Strong Start in Life
Child Trends examines what factors matter for children.
November 20, 2006 - Teens Benefit When Families Eat Together - Not Just At Thanksgiving
A new Child Trends Indicator shows there is a link between frequent family dinners and positive teen outcomes. But are families eating together?
November 8, 2006 - Child Trends Board of Directors Establishes Kristin Anderson Moore Lecture Series
Child Trends’ Board of Directors announced today that it is establishing the Kristin Anderson Moore Annual Lecture in appreciation of Dr. Moore’s 14 years of service as president of Child Trends.
November 8, 2006 - One in Seven Men Will Father Children by Multiple Women by Age 40
A new Child Trends study estimates that 15 percent of men, or more than one in seven, will father children with more than one woman by the age of 40. According to the study, Men Who Father Children with More Than One Woman: A Contemporary Portrait of Multiple-Partner Fertility, five percent of men will father children with more than one woman by age 25.
October 16, 2006 - Parents' Religious Attendance and Activities Are Key Influences on Teens' Sexual Activity & Contraception Use
According to a new study reported in this month’s issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, the more frequent a parent’s religious attendance and the more a family participates in religious activities, the more likely an adolescent delayed the timing of his/her first sexual experience. However, if an adolescent did have sex, stronger religious beliefs and family religious activities were linked to reduced contraceptive use at first sex among males.
August 7, 2006 - Trends in Contraception Use Among U.S. Teens: Some Good News – Some Concerns
Child Trends' most recent research brief, Trends and Recent Estimates: Contraceptive Use Among U.S. Teens, examines trends for teen contraceptive use using data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and supplemented with original analyses by Child Trends.
August 1, 2006 - Nationally Recognized Child Welfare Researcher to Join Child Trends
Rob Geen, one of the nation’s leading child welfare researchers, will join Child Trends as Vice President for Public Policy and Director of a new Child Welfare Research Area. Geen is currently Director of the Child Welfare Research Program at the Urban Institute, as well as a William T. Grant Foundation Distinguished Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives.
June 27, 2006 - The Family Environment Affects Adolescent Well-Being: New Report Highlights Positive and Negative Influences
Research demonstrates the continued significance of parents in shaping the behaviors and choices of teens as they face the challenges of growing up.
June 27, 2006 - New Study Reports Prekindergarten (PK) Classes More Likely in Public Schools Where Children Are Eligible for Free or Reduced Lunches
Over half (51 percent) of public elementary schools with 75 percent or more of all students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches had prekindergarten classes in 2000- 2001, reports Child Trends in its latest DataBank Indicator. The study finds that, in contrast, one-quarter of public elementary schools with less than 35 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch offered prekindergarten classes to its students.
June 6, 2006 - Who Believes That Two Parents Are More Effective at Raising Children?
As Father’s Day approaches and we plan to celebrate our Dads, Child Trends reminds us of some interesting facts on fathers. Did you know that more fathers than mothers believe that two parents are more effective at raising children than one parent alone?
June 6, 2006 - Encouraging Trends in Teen Sexual Activity: Some Concerns Remain
A new research brief just released by Child Trends reports some encouraging findings on teen sexuality, but some concerns remain.
May 23, 2006 - Child Trends Board of Directors Selects New President: Carol Emig to Begin in October 2006
The Board of Directors of Child Trends today announced the selection of a new President, Carol A. Emig. The current President, Kristin A. Moore, will resume full-time research responsibilities as a Child Trends Senior Scholar, and will lead the new Research-to-Results program area. The transition will occur in October.
May 15, 2006 - States Describe Child Care Quality Investments: State Variation Within A Common Framework
A new report, Investing in Quality: A Survey of State Child Care and Development Fund Initiatives, finds that states are investing in child care quality, not only exceeding the minimum funding requirements in many instances, but also launching initiatives with a set of objectives that research indicates can contribute to child care quality.
May 12, 2006 - Surprising News: The Percentage of Teens Who Do NOT Date Reached New Highs
According to Child Trends' most recent DataBank indicator on trends among children and youth, the percentage of teens who do not date at all has risen steadily since the 1990s, but reached new highs in 2004.
April 18, 2006 - Strong Decline in Teen Birth Rate Has Slowed
Teenage birth rates have continued to decline since they peaked in 1991, but there were increases since 2003 in the number of births among all teens, with the largest increase among Hispanic teens.
April 18, 2006 - Schools Provide Interpreters for Parent-Teacher Conferences & Meetings for 81 Percent of Low-Income Children of Non-English-Speaking Parents
According to Child Trends’ latest DataBank Indicator, School Communication in Parents’ Native Language, schools are providing interpreters at parent-teacher meetings and other school-related meetings for 81 percent of kindergarten through third grade children, at or below the poverty line, whose parents speak a language other than English. In addition, schools are providing these parents with translated school memos and newsletters.
April 4, 2006 - Beyond Pills: Life Experiences Affect Maternal Depressive Symptoms…and Kids
The key findings in Child Trends’ research brief, Depression Among Moms: Prevalence, Predictors, and Acting Out Among Third Grade Children, reveal that depressive symptoms are higher among economically disadvantaged mothers, mothers receiving welfare payments, and mothers in unhappy relationships. Furthermore, mothers’ depressive symptoms are related to more acting out behaviors in their children.
March 20, 2006 - Major Developments and News Resources Cited in Winter Edition of The Child Indicator
Featured in this issue: a new professional association-The International Society for Child Indicators; release of the "Health and Well-Being of Children: States and the Nation 2005" report;
"State Snapshots of Maternal and Child Health: 2004 Title V Information" available online; KIDS COUNT State-Level Data Online system launched; Child Care and Early Education Research Connections database provides information on early childhood education and child care; new book: What Do Children Need to Flourish? Conceptualizing and Measuring Indicators of Positive Development.
March 20, 2006 - New Study Contrasts Advantages and Disadvantages for Rural and Non-Rural Children in Care and Development
Child Trends and the National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives at Mississippi State University have released a report examining the advantages and disadvantages of early childhood development in rural areas in the United States.
March 13, 2006 - It’s Spring Break: Have You Talked With Your Teens Yet?
Some startling facts about teens and risky sexual behavior that every parent should know before their kids head off for “fun in the sun”...
February 6, 2006 - Recommendations to Improve the Nation's Data Collection System to Support Health Research and Practices for Early Childhood Development
Child Trends’ report, Studying and Tracking Early Child Development from a Health Perspective: A Review of Available Data Sources enables health researchers and policy communities to understand how national surveys measure up in the areas of health, health care receipt, socioemotional and intellectual development, family functioning and parent health, community characteristics, and child care and family demographics.
February 6, 2006 - How Does Professional Development Contribute to School Readiness?
A new book, Critical Issues in Early Childhood Professional Development, edited by Martha Zaslow, Ph.D., and Ivelisse Martinez-Beck, Ph.D., will help the early childhood field take crucial steps toward answers.
January 6, 2006 - The Atlantic Philanthropies Awards Child Trends $2.2 Million, Four-Year Grant
"The Research-to-Results Initiative will effectively communicate what works, and contribute to improved programs and policy for children and youth. We are pleased to support such important work," stated Charles Roussel, Program Director, Disadvantaged Children and Youth,
The Atlantic Philanthropies (USA).
October 31, 2005 - Child Trends Releases Three New Early Childhood Findings
Boys More Than Twice as Likely as Girls to Receive Special IEP Educational Services; Non-Hispanic Blacks More Likely than Other Children to Repeat Grades 1-3;
October 17, 2005 - New Trends in U.S. Births and Fertility Rates
According to three DataBank Indicators released by Child Trends, the trends in U.S. births and fertility have shifted.
October 6, 2005 - Sex Between Young Teens and Older Individuals is Linked to Nonvoluntary Sexual Intercourse and Lower Contraceptive Use
New findings show sexual activity between teens aged 15 and younger with individuals who are three or more years older are correlated with risky health outcomes including unprotected sex and teenage childbearing. Also, while most are voluntary, these relationships are more likely to be nonvoluntary than other teen sexual relationships.
September 15, 2005 - New Data On Oral Sex Among Teens
New analyses of data from the just-released 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) by Child Trends show that among teens between the ages of 15 and 19, 55 percent of males and 54 percent of females reported engaging in oral sex in 2002 and are at risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
March 16, 2005 - Teen Birth Rates Continue Their Dramatic Decline
The most recent trends in teen birth rates, teen pregnancy rates, and teen abortion rates are outlined in Child Trends' annual report, Facts At A Glance.
February 22, 2005 - Pregnancy and Birth Rates for Hispanic Teens Are Declining, But Still High
The information in this research brief "can be helpful to providers of teen pregnancy prevention programs as they seek to target these programs more effectively to Hispanic teens," suggests lead author, Suzanne Ryan, Ph.D.
January 5, 2005 - Taking a Fresh Look at the Effects of Welfare Reform on Children and Teens
Child Trends’ latest research brief – How Welfare Reform Might Affect Children: Updating the Conceptual Model – was designed to inform discussion and debate on this topic.
December 8, 2004 - Most Teens Admire Their Parents and Enjoy Spending Time With Them: Really!
As shown in a Child Trends research brief, most teens report that they think highly of their parents, want to be like them, and enjoy spending time with them.
October 6, 2004 - By the End of First Grade, Most Children Are Doing Well, But Those Who Started Kindergarten Less Prepared Still Haven’t “Caught Up”
Child Trends has just released a new online data brief that examines indicators of well-being and development among children entering kindergarten and describes changes in these indicators as children move from kindergarten to first grade.
September 16, 2004 - What Is a Healthy Marriage? New Study Identifies 10 Ingredients; “Commitment” Heads the List
Child Trends’ research brief addresses that question: What is a healthy marriage. The brief examines the concept of healthy marriage and the elements that, taken together, help define it. It draws from available research studies and data, theoretical writings, and short papers Child Trends commissioned from scholars in the marriage field. The brief is a part of Child Trends’ ongoing conceptual and methodological work on healthy marriage for research and intervention evaluation studies among low-income couples, funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Family and Child Well-Being Research Network.
July 27, 2004 - Who’s Taking Care of the Kids? Often It’s Grandma; Grandpa, Too
A new research brief published by Child Trends shows that close to half (47 percent) of grandparents with young children living nearby report providing some type of child care assistance to their adult children. And though grandmothers are more likely (54 percent) to provide this care, roughly one-third (38 percent) of grandfathers do so as well.
January 8, 2004 - More than One-Third of Teens Never or Inconsistently Used Contraceptives During Their First Sexual Relationship: New Findings Reveal Patterns of Contraceptive Use During First Relationships
Among teens who have sex, what influences decision-making about using contraceptives during their first sexual relationship? Being in a longer relationship? Having an older partner? Virginity pledges? Recent analyses by Child Trends show that all of these factors are related to teens' use of contraceptives and, ultimately, to their protection from unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
January 6, 2004 - How Are Children in Foster Homes Faring? Significant Problems and Some Strengths Exist
Beyond the tragic cases that reach the news, what do we know about the health and well-being of children in foster homes? By reviewing the best data available, Child Trends' researchers have found some negative and some positive outcomes.
December 16, 2003 - Abortion Rate Among Teens Down More than One-Third in Last Decade
The abortion rate among teens ages 15 to 17 has declined by more than one-third since 1990, from 26.5 abortions per 1,000 teens ages 15 to 17 in 1990 to 15.2 abortions per 1,000 teens in that same group in 1999. Overall, teen abortion rates have been declining since the late 1980s.
November 24, 2003 - The Percentage of Teens Having Sex Continues to Decline: One in Four Teens Who Are Having Sex Combine Substance Use and Sexual Activity
The percentage of high school students having sex has continued to decline, falling from 54 percent of all teens in 1991 to 46 percent in 2001. At the same time, the percentage of sexually active teens who reported using drugs or alcohol before their last sexual encounter increased slightly during from 22 percent in 1991 to 26 percent in 2001.
August 7, 2003 - Teens' First Sexual Relationships Are Often Romantic, Short-Term, and Sometimes Abusive: Hispanic Youth and Young Teens at Greatest Risk
Nearly half of all teenagers have had sexual intercourse before age 18. What are these first sexual relationships like? Child Trends' researchers help answer this question.
June 11, 2003 - Poor Children in Working Families Continue to Lag Behind: Families Playing by the Rules Struggle with Child Care and Health Insurance
Child Trends researchers report in their research brief, Poor Families in 2001: Parents Working Less and Children Continue to Lag Behind, that in 2001, children in poor families were less likely to have parents who work than a year earlier; a substantial percentage of working poor parents who pay for child care spent more than half of their cash income on child care expenses; and among those living with two-parents, children in working poor families were less likely to be covered by health insurance than those in families who were not meeting work requirements.
May 27, 2003 - Just Who is Having Sex Before Age 15? New Findings Dig Below the Surface of Last Week's Report
A new report showed that nearly 20 percent of young teens say they have had sex before they were 15 years old. But who are these teens? What do we know about their sexual behaviors? And what do they know about protecting themselves from pregnancy and disease?
April 24, 2003 - Physical Health and Social Skills Are Key to School Readiness
Literacy and numeracy are important parts of what a child needs to succeed in school, but they are not the only factors. New analyses indicate that physical and social and emotional health are also key to a child's successful transition to school.
February 11, 2003 - Percent of Poor Children Living with Working Parents Drops
From findings on the Child Trends DataBank, among poor children, an increasing proportion were living with parents who work in the late 1990s. However, for the first time since passage of the 1996 welfare reform legislation, that trend has reversed.
November 18, 2002 - American Teens: The Good News - What Parents, Policymakers, and Program Staff Need to Know About Raising Healthy, Productive Adolescents
Negative perceptions abound about adolescents: they are troubled and troubling and we do not know how to enhance their health, behavior, and development. In fact, most American adolescents are healthy, good citizens, and free of major mental and behavioral disorders. For those adolescents who are not, and for those at risk, much is known about what can be done to enhance their health and development.
October 29, 2002 - Vanishing Voters: What Works to Increase Voter Turnout Among Young People?
In the 2000 presidential elections, only 32 percent of young Americans voted. What can be done to reverse this trend and to encourage greater civic involvement among America's youth?
September 26, 2002 - Where and When Do Teens First Have Sex? It's Not What You Think
Are teens most likely to have their first experience with sex in the back seat of a car? Or in their own home? Between the time school gets out and a parent gets home from work? Or during night and evening hours?
September 19, 2002 - Kids and Religion: Does Religious Participation Influence Young People's Behaviors?
Do children behave better if they go to church regularly? Are teens less likely to drink or take drugs if they are involved with their church communities? More than 60 percent of all American high school seniors agree that religion is "pretty" or "very" important to them, and nearly half attend religious services at least once a month. But does that translate into less risky behaviors among those teens?
September 16, 2002 - Mental and Emotional Health Problems Among Teens: What Parents, Practitioners and the Public Can Learn about Prevention and Treatment from Research
Anxiety disorders. Depression. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Eating disorders. Drug and alcohol addiction. While many adults hold a stereotype of American teens as moody and dramatic, these are examples of some of the serious mental and emotional health problems confronting a significant minority of adolescents. How can we prevent these problems from occurring? What are the most effective treatments once teens are diagnosed?
August 29, 2002 - American Families: Finally, Some Good News! New Report Highlights Family Strengths
Contrary to many popular portrayals, American families are not all full of conflict or overwhelmed by modern life. Instead, the majority of American parents and children report strong family ties and daily routines that encourage close parent-child relationships. While problems and pressures certainly confront many families and cannot be ignored, families of all backgrounds enjoy many strengths that sustain and support them.
August 27, 2002 - Teens and School Success: New Report Focuses on How to Promote Teens' Academic Success
For parents and educators managing the turbulence that comes along with millions of adolescents returning to the classroom, Child Trends presents an up-to-the-minute review of what works to engage teens in school, to improve their academic performance, and to encourage high aspirations.
July 23, 2002 - Teen Relationships: More than Long Phone Calls and Dating Dramas - New Resource Indicates What Works to Raise Teens with Positive Social Skills for Long-term Benefits
How adolescents build and maintain relationships is important to their overall development and transition into adulthood. Teens with quality relationships tend to have better psychological heath, improved academic performance, and success in relationships as adults. The lack of such relationships is associated with negative outcomes, such as delinquency and psychological problems. Fortunately, research suggests that programs targeting the development of social skills are effective among adolescents.
June 25, 2002 - What Works to Raise Healthy and Safe Teen-agers? Information Alone Does Not Change Teens' Health and Safety Behaviors
Bad habits begun in adolescence often persist into adulthood, yet programs designed to improve teens' health and safety behaviors are not always effective. Research shows that simply providing information to teens about the dangers of smoking, the benefits of eating right and getting exercise, and the importance of driving safely will not alone change or improve teens' behaviors. Instead, programs that have been successful in promoting a healthy lifestyle among teens are multifaceted - focusing on social skills and behavior - and aspire to long-term change.
June 18, 2002 - Growing up with Married Parents Is Good for Kids: But Do We Know How to Get There?
The Bush Administration and the House welfare reform bill both call for programs to promote marriage among low-income families. While there is a strong research base indicating that children do best when they grow up with two biological parents in a low-conflict marriage, the research on how to promote and sustain these types of marriages among couples, especially disadvantaged couples, is quite thin.
June 13, 2002 - What About the Dads? New Data Book Offers First Comparative Portrait of Mothers and Fathers in America
How do men feel about parenthood? How involved are fathers in day-to-day parenting activities? Do men think single parents are just as effective as two-parent families? Do men wait longer to have children? While most parenting statistics have focused only on mothers, this first-of-its-kind report looks at what we know about both parents, offering a more complete picture of family life in the United States.
May 21, 2002 - What Works to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Childbearing, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
How do you prevent teen-age pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)? Do sex education programs work? What role do parents and peers play in teens' reproductive health choices? To help answer these questions, Child Trends reviewed hundreds of the best research studies available and summarized the findings in a new research brief, Preventing Teen-age Pregnancy, Childbearing, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases: What the Research Shows. An accompanying Web-based What Works table presents the results of evaluations of a variety of strategies to promote adolescent reproductive health.
May 21, 2002 - What Works to Improve the Lives of America's Teens
Child Trends, in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, has unveiled a new set of tools to improve the health and well-being of America's youth, based on a comprehensive review of the best and most recent research on adolescent development.
March 25, 2002 - Are Children Whose Parents Left Welfare Better Off?
New research indicates that children's risk for poor developmental outcomes was not alleviated when their parents left welfare. The research has not supported either side in the 1996 welfare reform debate - those arguing that children would be at greater risk or those arguing that policies such as work requirements and time limits would benefit children. What the research continues to conclude is that poverty and the disadvantages associated with poverty are key risk factors for children, whether their parents have left welfare, remain on welfare, or have never entered the welfare system.
March 1, 2002 - Contrary to Popular View, Birth Rates Increased Among Unmarried Women in their Twenties
Recent statements applauding the stabilization of the out-of-wedlock birth rate, sometimes credited to welfare reform, have not looked at the whole picture. While the overall rate of nonmarital childbearing has stabilized, a recent examination of the numbers shows offsetting trends by age. Between 1996 and 2000, the nonmarital birth rate declined for teens, but actually increased for women in their twenties.
February 28, 2002 - Mentoring: A Promising Strategy for Youth Development
Mentoring programs can improve outcomes for kids significantly, but only if relationships between mentor and mentee are long-term and intensive, and if programs are well-structured, according to a new research brief from Child Trends.
January 3, 2002 - Symptoms of Depression Among Welfare Recipients: A Concern For Two Generations
Mothers currently or recently receiving welfare are more likely than others to suffer from depressive symptoms, a condition that can affect parenting adversely and increase the likelihood of behavior and academic problems among their children.
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