Industry News
Important news about the work we do and issues affecting the families and children we serve. 

Children and Child Abuse

August 2010 International Literacy Day International Literacy Day, traditionally observed annually on September 8, focuses attention on worldwide literacy needs. More than 780 million of the world’s adults (nearly two-thirds of whom are women) do not know how to read or write, and between 94 and 115 million children lack access to education. June 2010 A Head Start The early years, ages birth to five, are critical years for a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. The Early Childhood Development section of The State of America's Children 2010 shows that the development of poor children at nine months is already far behind their higher income peers. The learning gap widens from there, making it harder and harder for a child to catch up and further endangers them by increasing the likelihood that they will be trapped in the cradle to prison pipeline.  2008 Societal Costs of Child Abuse Prevent Child Abuse America released the second comprehensive report on the direct (immediate intervention) and indirect (long-term) costs of child abuse and neglect in America. The report estimates that the United States spends $103.8 billion annually in response to child abuse. 2008 Iowa's Child Abuse Rates Continue Decline The Iowa Department of Human Services found that the number of children abused in Iowa decreased by almost 14 percent over last year to the lowest level since 2001. A report from Prevent Child Abuse Iowa concludes this is likely due to changes to drug testing and child protection practices. How Iowa Treats Vulnerable Children Every Child Matters, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization working to make children, youth, and families a national political priority, has released rankings on how children fare in each state. Although Iowa ranks high in some areas, we have a lot of work to do in others.

Families

Low-Income, Working Families Face Growing Struggles, Report Finds As families from all walks of life confront growing economic uncertainty, the financial struggles of low-income working families have gone from bad to worse, a new report from the Working Poor Families Project finds. 2008 STATE CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE POLICIES 2008:  Too Little Progress for Children and Families This nationwide annual analysis by the National Women's Law Center compares child care assistance policies in 2008 to 2007 and 2001 in four policy areas: income eligibility, waiting lists for assistance, copayment requirements and reimbursement rates for providers. Some states have made progress since 2007, but most states continue to be behind where they were in 2001. The report reveals that states continue to fall short of providing low-income parents the support they need to obtain good-quality childcare, despite modest gains in some areas.

Foster Care/Adoption

2009 Experts Explore Extending the Age Youth Exit Foster Care An assessment of what potential costs to government and what the benefits to young people would be if states extended foster care to age 21, estimating that foster youth’s lifetime earnings would increase an average of two dollars for every dollar spent on keeping them in care beyond age 18.  May 2009 Policies and Practices that Support Permanency This report aims to help child welfare leaders and program developers find ways to pay for policies and practices that provide permanent families for older youth in foster care. 2008 Former Foster Youth Struggle with Employment A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicates that kids who "age out" of foster care at age 18 continue to struggle with employment.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

January 2012 National Report Finds One-in-Five Americans Experienced Mental Illness in the Past Year A new national report reveals that 45.9 million American adults aged 18 or older, or 20 percent of this age group, experienced mental illness in the past year. The rate of mental illness was more than twice as high among those aged 18 to 25 (29.9 percent) than among those aged 50 and older (14.3 percent). Adult women were also more likely than men to have experienced mental illness in the past year (23 percent versus 16.8 percent).  September 2010 National Survey Reveals Increases in Substance Abuse Use from 2008-2009 The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009 according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). June 2009 Report Shows Iowa High Rates of Alcohol Abuse, Dependence In a report from SAMHSA shows state-by-state analyses of substance abuse and mental illness. The report shows that Iowa has one of the nation's highest levels of people who were dependent on or abused alcohol in the past year.  Spring 2009 Report Highlights Barriers to Co-Occurring Disorders in Iowa A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation illustrates many of the barriers to providing care for individuals with "co-occurring" mental health and substance abuse disorders in Iowa. The Cross-Systems Financing project highlights efforts in Iowa to overcome these barriers. Read the full report here (the section about Iowa is on pages 18-20).

Philanthropy

August 2010 Corporate In-Kind Donations Up 5 Percent in 2009 While corporations cut back their charitable giving in 2009, non-cash contributions by U.S.-based companies rose five percent. June 2010  Iowa Ranks 2nd in America in Volunteerism More Iowans are volunteering, giving Iowa the second-highest volunteer rate in the country. Iowa ranks second in the nation in volunteer rates with 38.7 percent of Iowans devoting time to help others in 2009. That surpasses last year’s rank of fifth, according to a recent report released by Volunteering in America.  Answers to Your Philanthropy Questions Have a question about foundations, philanthropy, or fundraising? The Foundation Center has a whole library at your disposal, as well as an online librarian who can help you find your answers. March 2009 Charities Say Government Is Ignoring Them in Crisis Concerned that policy makers do not understand how much the recession has hurt the nation's nonprofits, leaders representing thousands of organizations across the country have signed an appeal that calls on the nation's public and private leadership to support the work of nonprofits, the New York Times reports.

Poverty

September 2010 One in Seven Americans Live in Poverty The Census Bureau says that about 43.6 million people, or one in seven, were in poverty last year. That's up from 39.8 million, or 13.2 percent, in 2008. May 2007 The Living Wage Calculator How much does it really cost to live in your area? This Living Wage Calculator estimates the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages for the selected location. The Calculator was developed in conjunction with Poverty in America by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier.