Best Practices & Results

Promising Practices Network Updates

Below are recent updates to the Promising Practices Network on Children, Families and Communities. http://www.promisingpractices.net

Healthy and Safe Children
www.promisingpractices.net/research.asp#healthychildren

U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Rate Drops for 10th Straight Year
The Alan Guttmacher Institute, February 2004

Initiation of Sexual Intercourse Among Middle School Adolescents: The Influence of Psychosocial Factors
Journal of Adolescent Health, February 2004

Explanations for the Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, January 2004

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Young Americans Call for Realistic Approach
The Alan Guttmacher Institute, February 2004

High Postpartum Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Teens: Pregnancy as a Window of Opportunity For Prevention
Sexually Transmitted Infections, December 2003

National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being: One Year in Foster Care Wave I Data Analysis Report
Administration for Children and Families, February 2004

Children Ready For School

Early Head Start (Proven) http://www.promisingpractices.net/program.asp?programid=135

Early Head Start promotes healthy prenatal outcomes for pregnant women, enhances child development, and supports healthy family functioning. The program targets low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers up to age 3. The program uses multiple strategies to provide a wide range of services to participants, including home visits, center-based child care, comprehensive health and mental health services, parenting and nutrition education, and family support. Evaluation results indicate that EHS enhances children's cognitive and language development and improves social and emotional behavior.

Children Succeeding in School
www.promisingpractices.net/research.asp#childrensucceedingschool

Changes in Children's Well-Being and Family Environments
Urban Institute, January 2004

Sex, Drugs, and Delinquency in Urban and Suburban Public Schools
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, January 2004

Reduced School Dropout Rates Among Adolescent Mothers Receiving School-Based Prenatal Care
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, March 2004

Who Graduates? Who Doesn't? A Statistical Portrait of Public High School Graduation, Class of 2001
Urban Institute, February 2004

Strong Families
http://www.promisingpractices.net/research.asp#strongfamilies

Who Are "Fragile Families" and What Do We Know About Them? Center for Law and Social Policy, January 2004

Self-Sufficient Families
www.promisingpractices.net/research.asp#ssfamilies

Welfare Caseloads Increase in 27 States Between June and September 2003
Center for Law and Social Policy, February 2004

Child and Youth Well-Being Under Welfare Reform: Recent Research
National Governors Association, January 2004

Trends in Parents' Economic Hardship (No. 21 in Series, "Snapshots of America's Families III")
Urban Institute, March 2004

Other Featured Articles:
Family Connection Works to Lower Teen Births in Georgia
Best Practices and Results in Foster Care