Monday, April 21, 2008

Action for NC Children Updates

Greetings,
Below are summaries of articles related to child well-being in North Carolina. Also provided are links to each article's full text.
GENERAL NEWS & INFORMATIONHEALTHSAFETYEARLY CAREEDUCATIONCHILD MALTREATMENT
GENERAL NEWS & INFORMATION
Last chance to register! Register now for Action for Children's "Research Brain Development Research & Implications for Public Policy" lunch forum on Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at One Eleven Place in Cary. Visit http://www.ncchild.org for more information and registration instructions.-------------------------------

HEALTHUNC Daily Tar Heel
http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2008/04/17/StateNational/N.c-Health.Care.fragmented-3330871.shtml
"N.C. health care 'fragmented'"By Ariel Zirulnick, Assistant State & National EditorIssues of mental health might have dominated North Carolina's media recently, but the state health care system has a host of other problems to face."We have a fragmented health care system that has not been adequately invested in over the years," said Marcus Plescia, chief of chronic disease and injury for the N.C. Division of Public Health. "It's hard to get resources for these vulnerable populations."The agency's 2008 task force report cites five focuses: basic public health services, chronic disease, children and family health, communicable disease and funding issues.The state's mental health system is also struggling. "The incoming governor is going to have to sort out issues with the North Carolina mental health system," Plescia said. "The system still seems to not be working as well as it should."The new governor might also have to grapple with gaps in insurance coverage. The State Children's Health Insurance Program, a federal initiative to cover uninsured children, faces a potential funding cut."With SCHIP being up in the air states are scrambling to make up for that," Plescia said.--------------

Chapel Hill News
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/13909.html
"System failure looming"
By Mark Sullivan
Eight years into mental health reform, North Carolina has thus far dodged a bullet. Much of the postmortem on the origins and unfolding of the reform effort has been done. But how much worse can things get, and what will it take to bring about real and meaningful change?If recent developments do not mark a turning point in reform, the turning point will be marked by tragedy on a massive scale.Consider that after all of this time, just three of 24 (12.5 percent) local management entities (the organizations charged with ensuring needed services are available) in North Carolina are meeting minimum standards for routine care. Just 45 percent are meeting minimum standards for urgent care. How bad must things get before we are willing to re-think the fundamental assumptions that the new system was founded on?North Carolina ranks near the bottom in the nation in per-capita funding for mental health care at $16.80, compared to the national average of $91.12. Yet our problem is much bigger and more complex than under-funding. After the first six months of the fiscal year, the Division of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Disabilities reported that only 30 percent of mental health funds and 20 percent of substance abuse funds that had been budgeted had been expended. On the surface it might look like the system is over-funded, but what these numbers signal is that needed services are not being provided because they are unavailable.A core problem with the new system is that it was built upon a fundamentally flawed assumption that the private sector will always outperform anything run publicly. It is a wildly popular notion and a key reason why this particular plan was able to gain support in North Carolina.The private sector is far superior in many arenas, but not necessarily when it comes to protecting the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. Private providers pick and choose which services they will provide based on what will best meet the needs of the agency, as opposed to public entities whose first responsibility is to meet the needs of the citizenry. Departments of social service, child protective services and health departments are county-run, why not mental health? --------------
Goldsboro News-Argus
http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2008/04/13/two_new_shots_required_for_school_this_fall/index.shtml
"Two new shots required for school this fall"
Changes to the state's immunization rules will require a number of children and teens to be vaccinated before the start of the next school year.A booster dose of Tdap -- tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis -- vaccine will be required for three age groups: Students entering sixth grade in the fall, or who are 12 years old on or before Aug. 1, provided five or more years have passed since their last tetanus/diphtheria vaccine, and individuals enrolling college for the first time on or after July 1, if the vaccine has not been received within the last 10 years.The change also impacts the mumps vaccine, with a second dose required before enrolling in school, college or university for the first time. However, any child entering school prior to July 1 is exempt from the requirement.School officials and health care providers' biggest concern at this point is getting the word out and avoiding a last-minute rush to get the vaccine over the summer.Allison Pridgen, director of student support services for Wayne County Public Schools, said the district is working closely with Goldsboro Pediatrics and the Health Department to publicize the changes."We're kind of batting around some different ideas of what might work to get the information home to parents," she said.As a district, officials are also discussing what the ramifications and consequences will be for those who don't comply.Ideally, Mrs. Pridgen said, area pediatricians would like to see the bulk of the vaccines given before the summer months, when kindergarten assessments consume a lot of appointments at doctors' offices.The Health Department is also making sure the vaccine is available for anyone who needs it, said Health Director James Roosen. -------------------------------

SAFETYDaily Southerner
http://www.dailysoutherner.com/local/local_story_101110840.html
"Doctor: Hug, don’t shake children"
By Bob Benedetti, Staff Writer
If the saying "life is fragile" holds true, then the life of a baby is extremely delicate. That's why babies need gentle care – and can't afford to be shaken.It's part of a message from experts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Injury Prevention Research Center and School of Medicine who is taking on a statewide shaken baby prevention project.Health care professionals in Edgecombe County take the message that seriously, too.Dr. Ada Williams-Wooten, a Tarboro pediatrician of 22 years, has served thousands of young children, including babies, during her tenure. She realizes how important it is to "protect them from head trauma" due to being rattled about.According to lead investigator Dr. Heather T. Keenan, research assistant professor of social medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, it is one of the leading causes of death due to child abuse in the state. The UNC-Chapel Hill study found that an estimated 2.6 percent of children in the North Carolina were reported to have been shaken at some point before the age of 2.Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) refers to injuries found in babies or young children who have been shaken. Subdural hematomas (bleeding on the brain) and retinal hemorrhages (bleeding behind the eyes) are the two main factors for determining whether or not a child suffers from SBS.Williams-Wooten gave a chilling explanation of the child abuse that occurs in more severe cases; rib fractures or long-bone arm fractures may also be found. In some very severe cases, shaking "is sometimes accompanied by throwing the infant onto a hard surface."This is called Shaken Impact Syndrome (SIS) and indicated by skull fractures in addition to other damage. Facial bruising or bruising on other grip-point parts of the body can occur with SBS/SIS depending on the severity and duration of the shaking.--------------

Kinston.com
http://www.kinston.com/articles/child_45718___article.html/safety_babyproofing.html
"Protect babies from your home"
Babyproofing should be done before an infant begins to crawl - about 6 months old - and continue until a child reaches an age that a parent can trust him to follow commands.Children are fast and often it is very difficult to anticipate what a child is going to do next. Babyproofing is only designed to slow babies down and give moms and dads a few minutes to figure out what the baby is doing.Putting gates up at the top of stairs, for example, could prevent a catastrophic tumble during those seconds when a toddler scampers away after a parent is distracted. Securing cabinets where a toilet cleaner, rubbing alcohol or other toxic solutions are stored will keep the child from getting into it after he or she has somehow eluded adult supervision.Unused electrical outlets should be covered with safety plugs approved by Underwriter's Laboratories, a nonprofit consumer safety organization. Place the plugs where outlets are accessible to babies, particularly in family rooms, kitchens, dens and the baby's own room. It is recommended that swimming pools have 4-foot-high fences completely surrounding the perimeter. There should be no direct access to a pool from the home's rear door.Parents need to be ready to jump up and physically intervene if necessary on a moment's notice. -------------------------------

EARLY CAREGaston Gazette
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/skills_19235___article.html/kindergarten_students.html
"Preschool provides strong foundation: Tips on choosing a quality preschool or day care center"
By Amanda Millard
Today's kindergartners learn what used to be first-grade skills.That makes establishing routines and boundaries before coming to kindergarten important so the focus can be on teaching skills."Without a good foundation, they're not going to be ready for school," said Linda Bennett, director of the Cline Learning Center in Dallas.A stronger foundation early in life also means more success later on, said Eileen Yantz, early childhood program coordinator at Gaston College."They tend to learn to read easier and quicker," Yantz said.Preschool can also build social skills along with motor skills."One of the main things we see here is the socialization," Bennett said. "A lot of children have not had a lot of interaction with other children."Early childhood education can be a stepping stone to kindergarten."Some students will be fine. Some students will be able to walk into kindergarten and be able to develop on par with their peers," Yantz said. "Sometimes they can flounder in kindergarten."Students who struggle in kindergarten may find school less appealing and view school as a chore, Yantz said.No Child Left Behind rose accountability standards when testing began in third grade. That brings a focus to the beginning grades so students develop the skills they need to be successful in third grade.North Carolina has a star-rated child care system. But parents shouldn't rely solely on the star rating system to make a decision."Don't ever judge it by just the stars. Always go in and tour," Bennett said. "You should be able to go into a day care any time."--------------

Winston-Salem Journal
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355248551&path=%21living&s=1037645509005
"ANGER: Parents should talk to children about it"
By Melissa Kossler Dutton, The Associated Press
Even little children can be full of big anger.That's the lesson parents should take from the third-graders suspended from a Georgia elementary school after being accused of an elaborate plot to restrain and attack their teacher, childhood-behavior experts say.Third grade may seem awfully early for children to harbor such thoughts (and some experts say they doubt that these children would have gone through with it), but a child who doesn’t know how to properly channel anger may be susceptible to such behavior, say anger-management experts who deal with children.Parents need to help their children manage their anger, talk about right and wrong and monitor their children’s behavior, the experts said - even at a very early age."Say, 'It's OK to have feelings of anger, but it’s not OK to hurt people,'" said Lea deFrancisci of the Child Study Center at New York University.If a child says he wants to hit his teacher, a parent should follow up with questions and a lesson on proper behavior, she said.Parents shouldn't worry that talking with their young children about negative feelings will have a negative impact, deFrancisci said. "You're never putting an idea in your kid’s head by asking about it," she said. "Parents can't be afraid to talk about taboo topics."During the conversation, parents need to stress the differences between right and wrong, said Lisa Pion-Berlin, the president of Parents Anonymous in Los Angeles."Hitting someone is not going solve any problems. It's not going to make you feel better, and there will be consequences, too," she said.Then the parent needs to offer a workable solution that lets the child know that his or her feelings will be addressed, she said.And remember, teaching kids how to manage emotions is an ongoing process; it’s not about just one Big Talk."Parents need to tune into their kids' emotional state," Pion-Berlin added.Don’t dismiss a child’s embarrassment over an incident at school, worries about a test grade or fight with a friend, added Andy Reitz, a child consultant with the Child Welfare League of America in Boston."When kids do get angry, adults have to take them seriously," he said.-------------------------------

EDUCATIONThe Times News
http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/school_5290___article.html/punishment_corporal.html
"Alamance schools eye ban on spanking, paddling"
By Mike Wilder, Times News
Superintendent Randy Bridges is asking members of the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education to ban spanking and paddling from Alamance County schools.Bridges and school board members briefly discussed the proposed corporal punishment ban during a meeting on Monday night.The proposed policy reads, “Believing that other forms of discipline are more appropriate with children of all ages, the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education prohibits the use of corporal punishment.”The policy defines corporal punishment as “including, but not limited to, spanking, paddling or slapping.”The proposed policy allows “reasonable force to control behavior or to remove a person from the scene” in various situations. Those include “a disturbance threatening injury to others,” to obtain weapons or other dangerous objects, for self-defense, to protect school property or other people, or to maintain order on school property or at a school-related activity.Current policy allows corporal punishment if certain conditions are met. Those include notifying parents and giving sufficient warning that misconduct could result in spanking or paddling.Bridges said corporal punishment is rarely used. Earlier this year, Charles Monroe, the system’s assistant superintendent for administration, said corporal punishment was used nine times in the school system in 2005-06. Each time was at Altamahaw-Ossipee Elementary School, he said.After Monday night’s meeting, Bridges said he thinks the school system has more to lose than gain in allowing corporal punishment. --------------

Raleigh News & Observer
http://www.newsobserver.com/print/thursday/opinion/story/1039983.html
the truth: More classroom money needed. Segregation hurts"
By William J. Barber II, president of the state chapter of the NAACP
Let's be blunt. North Carolina high schools are not serving our poor and minority students well. Only about half of black, Hispanic, Native American and poor students are able to perform at grade level in English, mathematics, science, history and social studies.In 2006, Gov. Mike Easley commissioned a High School Resource Allocation Study by education specialists Gary Henry of UNC-Chapel Hill and Charles Thompson of East Carolina University, asking them whether North Carolina could improve student achievement in its low-performing high schools by spending education dollars more efficiently.Ever since the state Supreme Court issued its Leandro decision in 2004, state officials have known that the schools they are responsible for are in violation of Articles I and IX of the state constitution. These articles mandate that the state provide every student with a sound, basic public school education......Forty years ago, on his last night with us, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that when fighting for justice nothing would be more tragic than to turn back now. The Leandro ruling is one example that this is true. Its creation of a fundamental right to an effective education bears out another of Dr. King's prophesies, that the moral arc of the universe bends inexorably toward justice.For the past two years, the N.C. NAACP's almost 20,000 members from 100 local branches have organized, marched and lobbied all over North Carolina for well-funded, high-quality, diverse schools for all children. The Henry-Thompson findings, while not surprising, provide hard evidence for our position.Leandro is a matter of justice. The NAACP, joined by many other good people, will agitate, litigate and legislate to bring justice to our children, every one of them precious.--------------

Rocky Mount Telegram
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/04/13/electioneducation.html
"Education influences ballot box: Candidates offer plans"
By Carolyn Casey, Rocky Mount Telegram
The concerns topping the N.C. General Assembly candidates' list for education don't veer far from one of the larger problems school administrations are trying to tackle.Those vying for positions during the May primary unanimously said the dropout rate needs urgent attention.The question is: What is the solution?N.C. House District 25More funding, parent involvement and vocational skills might hold the key to decreasing the number of students leaving high school, the two Democratic candidates said.If schools offered more vocational and technical skills there might be fewer dropouts, Carnell Taylor said. The idea would not only decrease the number of dropouts but also would reach a wider range of student interest and prepare high schoolers for a more realistic workforce because not every student is going to be a doctor or lawyer, he said.Taylor's opponent, Randy Stewart, said the state's designation this year of $7 million for dropout prevention programs is a good start and follows a path of funding he would like to continue. In response to the Twin Counties receiving little funding from the state initiative, one of his goals would be to help local school districts become more competitive with grant writing.A solution to the problem also lies within creating more in and out of school programs and strengthening the curriculum to increase student interest, he said.N.C. House District 7Both incumbent N.C. Rep. Angela Bryant, D-Nash, and her opponent Jean Reaves said curriculums need to be amended and more services need to be available.There needs to more programs that target at-risk students, said Bryant, who sits on the Joint Legislative Commission on Dropout Prevention and High School Graduation. In order for intervention to happen, the schools and public and private sectors must work together.To better understand what happens to teens once they drop out, Bryant would like to see a uniform database between the school systems, social services, juvenile justice and various agencies to track students, she said. Once a student drops out, the N.C. Department of Instruction doesn't know whether or not they end up at a community college or in jail, she said.In school, a varied curriculum that uses more technology and special programing like the performing arts and technical education needs to be added, Bryant said."Children are saying they're bored," she said.Along similar lines, Reaves said the dropout rate needs to be addressed with long term and permanent solutions because special projects haven't been as effective."If we're going to allocate dollars to education we need to look seriously at allocating dollars to correct the problem and not just the special programs," she said.Programs like the cultural arts need to be implemented because they expand upon creativity, learning and self esteem, she said."I truly believe we have taken the arts and character education out of elementary school," Reaves said, which are the grade levels that need to be targeted for early intervention.--------------

Rocky Mount Telegram
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/04/15/funding.html
"Legislators pledge to seek more school funding"
By Tom Murphy, Rocky Mount Telegram
State legislators and area leaders called for unity to help find and provide the resources to fund the needs and opportunities to launch all children as lifelong learners during a State of the Child Briefing Monday.The event, held at the Down East Partnership for Children, also focused on building the future work force for the 21st Century.N.C. Sen. A.B. Swindell, D-Nash, who was joined at the event by N.C. Reps. Joe Tolson, D-Edgecombe, Jean Farmer-Butterfield, D-Wilson, and Angela Bryant, D-Nash, said Nash and Edgecombe counties have a good legislative delegation that works hard in the education area."We communicate often," Swindell said. "If we don't work hard to see where we really are, it's hard to tell where we're going."We are on track in North Carolina to do greater things for children."Legislators realize that more money is needed to educate children and are looking at increasing funding, Swindell said."The General Assembly recognizes we have work to do and are trying to target money to do that," he said. "Even with all the ills we have (in the education arena), North Carolina is looked at nationally as a real leader, especially when it comes to early childhood education."Just as the price of food has increased significantly in the last three years, so has the cost of education, Swindell said. More money is needed to fund programs for disadvantaged and poor students and for agencies like the Down East Partnership for Children that serves those children, he said."We do believe we're doing the right things," Swindell said. "You need to stay in touch and let us know how you feel because it's so important to involve the total community if we are going to improve the life of children in Nash and Edgecombe counties."Bryant said more funding is needed to address the high school dropout issue, to provide more child care and to assist teen mothers.An upcoming vote on a sales tax increase in the Twin Counties is an opportunity to raise money for education, Bryant said.-------------------------------

CHILD MALTREATMENT
Asheville Citizen-Times
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080413/OPINION03/80410105/1006/opinion
"To reduce sexual assault, we must do much more to prevent child abuse"
By Dr. Stephen Snow
April is a difficult month for memories. It is for some, as T.S. Eliot noted, the cruelest month.It is recognized as both Child Abuse Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. And although these two terrible crimes have in common that they are assault-based, they have something even more disturbing at their nexus:Males.Men commit most of the sexual assaults in this country, and those men were most likely abused as children. This is not an opinion. This is based on solid research. I say it not to excuse behavior but to understand it better. Understanding can lead to treatment, which can lead to change and prevention, and less repeated crime.Gender differencesThe research suggests although women (mothers, mainly) commit the majority of child abuse, young girls are not as likely to commit sexual assaults. Abused boys, however, are much more likely to abuse and sexually assault if they have been abused as children. Both are more likely to be traumatized as adults if they were abused as children.If we want to reduce sexual assault, then we must be far more aggressive in preventing child abuse. This is true not just in the United States, but around the world."Child abuse is one of the fastest-growing and most serious problems facing mental health practitioners in contemporary Japan," said psychologist Junichi Shoji in The Japan Times recently. The government is moving way too slowly, he said. "We sense very little progress in policy."Statistics vary, but child abuse is clearly an international epidemic. One of the least-addressed emotional difficulties is the pervasive, persistent impact of this chronic psychological trauma — the result of a daily, even hourly, experience of fear and terror that comes from being in terrible, abusive living situations.--------------

Hickory Record
http://www.hickoryrecord.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=HDR%2FMGArticle%2FHDR_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355250596&path=!features!opinion
"Children in trouble need advocates"
There are children among us who desperately need advocates. We see the need routinely in the news - across the nation or right here at home.The Guardian ad Litem program is one way to stand up for children who can’t stand up for themselves.The program is an all-volunteer extension of the court system. While adults have legal representation, children do not have the wherewithal to retain counsel.That’s where the Guardian ad Litem program comes in. The “guardian” represents the child in abuse and neglect proceedings. The volunteer representative has standing in court. In fact, they are appointed officers of the court.They must work within the law, but volunteers’ only obligations are to the children they represent.Gov. Mike Easley has proclaimed April as N.C. Guardian ad Litem Child Advocate Month in recognition of the program’s 25th anniversary.According to the governor’s office, volunteer advocates have donated nearly 900,000 hours of service to children in all 100 counties, but more volunteers are needed.The need for child advocacy is greater today than when the guardian program began.Statewide, 64 offices, approximately 100 attorneys, and more than 4,614 volunteer Guardians ad Litem work as a team to represent 17,701 children.Folks, that’s simply not enough to adequately represent all children who need help.

Thank you,
Action for Children North Carolina

1 comment:

Jack Register, MSW, LCSW said...

Prof Seeman,

Thanks for your comments! We appreciate the feedback. This information comes from our coalition partner here in NC. We would love to see your resource as well!