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The federal policy neglect of adequate community and family support for children to thrive in the United States is tragic and borders on the criminal. "Neighborhood context and children's health care utilization and health outcomes: a comprehensive descriptive analysis of national survey data" Health Affairs Scholar , Volume 1, Issue 3, September 2023, qxad038, https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxad038 Abstract While child health and health care disparities arising from unequal distribution of...

EXCITING NEWS! Sometimes parenting can feel lonely and you aren't quite sure where to turn for information. ROAR has now partnered with Bright by Text to bring you FREE parental information, tips, and community messages right to your phone. You can receive messages for prenatal care up to age 8! These messages are timed with your child's age. ROAR and community partners will also send you community information about upcoming deadlines and FREE community events! To Sign up TEXT ROAR to 274448...

It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since I last posted. That old adage, "The days are long, but the years are short" rings truer with each passing year. Having worked to overcome the impacts of a high ACE score, through EMDR therapy and a host of complimentary healing modalities, I moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with my family. A dream come true for the five of us. Sadly, I became deathly ill within months of moving into our beautiful new home. After much research, we...

Mark Barden, whose son Daniel was killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting, holds a picture of his son during an event on the National Mall calling for action on preventing gun violence in September 2023 in Washington, D.C. (WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES) By Jennifer Gerson, The 19th*, September 27, 2023 Mark Barden describes his then-7-year-old son Daniel as having had a “profound sense of compassion. He literally looked out for everybody. He wanted to make sure everyone was okay.” When the...

Students walk the hallway at Lake View High School in Chicago.Colin Boyle / Block Club Chicago By Becky Vevea, Chalkbeat Chicago, September 28, 2023 Youth organizer Maria Paula Degillo used to protest in downtown Chicago against the high rates of suspensions and expulsions for students of color. Now, she collaborates with Chicago Public Schools to create safe school environments without harsh discipline and over policing. Today, Degillo, with the group Voices of Youth in Chicago Education,...

By Doug Roberts, Ann Levett, and Shanna Downs, Illustration: iStock + E+/Getty Images +Education Week, Education Week, June 1, 2023 When students walk into their classrooms each morning, their parents and educators should feel joy that their children are learning, building new skills, and making friends. Instead, they feel fearful and anxious because of ongoing school violence. To keep everyone safe at school, districts across the country are continually evolving and expanding security...

By Adam Beam, Image: Screenshot from article, Associated Press, September 26, 2023 California will ban people from carrying firearms in most public places while doubling the taxes on guns and ammunition sold in the state under two new laws Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Tuesday that will test the limits of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new standard for interpreting the Second Amendment. The federal government already taxes the sale of guns and ammunition at either 10% or 11%, depending on the type of...

From SchoolSafety.gov, Image: SchoolSafety.gov, SchoolSafety.gov, September 29, 2023 While there isn't a universal safety plan, schools can take common actions to address the foundational elements of school safety. SchoolSafety.gov provides a Safety Readiness Tool for you to evaluate how your district or school is addressing these foundational elements. When you are done with the assessment, you will get a personalized action plan that has resources and next steps for each of these areas. [...

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2023-09-26/youth/wa-group-brings-alternatives-to-violence-to-secondary-students/a86466-1

A new analysis shows that California’s schools are twice as likely to suspend students who are homeless — potentially derailing their academic prospects.Elaine Cromie / Chalkbeat By Amy DiPierro, Chalkbeat, September 27, 2023 Federal education law explicitly seeks to help homeless children and youth stay in school, in the hopes academic opportunity will allow them to break the cycle of housing instability. Taking them out of class could worsen their chances of success. But an analysis of...

Environmental activists protest outside City Hall in June. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file photo) By Brett Chase, Inside Climate News, September 19, 2023 Promising to end the practice of piling on more environmental burdens to the same South and West Side communities, Mayor Brandon Johnson is proposing a series of reforms aimed at changing city practices after federal investigators last year determined Chicago violates the civil rights of its residents by concentrating polluting businesses in...

A ‘fund abortion’ hair clip is put in a person's hair during a Women's March rally on Capitol Hill on 8 October 2022 in Washington. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images By Carter Sherman, The Guardian, September 22, 2023 Laurie Bertram Roberts never expected Americans to keep forking over money to pay for other people’s abortions. But the abortion fund director didn’t think it would get this dire. When the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year, people donated tens of thousands...