Plus: Recession Impacts Preschool in California: Q&A
The budget crisis is creating the possibility of real cuts to programs. Right now on the table there is a $55 million cut to our child development programs, which are our state-contracted centers. These are the programs that are state-funded programs for low-income families that need contracts from the state to function. This $55 million cut translates into 10,000 to 14,000 fewer children receiving preschool or childcare services; 2,000 to 3,000 jobs lost; and 10,000 to 15,000 parents unable to go to work due to loss of child care. – New America Media, 4/24/09.
- Mentors in Motherhood: New program pairs nurses with young moms
It's all part of a new, free Mecklenburg County program that matches visiting nurses with first-time, low-income mothers.
While home visits sound expensive, research has shown that the Nurse-Family Partnership, created 30 years ago in New York, produces stronger, healthier parents and children and saves money by reducing child abuse, substance abuse and crime. Charlotte Observer, 4/20/09.
Plain interesting parenting news (old habits die hard):
- Mr. Moms (by Way of Fortune 500)
They are among the 5.1 million people across the country who have lost jobs in a recession that has put more men than women out of work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In Pelham Manor, unemployed fathers can now be seen at the elementary school and the grocery stores, or walking with children along the quiet streets, taking their places, by necessity, in the largely women’s world of childcare, housework and school life.
Research by social scientists dating back to the recession of 1981 shows that men who spend time with their children while unemployed tend to make family time a greater priority when they do go back to work. – New York Times, 4/22/09.
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