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This report provides statewide data on Wisconsin middle and high school health education curriculum and policy. All regular public secondary schools were included in the school sampling frame. Data were collected via surveys of principals and lead health teachers regarding tobacco, physical education and activity, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, violence, asthma, and general health education. For each section, the report examines policy, curriculum and instruction, comprehensive school programs, and conclusions and recommendations. Nearly half of the schools had comprehensive tobacco policies in place, and 80 percent of schools with required health education had comprehensive tobacco prevention curriculum and instruction in place. Most schools had policies and classroom instruction supporting physical education and activity among all students, and most required students to take a physical education class. Middle and high schools reported many positive nutrition-related policies, practices, and instruction, although there was room for improvement. Nearly half of the schools had comprehensive HIV/AIDS policies in place, and 75 percent of schools with required health education had comprehensive HIV/AIDS curriculum and instruction. Almost all schools had written violence-response plans, but more schools needed to offer peer mediation, gang violence, and bullying prevention programs. There was a lack of asthma education for staff and students and monitoring of students with asthma. (SM)

This paper presents 19 solutions to problems within the school environment: (1) ventilation (e.g., keep the thermostat fan on whenever the room is occupied); (2) filters (e.g., get rid of 20 percent cheap filters); (3) clean the ductwork; (4) avoid car and bus fumes by keeping vehicles 50 feet from the building; (5) sewer vents (vents must terminate at least 10 feet from a powered fresh air intake); (6) furnace exhaust pipes (if the furnace vent or other vent is closer than 10 feet from a powered fresh air intake, it must extend at least 3 feet above the intake); (7) floor and roof traps; (8) unvented science labs (which can send fumes into classrooms); (9) cosmetology odors (when there is no lab hood for ventilation); (10) CO2 testing (e.g., CO2 builds up when there are several persons in a room over several hours with inadequate ventilation); (11) asthma and respiratory ailments (e.g., carpeting should not be in schools, and ductwork needs regular cleaning); (12) UV lights (which kill most organisms in the air that pass through the ductwork); (13) cold temperatures (an adequate thermometer is important); (14) increased complaints about cold when proper ventilation blows air into the room; (15) asbestos testing; (16) radon testing; (17) lead paint testing; (18) water quality; and (19) mold. (SM)

This Kids Count report examines state, county, and regional trends in the well-being of Colorado's children. The first part of the report is presented in four chapters. Chapter 1 includes findings regarding the increasing diversity of the child population, linguistic isolation, the impact of parental unemployment, child poverty, and the affordable housing challenge. Chapter 2 concerns vulnerable families, and presents findings regarding teen parents, declines in the teen birth rate, parents with low educational attainment, single-parent families, at-risk births, child abuse and neglect, out-of-home placements, and children of incarcerated parents. Chapter 3 highlights learning and education, and discusses the importance of early learning, the value of high-quality early care, program funding, school readiness, elementary and middle school student achievement, and outcomes of higher education. Chapter 4 focuses on child health and reports findings on health insurance, Medicaid enrollment, the state child health insurance program, maternal and child health indicators, mental health, oral health, asthma, obesity, chronic health conditions, and immunizations. The report next describes the It's About Kids project to stimulate dialogue of children's issues through a diverse child advocacy network. The remainder of the report then presents comparative state and regional data for the year 2001 for the following indicators: (1) demographics; (2) single parent families; (3) births to single women; (4) births to mothers lacking a high school diploma; (5) teen births; (6) repeat teen births; (7) three risk factor births (mothers under 25 years, unmarried, with less than 12 years of education); (8) out-of-home placements; (9) children enrolled in TANF; (10) children under 5 years receiving WIC; (11) children qualifying for free/reduced lunch; (12) median household income; (13) child poverty; (14) children under 6 with all parents in labor force; (15) low birth weight births; (16) early prenatal care; (17) women smoking during pregnancy; (18) infant mortality; (19) child deaths; (20) teen deaths; (21) children enrolled in Medicaid; (22) children enrolled in state health plan; (23) high school graduates; (24) high school dropouts; (25) teen dropouts; and (26) idle teens. The report concludes with data notes and definitions. (KB)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Program to help schools prevent, identify, and resolve their IAQ problems. This publication describes the program and its advantages, explaining that through simple, low-cost measures, schools can: reduce IAQ-related health risks and triggers for asthma, identify sources of mold, improve comfort and performance levels, avoid costly repairs, avoid negative publicity and loss of parent and community trust, and avoid liability problems. The publication offers an overview of IAQ issues, offers examples of successful school efforts, and presents action items. (Contains 25 references.) (EV)

This KIDS COUNT data book examines trends in the well-being of New York's children. The statistical portrait is based on six general areas of children's well-being: (1) economic security; (2) physical and emotional health; (3) education; (4) citizenship; (5) family; and (6) community. Following an introductory section addressing the 2000 census and describing the goals and objectives of the major touchstones, the first section provides data for each of the following individual indicators: (1) child poverty; (2) children in families receiving food stamps; (3) children in families receiving public assistance; (4) children in families receiving supplemental security income; (5) adolescent pregnancy; (6) prenatal care; (7) child mortality; (8) asthma hospitalizations; (9) self-inflicted injury hospitalization; (10) unintentional injury hospitalization; (11) infant mortality; (12) lead poisoning; (13) low birthweight births; (14) sexually transmitted diseases; (15) dropout rates; (16) English language learners; (17) high school graduates intending to enroll in college; (18) high school graduates receiving regent diplomas; (19) student performance in English and math; (20) juvenile arrests for property and violent crime; (21) arrests for drug use; (22) DUI/auto accidents; (23) assault hospitalizations; (24) juveniles in need of supervision; (25) foster care; (26) child abuse reports; (27) births to uninsured women; (28) firearm related crimes; (29) violent crime; (30) unemployment; and (31) nutrition. The second section of the data book provides profiles of New York State, New York City, and the state's counties. The data book concludes with a section of technical notes and references. (SD)

This Kids Count data book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Illinois' children. The statistical portrait is based on 24 indicators in the areas of family, health, safety, education, and economic security. The indicators are: (1) living arrangements for children; (2) teen births; (3) children in foster/substitute care; (4) foster children placed in permanent homes; (5) early intervention enrollment; (6) health insurance enrollment; (7) infant mortality; (8) percent of low birth weight babies; (9) asthma hospitalizations; (10) children who contracted vaccine-preventable diseases; (11) child abuse and neglect; (12) child deaths; (13) lead poisoning; (14) Head Start and Pre-K enrollment; (15) number of licensed child care providers; (16) class size; (17) per-pupil spending; (18) graduation rate; (19) self-sufficiency standard; (20) affordable housing; (21) children in poverty; (22) median household income; (23) families and children receiving TANF; (24) child support; and (25) students eligible for free and reduced lunch. The first part of the report explores the changing family, highlighting children's oral health, insurance costs, school readiness, earned income tax credit, and teen REACH program. Sources, definitions and endnotes follow. The bulk of the report presents data tables for each indicator for the state, the counties, and the city of Chicago. The report concludes with supplementary Web tables, the Charter for Illinois Children, acknowledgments, and list of advisory committee and board of directors members. (SD)

This KIDS COUNT data book for 2002 examines statewide and county level trends in the well-being of Michigan's children. The statistical portrait is based on the following: (1) demographics; (2) juvenile arrests; (3) teen births; (4) children of two working parents; (5) child care costs; (6) child care capacity; (7) children in subsidized child care; (8) children in families receiving FIP (Family Independence Program) cash assistance; (9) food stamps enrollment; (10) merit scholars; (11) child support; (12) health insurance; (13) lead poisoning/asthma; (14) birth defects; (15) special education; (16) children receiving SSI; (17) children in poverty; (18) children receiving free/reduced lunches; (19) less than adequate prenatal care; (20) low birthweight; (21) infant mortality; (22) child deaths; (23) families investigated for abuse; (24) victims of abuse/neglect; (25) children in out-of-home care; (26) teen deaths; (27) high school dropouts; and (28) academic performance in the sciences. Introductory comments note the data book's focus on adolescents. Section one describes what is new and different in this year's data book. Sections two through five present current data in the areas of economic security, child health, child safety, and adolescence. Sections six and seven focus on state profiles. The remainder of the data book contains data on Michigan's 83 counties. The data book concludes with data notes and source information. (SD)

This KIDS COUNT factbook details statewide and county trends in the well-being of Wyoming's children. Following an overview of key indicators, the factbook documents state trends for 36 indicators: (1) child and youth population; (2) births; (3) unintended pregnancy; (4) low birth weight babies; (5) early prenatal care; (6) immunizations; (7) chronic disease; (8) early identification, diagnosis, and intervention; (9) injury; (10) family violence; (11) infant deaths; (12) child deaths; (13) babies born to unmarried mothers of all ages; (14) births to mothers who smoked during pregnancy; (15) alcohol and illegal drug use during pregnancy; (16) teen births; (17) sexually transmitted diseases; (18) adolescent tobacco use; (19) adolescent drug and alcohol use; (20) children affected by divorce; (21) juvenile crime arrests; (22) teen violent deaths; (23) teen motor vehicle related deaths; (24) teen suicides; (25) child and adolescent nutrition and obesity; (26) education; (27) average daily membership in schools; (28) drop out incidences; (29) infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with developmental disabilities; (30) licensed child care facilities; (31) Head Start; (32) STARS (a system that tracks licensed child care providers); (33) poverty; (34) welfare reform; (35) "Kid Care" (state children's health insurance program); and (36) children with asthma. The factbook next summarizes findings from the Wyoming Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2001. The remainder of the factbook presents county profiles addressing selected demographic, education, child health, and well-being indicators for the period 1990-2000. The data indicate declining trends in low birth weight babies, child and youth population, births, and juvenile arrests for all crime types. Increasing trends are noted for the percent of babies born to single mothers, percent of children living in poverty, and births of mothers with only a high school education or less. The factbook concludes with information on advocacy opportunities. (HTH)

This report is the fifth to present nationwide data on the well-being of America's children. The statistical portrait is based on indicators of child well-being and on contextual measures describing the changing population and family context. Part 1 of the report, "Population and Family Characteristics," presents information illustrating trends in eight key demographic measures, including children as a proportion of the population, racial and ethnic composition, and difficulty speaking English. Part 2, "Indicators of Children's Well-Being," presents data on 24 key indicators in the following areas: (1) Economic Security, including child poverty, family income, parent employment, housing problems, and health care access; (2) Health, including activity limitation, immunization, low birthweight, mortality rates, and adolescent births; (3) behavior and social environment, including cigarette smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, and crime victimization; (4) education, including family reading, early childhood education, achievement, high school completion, and youth neither enrolled in school nor working; and (5) Special Features, asthma prevalence, and youth employment. For each background measure or indicator, three types of information are presented: reasons the measure or indicator is important to understanding children's well-being, figures illustrating trends or population group differences, and highlights with information on current status, recent trends, and important population group differences. Additional indicators needed are also noted. The report's two appendices present detailed data tables and data source descriptions. Among the key findings, the report notes that children are projected to remain a stable percentage of the total population, while the ethnic diversity of America's children continues to increase. The poverty rate for children living with family members reached a high of 22 percent in 1993 and has since decreased to its lowest rate since 1979. Unintentional injuries continue to be the leading cause of death for children and youth ages 1 to 19. In 1999, the adolescent birth rate was at a record low. Cigarette use among adolescents shows indications of decline, with rates of heavy drinking remaining largely unchanged from 1999. Long-term trend mathematics and reading assessment scores for 1999 showed improvements in mathematics since 1982 but not in reading. Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness in the United States, and the percentage of children diagnosed with asthma appears to be growing. Working while in school is prevalent among older high school students. (Contains 76 endnotes.) (KB)

This Kids Count report provides statistical data on several indicators of child well-being in Newark, New Jersey. Indicators were grouped into seven categories: (1) Demographics (including population, registered voters, and income levels); (2) Family Well-Being (including residents serviced by Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), children in families receiving food stamps, children in families receiving public assistance, number of licensed child care centers, substantiated child abuse cases, and out-of-home placements); (3) Child Health (including number of births, percent low birth weight, percent with no prenatal care, unmarried mothers, number of births to teens, infant mortality rate, pediatric asthma cases, children living with HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and vaccinations); (4) Mental Health (including number of children served for various types of problems); (5) Environmental Health (including lead levels in drinking water and number of toxic waste sites); (6) Education (including enrollment in public schools, student ethnicity, attendance rates, homeless students, proficiency test scores, graduation rates, dropout reports, and post-graduation plans); and (7) Juvenile Justice (including number of juvenile arrests). The data indicate that the 1998 Newark infant mortality rate was double that of New Jersey. The number of Newark children receiving public assistance declined almost 47 percent and the number of children receiving food stamps declined about 37 percent from 1996 to 2000. There were increases in reported sexually transmitted disease cases from 1996 to 1999. Births to Newark women under age 15 declined almost 48 percent from 1994 to 1998. A glossary and information on data sources complete the report. (KB)

This KIDS COUNT factbook details statewide trends in the well-being of Wyoming's children. Following an overview of key indicators, the factbook documents state trends for 36 indicators: (1) child and youth population; (2) births; (3) unintended pregnancy; (4) low birth weight babies; (5) early prenatal care; (6) immunizations; (7) chronic disease; (8) early identification, diagnosis, and intervention; (9) injury; (10) family violence; (11) infant deaths; (12) child deaths; (13) babies born to unmarried mothers of all ages; (14) births to mothers who smoked during pregnancy; (15) alcohol and illegal drug use during pregnancy; (16) teen births; (17) sexually transmitted diseases; (18) adolescent tobacco use; (19) adolescent drug and alcohol use; (20) children affected by divorce; (21) juvenile crime arrests; (22) teen violent deaths; (23) teen motor vehicle related deaths; (24) teen suicides; (25) child and adolescent nutrition and obesity; (26) education; (27) average daily membership in schools; (28) drop out incidences; (29) infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with developmental disabilities; (30) licensed child care facilities; (31) Head Start; (32) STARS (a system that tracks licensed child care providers); (33) poverty; (34) welfare reform; (35) "Kid Care" (state children's health insurance program); and (36) children with asthma. The factbook continues with a section on state and county profiles addressing selected demographic, education, child health, and well-being indicators for the period 1990-1999. The data indicate declining trends in low birth weight babies, child and youth population, births, and juvenile arrests for all crime types. Increasing trends are noted for the percent of babies born to single mothers, teen suicide, drop out rate, percent of children in single parent households, teen birth rate, and juvenile arrests for violent crime. The factbook concludes with information on advocacy opportunities. (SD)

This report details the impact of the changing health environment on children's health and access to health care in New York state. The report links key measures of child health with recent policy changes, such as expansions in health insurance coverage, Medicaid managed care, and welfare reform. Data from 1997 are used as a baseline measure for future efforts to track the impact of public policy on child health. The report contains state and national data for indicators of child health in four areas: (1) economics, including poverty rates and public assistance receipt; (2) insurance status, including Medicaid and state health insurance program enrollment; (3) access and use of medical care services such as prenatal care and immunizations; and (4) health and behavioral indicators, including asthma hospitalizations, binge drinking, smoking, and infant mortality rates. Highlights are provided for some indicators comparing county, New York City, and state data. Included is the Web address for a Web-based component providing county and regional comparisons for selected indicators. (KB)

This manual contains lesson plans for teaching all children how to monitor their own health and for teaching children with asthma how to play a role in the management of their condition. Each lesson plan is compatible with existing traditional elementary curricula for math, science, health, or language arts. After an introduction that discusses the incidence of childhood asthma and provides questions and answers about the asthma teaching unit, the next section contains some basic background information about asthma, including its symptoms, triggers, and treatments. Information about using the peak flow meter (a small, hand-held tube that measures the ability of the lungs to exhale air) as an asthma teaching tool is provided. The next section contains introductory math, language arts, and science lesson plans. All of the lesson plans contain activities to engage students and include enhancement ideas to expand the lessons. Many of the lessons provide accompanying camera-ready worksheets found in the next section. The last section contains organizations that can be contacted for more information about asthma, as well as listings of: books, guides, curriculum and videos for teachers; books for children; and videos for children. (CR)

Head Start program performance standards require that children not be excluded from Head Start solely on the basis of their health care needs. This guide is designed to build staff capacity to make Head Start a safe and welcoming place for children with chronic conditions and their families, and to create a framework for individual planning to meet the special health needs of children with chronic conditions. Following an introductory section, the guide presents three modules. Each module details expected outcomes, key concepts, background information, learning activities, and next steps. Handouts are included for each module. Module One, "Understanding Chronic Conditions," provides an introduction to chronic conditions and guidelines for assessing programs when caring for children with chronic conditions. Module Two, "Essential Principles for Care," demonstrates that responsive, responsible care for children with chronic conditions is family-centered, designed around individual needs, and is safe and legal. Module Three, "Putting It All Together--Caring for Children with Asthma," applies the principles discussed in the first two modules to caring for a child with a common chronic condition. The final sections of the guide contain information for continuing professional development and resources. (SD)

This monograph summarizes asthma management conclusions developed by five studies funded under a 5-year federal program titled "Interventions for the Control of Asthma among Black and Hispanic Children." The research goals were to develop model, replicable programs to reduce asthma morbidity; decrease inappropriate use of health care resources; and enhance the quality of life of African American and Hispanic children with asthma. After an introduction, each of the five projects is briefly described. Projects focused on an urban community, a school system, a rural medical care system, a residency training program, and a public health clinic system. Practical insights gained through the projects are organized into three sections: clinical notes, research notes, and public health notes. The section on clinical notes contains insights in two general areas: patient education and management and health professional education. The research notes section, designed for the novice researcher, offers practical tips for all stages of research including pilot studies, patient/participant identification and recruitment, patient/participant retention, staffing, questionnaires and assessment measures, design and assessment of intervention delivery, and data analysis and missing data. The public health notes section covers a variety of issues relevant to the planning and implementation phases of minority asthma interventions. These include educational content and format; modalities of implementation; recruiting, training, and retaining staff and volunteers; and barriers to implementation of intervention. Three appendices list additional minority asthma intervention projects, other resources, and instruments and forms used by the five projects. (Contains approximately 40 references.) (Author/DB)

This booklet on asthma for physical education teachers and other school personnel offers guidelines for the maximum inclusion of students with asthma in regular physical education activities. It stresses that today's treatments can successfully control asthma so that students can participate fully in physical activities most of the time. First asthma is explained. Then guidelines for helping students control their asthma are offered. They include: recognizing asthma triggers; avoiding or controlling asthma triggers; following an asthma management plan; ensuring that students with asthma have convenient access to their medications; and modifying physical activities to match the student's current asthma status. A third section focuses on recognizing symptoms and taking appropriate action. It identifies symptoms that require prompt action, signs that may indicate poorly controlled asthma, and confusing signs that may or may not be an asthma episode. Appendices include a sample Student Asthma Action Card, information on peak flow monitoring and use of a metered dose inhaler, and a listing of resource organizations. (DB)

This guide is intended to assist regular education teachers in understanding the implications for classroom instruction and management of a number of chronic health conditions. Each section includes a definition of a specific condition, recognition signs, a list of classroom strategies, and contacts for more information. Individual sections provide information on: (1) allergies (provides directions on what to do during an allergic reaction and in the case of an insect sting); (2) Asperger's disorder (includes key behavior patterns); (3) asthma (discusses suggested teacher behavior during an asthma attack); (4) Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; (5) autism; (6) cerebral palsy; (7) Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (addresses implications of treatment); (8) diabetes (discusses what to do in case of high and low blood sugar); (9) Down syndrome; (10) epilepsy (provides information on what to do during a partial seizure and during a generalized seizure); (11) fetal alcohol syndrome/effects; (12) muscular dystrophy; (13) spina bifida; and (14) Tourette Syndrome. (CR)

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood condition and a leading cause of school absences. With asthma occurring in almost every classroom in America, this curriculum guide, developed for use by elementary school children, suggests that teachers integrate an asthma lesson into a comprehensive health education curriculum. The lessons include suggestions for math, science, art, and language arts and can be integrated into the social sciences as they relate to getting along with others and learning about community resources. There are two 30-minute lessons for grades K-3 and 4-6. The lessons are designed to: (1) develop a basic understanding of asthma and help correct misinformation; (2) inform students about appropriate actions that can help people with asthma; and (3) provide resources to share with parents and other family members. In addition, the resource section provides information to help teachers learn more about asthma before teaching the lessons. Pre- and post-tests for grade K-3 and grade 4-6 students, a letter to parents written in both English and Spanish, and activity sheets including hidden pictures, mazes, crosswords and scenarios are included. (LL)

This guide was developed to provide school personnel with practical ways to help students with asthma participate fully in all school activities. It begins by noting the prevalence of asthma and stating that asthma is a leading cause of absenteeism among students. This is followed by a brief description of asthma as a chronic lung disease characterized by acute episodes or attack of breathing problems such as coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. A list of common "triggers" or stimuli that cause asthma episodes is given. Effective asthma management in the schools is described and an asthma management program from school is provided. Reproducible action sheets for school staff include sheets delineating the role of the principal, the school nurse or other health professional, the classroom teacher, the physical education instruction and coach, and the guidance counselor. The guide concludes with a set of resource information on asthma, including a list of early signs of an asthma episode, a sample asthma action plan, information on the use of a metered dose inhaler and a peak flow meter, and a list of resources available to schools to help manage asthma. (NB)

This publication presents data about population characteristics in New York City from city, state, and federal agencies and synthesizes large data sets into basic indicators of social and economic wellbeing and tracking conditions for children in New York City's 59 community districts. It ranks child wellbeing in the districts across a range of categories (poverty, wealth, health, youth development, housing and community life, child safety, education, and environmental quality). Risks are measured and ranked using a composite index. The report also compares child wellbeing in New York City and elsewhere, reports changes over time, examines race and ethnic differences, and documents risks to young school-age and older children. It includes six community profiles and a community-building chart. The community profiles provide an in-depth look at life for children in different neighborhoods. Special attention is paid to the economic conditions children face in these communities, as well as child health, access to affordable child care, and other indicators of child wellbeing. The community-building chart ranks community districts based on the availability of private and public services for children. Service quality is also tracked via data on program accreditation. Complete data tables are appended. (SM)