Posted on September 14, 2016
More than one in 10 New Jersey K-12 students were considered “chronically absent” during the 2014-15 school year – roughly 136,000 children in total, according to a new report released today by Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ).
Click here to view release, report, and county data profiles.
Posted on September 7, 2016
Lead New Jersey “30 Leaders for 30 Years”
Lead New Jersey is honoring 30 influential women and men who have showcased their leadership to us and our state throughout LNJ’s 30-year history. Congrats Ceil!
Check out other leaders that made the list.
New ACNJ emerging leaders!
Carla Ross, Operations Manager at ACNJ, has been accepted into the Victoria Foundation Emerging Leaders Program. This 12 month leadership training is focused on increasing the number of highly effective nonprofit leaders, who have the practical knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to lead their organizations and better serve their communities.
Peter Chen, a staff attorney at ACNJ, will be participating in the first year of Collaborative Action Newark (CAN), a new initiative of the Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers Business School. CAN seeks to expand the capacity for civic collaboration in Newark through values-based leadership development, peer support, and action. Over a two-year period, participants will attend monthly sessions that will enable them to develop skills and learn best practices for working across sectors to solve civic problems.
Welcome new Leontine Young Fellow Jaime Kaiser
ACNJ is pleased to welcome our 2016 Leontine Young Fellow, Jaime Kaiser. Jaime, a second year Management and Policy student at Rutgers Graduate School of Social Work, will be working primarily with the ACNJ Early Learning Team with a focus on infant and toddler issues. She holds a B.A. in Family and Child Studies from Montclair State University.
Leontine Young, a founder of Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ), believed that children needed an independent voice to ensure their best interests, a mission that has guided ACNJ’s work. Prior to her death in 1988, Dr. Young established a scholarship fund to help support students seeking their M.S.W. degree.
Posted on September 7, 2016
ACNJ applauds new legislation signed into law on September 6 by Governor Christie that bans schools in New Jersey from expelling students in grades kindergarten through second grade. The new law also strictly limits schools from giving students out-of-school suspensions unless the conduct is dangerous to others.
ACNJ thanks bill sponsors Senators Teresa Ruiz and Shirley Turner and Assemblypersons Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Benjie Wimberley for this critical step to improving school discipline for young children.
But the work surrounding the bill is still unfinished. Limiting suspensions and expulsions is important, but school districts, educators, and the New Jersey Department of Education will need to determine how to implement the law in a way that addresses the causes of student misbehavior.
The new law requires that school districts identify students in preschool through grade two with behavioral problems and provide supports for these students. However, many districts may lack these supports for students, and the clock is ticking for the law to take effect starting next school year (fall 2017).
Read Press of Atlantic City story.
The bill expands on existing bans on expulsion and out-of-school suspension for state-funded preschool in New Jersey. New Jersey joins states such as California, Connecticut and Oregon that have limited or eliminated suspensions for children in the early grades.
ACNJ supports the new law; suspension and expulsion are inappropriate for young children. Keeping young children out of school leads to lost learning and does nothing to solve the cause of a child’s behavior. Thanks to advocates and legislators from around the state, the new law represents a step in the right direction.
The next step is for district and state education leaders to determine how to educate staff and faculty about the legal change, how to ensure that appropriate supports are put in place, and how to get resources for behavioral issues to schools and students.
States such as Connecticut have developed early childhood consultation partnerships that have succeeded in helping preschool and childcare providers reduce disruptive behavior without suspending or expelling students. The Connecticut program takes a team of community-based social workers to help teachers address problem behaviors early and provide support for families.
ACNJ encourages educators and community members from across the state to take the following steps:
• Educate yourself and others about the new law, which takes effect during school year 2017-18.
• Ask how your district will provide supports for young students who misbehave.
• Stay informed about what services will be provided and how to refer students to additional resources.
Additionally, families who need behavioral health services for their child’s behavior can contact New Jersey’s Children’s System of Care at 1-877-652-7624.
Posted on August 29, 2016
As students across New Jersey head back to school, high schoolers will be less likely to begin their day with a healthy breakfast, according to an analysis by Advocates for Children of New Jersey and the New Jersey Food for Thought Campaign.
View memo from the Department of Education encouraging breakfast after the bell.
View memo and a brochure from the Department of Agriculture encouraging districts to serve breakfast after the bell and providing guidance on how to best serve breakfast to increase federal reimbursements.
Visit njschoolbreakfast.org to find help resources to promote and implement breakfast after the bell.
2016_08_19_high_school_breakfas_policy_briefPosted on August 24, 2016
