What’s New?

2016 Newark Kids Count Released

Posted on August 1, 2016

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Report: Newark children faring better in midst of pervasive poverty
Life for Newark children continues to improve with marked progress in critical areas of child well-being, including a drop in teen births and juvenile arrests, as well as a rise in the high school graduation rate and median income, but most Newark families still live in poverty, according to the 2016 Newark Kids Count report released today.

Follow @ACNJforKids on Twitter!

Posted on July 5, 2016

The first step is to join Twitter.  It takes less than two minutes:

  • Go to Twitter.com and sign up for a free account. Enter your name, email address, desired password, and username in the provided space.
  • You username is also known as your twitter handle.
  • You will receive an email to confirm your account.
  • Once confirmed, you can start tweeting!
  • The link for your twitter page will be www.twitter.com/(twitter handle). For example, ACNJ’s link is www.twitter.com/acnjforkids

Remember to register for one of the 2016 Kids Count forums here.

 

Pre-K Attendance Fact Sheet

Posted on June 30, 2016

Teachers,

Here are two fact sheets in English and Spanish that explain to parents why attending school every day is important—even for 3-and 4-year-olds! Fill in the “Note from your teacher” with a personal message about what students can look forward to in class.

Examples include:

  • “Next week, we’ll be learning about shapes!”
  • “Don’t miss out on class next week when we’ll be doing a fun coloring activity!”
  • “Kids with good attendance for the month of October get an attenDANCE party!”

Download the Preschool Attendance Matters Fact Sheet in English. (After opening, right click the document to “save as” a pdf/ Adobe Acrobat Document on your computer. Once you open the pdf on your computer, you can type inside the black box).

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New legislation extends bans on suspensions & expulsions of young children

Posted on June 28, 2016

New legislation that prevents schools from suspending or expelling preschool-aged children extends restrictions to second graders. It is now on its way to the governor’s desk for his signature.
Advocates for Children of New Jersey supported this bill recognizing that the early detection program will be its crucial element. ACNJ President & CEO Ceil Zalkind says the legislation sends “an important message that suspension and expulsion is not appropriate for a young child.”
Read more.

NJ Ranks Second for Education Nationwide in 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book

Posted on June 21, 2016

2016_06_21_aecf_cover_picNew Jersey Ranks Second for Education Nationwide in 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book

While state sees progress in education and health, serious racial and economic inequities need to be addressed

According to the 2016 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a significant number of teens took steps toward improving their future prospects. Comparing data between 2008 and 2014, the teen birth rate in New Jersey fell 46 percent and drug and alcohol abuse dropped 29 percent for the state of New Jersey. Read more of the press release.

Go to Kids Count to view the national report.