Personalized Keep Kids Safe License Plates Available Soon!

A law passed in the 2005 legislative session authorizes vehicle owners to display their personalized plate message on a special plate design (such as GR8DAY on Keep Kids Safe design. Personalized special plates will become available September 2007. To order a personalized Keep Kids Safe special license plate, go to: http://www.wcpcan.wa.gov/temp_plate.asp.

WCPCAN's Name Change

The Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect (WCPCAN) was renamed Children’s Trust of Washington by an act of the 2007 legislature.  While Children's Trust was the name chosen by the legislature, that name is currently under dispute. It will likely change again in the 2008 legislative session. Please bear with us while we go through a thoughtful process to update our new name and agency identity to better align with our mission, vision, values and statewide partnerships. We will be moving forward with a new logo and brand identity in the very near future.

Nurse Family Partnership Development Sites RFP Available

The focus of this funding is to support families in their role as their child's first and most important teacher while measurably reducing risks for child abuse and neglect. By expanding and encouraging the use of voluntary home visitation programs we intend to support healthy child development, enhance parenting skills, improve the quality of parent-child interactions, and/or promote school readiness activities for families at-risk for child abuse and neglect and poor educational outcomes. Funded programs will be expected engage in outreach activities to reach families receiving or eligible to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Applications are due at 4pm Friday August 31^st. Please visit our website at http://www.wcpcan.wa.gov/temp_ebp_grant_process.asp to access all documents, resources and application instructions.

Federal Legislative Update from Zero to Three

Three important Congressional actions were taken in the last two weeks which impact infants, toddlers and their families. First, after months of negotiations, the Senate Finance Committee has reached a deal to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Under the bipartisan agreement, $35 billion in additional funding will be raised over 5 years through a 61-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax. The agreement falls $15 billion short of the $50 billion allowed under the FY08 budget resolution passed by Congress earlier this year. Second, the House of Representatives voted to approve the FY08 spending measure for the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The bill provides for $151 billion in discretionary funding which is $10.6 billion more than President Bush requested and $7 billion more than the current spending level. The President has vowed to veto the Labor-HHS spending measure as well as any other appropriations bill which exceeds his requested funding levels. To read more, go to: http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_july07.

How Many are Poor, Near Poor, or Uninsured in The State and The Nation?

August 21^st, 12 pm PST, WEBINAR (TODAY!)

On August 28^th, the U.S. Census Bureau will release its annual poverty, income and health insurance data. There will be plenty of state and local information. The data gives advocates the opportunity to make important points about unmet need and what to do about it. The 90 minute-long webinar on August 21^st will give you very practical, hands-on tips on how to get the facts you need – quickly enough to get your points into press stories that day, and with enough depth so that you can continue to use the data all year long. You will learn: what experts think the data may show and how to put it in context; how to find the facts about the people of your state, county, city or congressional district; how to use the findings in upcoming fights for SCHIP (children’s health insurance), food stamp improvements, and other vital services. You will get: detailed printable instructions on navigating the Census website; template tables to make it easy for you to plug in and use your state’s numbers; talking points and sample press materials; ways to connect with other groups using the data in advocacy campaigns. To register, click here.

Why Children Must Be a Priority in the 2008 Elections—New Report Available

The Every Child Matters Education Fund’s new document, “Homeland Insecurity…Why Children Must Be a Priority in the 2008 Presidential Campaign,” is a 20 page report which makes the case for new investments in children, youth and families. It provides data comparing the well-being of children in the U.S. to other rich democracies. And it shows marked differences in child well-being among the 50 states. It also includes six questions that should be answered by the presidential candidates. To view the full report, go to: http://www.everychildmatters.org/index.html.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation

The mission of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation is to give back to and to strengthen the thousands of communities where their employees and customers work and live through charitable support. They endorse and underwrite a variety of initiatives and causes throughout the markets where Enterprise operates in support of four key focus areas: They assist many local causes by joining their employees and providing a 50 percent match of their contributions to United Way campaigns throughout these communities; they believe it is important to provide financial resources to worthwhile nonprofit initiatives that are actively supported by their employees, their spouses, and loyal Enterprise customers; they strive to provide more sizable special grants to nonprofit groups or causes of significant strategic or social importance to Enterprise and its employees; and they support relief projects or causes the company deems important as they arise, such as natural disasters that affect their customers and employees. The average grant amount is $2,500 to $5,000.  September 7, 2007 is the application deadline. For more information or to apply, go to: http://aboutus.enterprise.com/what_we_believe/our_foundation.html.

"So, What Do You Do?" -- Creating an Elevator Pitch

This two-part series will help you craft a concise and memorable pitch (the length of an elevator ride) to help you make the most out of opportunities to build support for the work your organization does. The second part, "Avoiding Message Pitfalls and Making the Pitch," is available on the GrantStation Website. Members can access the first section by logging in. For more information, go to: http://www.grantstation.com/Public/News_Views_px/trackstosuccess.asp.

What’s In a Mission Statement

Having a clear mission statement that clearly expresses your organization’s function is essential for running a successful nonprofit organization. The Alliance for Nonprofit Management offers insight on why a nonprofit needs a mission statement, what that statement should include, and tips on writing a statement that clearly communicates your organization’s purpose, business, and values to stakeholders and the public. To read more, click here.

FREE! Software from Google

Google has announced that it is making the educational version of its Google Apps product available free to nonprofit organizations in the United States. You can take advantage of this free offer if your organization has 501(c)(3) status. The collection of software and tools includes: Configuration and Installation Support; Migration from Existing Email Systems (including Microsoft Exchange); Dual or Split Delivery of your email to Apps and other emails systems; Single-Sign on (SSO) with existing web portals and applications; Provisioning integration with existing user management systems (including Active Directory); And Archiving and Compliance Solutions. For more information, go to: www.fundsraiser.com/aug07/news.html.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeks applicants for its FY 2007 Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program. The program supports new and ongoing rigorous, scientific research and evaluation studies that inform the discipline of juvenile justice, including the prevention, intervention, and treatment of juvenile delinquency and child victimization. Applications are invited from public agencies (including state agencies, units of local government, and tribal governments) and private organizations (including faith- and community-based organizations). The application deadline is August 31^st, 2007, and applicants should register with Grants.Gov as early as possible to prevent delays in submitting their applications. For additional information about this funding opportunity, visit: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/funding/FundingDetail.asp?fi=90.

Event Marketing: Rules of Event Engagement

One of the key elements to producing a great fundraiser is knowing that the seeds of success or failure are sown well before the event takes place. Another key element, as the sector changes, so too must the rules of event engagement. As the pace of change in the sector continues to accelerate, nonprofits are faced with an increasingly competitive fundraising landscape. More advertising messages are spread through more media outlets. The Internet is being used more than ever as a fundraising tool. Yet, according to Giving USA chairman Richard Jolly, were it not for the natural disasters during 2005, charitable giving as a proportion of the Gross Domestic Product most likely would have remained flat for the year. To read the full report, go to: http://www.nptimes.com/instantfund/07Aug/IF-070809-1.html.

Department of Early Learning Update

Last month, DEL released their logo, tagline and mission statement in their first quarterly newsletter to early learning partners in the state. “Kids Potential, Our Purpose” is their tagline and their mission statement is “Together, with parents and partners, we offer children world-class learning opportunities.” The e-newsletter also includes links to the Subsidy Policy Study, the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Draft Plan, and the Early Learning Information System (ELIS) Feasibility Study. The newsletter can be found by visiting http://www.del.wa.gov/.

Communities Bring Early Childhood Awareness to New Parents and Caregivers

Communities in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky are preparing new parents and caregivers with awareness of the importance of the first five years of life through the innovative “Brain Under Construction Zone” project. Using the 12 Messages for Raising a Healthy Child created by the United Way of the River Cities’ Success by Six Initiative, the Brain Zone project brings information about healthy early childhood development to families, beginning prenatally. For more information, click here.

Children Who Complete Intensive Early Childhood Program Show Gains in Adulthood: Greater College Attendance, Lower Crime and Depression

By the time they reached adulthood, graduates of an intensive early childhood education program for poor children showed higher educational attainment, lower rates of serious crime and incarceration, and lower rates of depressive symptoms than did non-participants in the program, reported researchers in a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The Child-Parent Centers (CPC) program in the Chicago Public School System provided intensive instruction in reading and math from pre-kindergarten through third grade, combined with frequent educational field trips. The children’s parents received job skills training, parenting skills training, educational classes and social services. They also volunteered in their children’s classrooms, assisted with field trips and attended parenting support groups. To read the full report, go to: www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2007/nichd-07.htm.

The Impact of Early Education on the U.S. Economy Today and Tomorrow from the National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Meeting

The session showcased business leadership in promoting early learning, highlighted new research showing the economic returns of pre-kindergarten to state government and contributions to state and national job growth. This session was made possible through a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts. For more information, go to: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/CCEEannualmtg07.htm.

Regional Program Developer for Nurse Family Partnership Job Opportunity! 

The Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office is pleased to announce we are seeking candidates for a new Regional Program Development position in the Northwest! The mission of the Regional Program Developer in the Northwest States is to: Develop new Nurse-Family Partnership program implementations to serve expanding numbers of low-income, first-time mothers and their families in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii; Assure sustained political and fiscal support for Nurse-Family Partnership through policy action at the state, county, and city level, providing for operational stability and the financial capacity to serve more families over time; And work in collaboration with Nurse-Family Partnership Nurse Consultant (State-Based and/or National), Program Managers and other Nurse-Family Partnership experts to foster sustained effectiveness in local Nurse-Family Partnership programs. This position will be physically based in Washington State – housed at a partner agency or out of a home office. For more information or to apply, go to: www.nursefamilypartnership.org/resources/files/PDF/Employment/ProgDevNW070718.pdf.

Have an Announcement?

Submit any announcements you'd like to get out into the world to Kristen Rogers at: kristen@wcpcan.wa.gov and she will happily include them in the next Resource Update. If possible, include a website for readers to get more information and a contact person at your agency for questions or comments.