Pediatric I.V. Backpack Invented by 11-Year-Old Passes Another Milestone

Eleven-year-old Kylie Simonds of Naugatuck sought to raise $50,000 to manufacture a working prototype of the pediatric chemo back-pack she invented.  In just five months, she has.  Her gofundme campaign, which began on July 22, now stands at $53, 134. Kylie is a cancer survivor, and designed an I.V. backpack for children on chemotherapy, receiving transfusions, or other medical reasons.  Her goal was to improve mobility – to make moving around easier, eliminating the traditional I.V. poles. 

Kylie was challenged to come up with an invention through her school (Cross Street School) and the Connecticut Invention Convention, held annually. More than 130 Connecticut schools participate, creating over 10,000 young inventors each year. Kylie's invention was chosen by her middle school teachers, among others, and she attended the Invention Convention, where over 700 of the top inventions were displayed and many selected for awards and recognition.

Kylie's invention received four awards, including the "Patent Award", the highest award at the convention. The Patent Award has allowed Kylie's invention to be submitted to the US Patent & Trademark Office with the sponsor covering all costs.

Her accomplishment was recently noted in the Bulletin of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and has been featured in news media stories in Connecticut and beyond.  Last month, she was among ten young people (she was the youngest) honored as “women in tech” at the Women of the Year Awards sponsored by Glamour magazine.

With help from her father, Kylie is now doing R&D to make the prototype.  She has found numerous infusion pumps that will suit this idea but the cost for them is thousands of dollars.  For example, the controller device will need to be customized to be mobile and also small enough to fit in a backpack.  Additionally, the backpack will need to be designed to support both the IV infusion pump and the carry rod.

Kylie, the oldest of three children in her family, underwent 46 weeks of chemotherapy and is in remission from rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that affects the soft tissues and connective tissues or bones.

“I used to have to use the IV poles and I always tripped over all the wires,” she said. “It was hard to walk around and I always had to have someone push it for me because I was kind of weak when I was in chemo.”

She hopes to begin production of lines of the backpacks for boys and girls, which will incorporate animal features into the design to make them fun for young children.  Next would be researching designs for a backpack line for teens and young adults.

A total of 1,289 people have donated to her fundraising initiative, which remains active, according to the webpage.  Kylie has indicated that all donations in excess of her $50,000 goal will go towards the manufacturing of the “first usable I.V. backpacks.  EVERY PENNY!”

One Percent of Last Year’s Unaccompanied Children Immigrants End Up in Connecticut

One-in-three (36 percent) of the nearly 54,000 unaccompanied children released to sponsors over the past year after their apprehension by U.S. immigration authorities have been placed in homes in three states – Texas, New York and California, according to Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) data. Connecticut is now home to 570 of the children, about one percent of the total, who have been temporarily resettled between October 2014 and October 2015, according to totals compiled by Pew Research Center using Department of Health and Human Services ORR data. 

Among the New England states, New Hampshire has taken in 35 children, Maine 17, Vermont has 3, Rhode Island 215, and Massachusetts 1,405. The children are placed with sponsors, often relatives, while they wait for their next court appearance in immigration court. These cases can be delayed if asylum is sought, the Pew Research Center report indicated.

Last summer’s surge in the number of children without their parents apprehended at the Southwest border overwhelmed federal resources. Many of the children were making the dangerous journey from Mexico and Central America to the U.S., with sharp increases in apprehensions among children under 12. The issue brought widespread media attention, and strong opposition and support from people throughout the nation, especially in the southwest border states.

At the time, the Connecticut Commission on Children urged Governor Malloy to reverse his denial of a request by the Obama Administration to house children in a state facility.  In a July 21, 2014 letter, Commission Executive Director Elaine Zimmerman wrote:

“Recently, the Obama administration asked the State of Connecticut for assistance in hosting a number of these children within our state while their status is processed by the federal government. While we fully support your decision to not host the children at the Southbury Training Facility, or any other facility ill-equipped to house children safely, we believe that there are state, private, institutional, as well as faith-based resources in Connecticut that could respond well, through your leadership, to the President’s request.”

Since last summer, apprehensions of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has decreased dramatically, according to published reports, from 10,508 in June alone to 2,529 in October, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicates.

Texas took in the highest number of unaccompanied minors, with 7,409 children placed during fiscal year 2014, which ended on Sept. 30, government data showed. New York and California each took in just under 6,000 children. These three states account for more than half (53 percent) of the nation’s Hispanic population.

New Interactive Tool Brings Focus to Cuts in State Funding of Children's Programs

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the impact of a series of interactive data visualization graphs must be, well, off the charts.  For Connecticut Voices for Children, the new online, interactive visualization tool has been designed to help the public and policymakers see how funding for children's programming in Connecticut has fallen through the years.  Coming on the brink of a new legislative session and an ever-tightening state budget, the hope is that more widespread understanding of  past trends will forestall further cuts. The new interactive tool, on the Connecticut Voices for Children website, enables visitors to track spending across nearly 100 children’s programs over 25 years.  Over the last two decades, spending on children’s programs has declined from 40% to 30% of the state budget, according to the advocacy organization.  Had the state not changed its budgeting priorities, it would have invested about $1.5 billion more each year in children’s programs—enough, for instance, to be the first state to implement a universal early care and education system, Voices points out.

The new interactive tool, created by Connecticut Voices for Children, enables users to create their own graphs of state budget trends and then embed the charts in social media, blog posts, news articles, and reports. Users, for instance, can compare the dip in state support for K-12 education to the even steeper drop in support for higher education.

Detailed budget visualizations for Fiscal Years 1990 through 2015 are available for the following areas:

• The overall Children's Budget (at right)
• Early Care and Education
• K-12 Education investments
• Children's Health and Human Services
• Debt and Fringe Benefits

In producing this resource, Connecticut Voices for Children seeks to draw attention to what they describe as "Connecticut’s long-term disinvestment in young people – a trend that is particularly troubling in a state with an aging and shrinking workforce that will result in an increasing demand for well educated, career ready young adults."

Regarding K-12 education, for example, the website points out "K-12 Education has declined substantially as a share of the General Fund since the early 1990s, from about one fifth to one seventh in the most recent budget. This decline is seen most clearly in Educational Equalization Grants, the state's main contribution to local school districts. State support for K-12 education in Connecticut is among the lowest of any state in the union. In Connecticut, we leave the large majority of education expenses up to towns, which have no major revenue source except the property tax, thus contributing to the state's high and inequitable property taxes."

The information used in creating the graphs is official appropriations data from the Connecticut legislature's non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.

Connecticut Voices for Children's mission is to promote the well-being of all of Connecticut's children and families by identifying and advocating for strategic public investments and wise public policies. Connecticut Voices advances its mission through high quality research and analysis, policy development, strategic communications, and establishment of a sustainable and powerful voice for children.

Nonprofits Across CT Have Economic and Jobs Impact, New Database Shows

The interactive webpage was constructed and database developed prior to Election Day as a means of providing information about nonprofit organizations that their supporters could use to reach out to legislative candidates to advocate for the many charitable organizations in their local districts.  With the winning candidates now determined, the database may prove even more helpful in advocating for nonprofit organizations in what promises to be a tight state budget in 2015. The database, developed by Connecticut-based Blueprint for Impact, is an “advocacy tool” providing a range of data and information, broken down on interactive maps by Senate district and by House district.   Nonprofit organizations provide a wide variety of services throughout local communities, including some supported with state funds.  

Among the categories of data available are the number of employees working in the nonprofit sector along with the total compensation paid to those employees and the payroll taxes paid and total revenue of nonprofits within each district.

In addition, the site reports on the value of grants made by nonprofit organizations, and the average age of the nonprofits operating in each district. The age of each nonprofit is the number of years since the IRS ruling on tax-exempt status was provided. In Connecticut, there are many nonprofits that have been tax exempt for over 50 years. Older organizations may be more influential in their community.

The points on the map were organized by NTEE category. NTEE is the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities, which categorizes nonprofits based on their social purpose.

The mission of Blueprint for Impact is to “help nonprofits use data to rethink, reboot, and scale their social impact. We direct our impact into each of those three aspects.”  Christopher D. Brechlin  is the Founder of Blueprint for Impact, a registered Benefit Corporation based in Hartford, that offers a collection of data tools, services, and expertise specifically for nonprofits.

The data used to populate the maps was accessed using the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) Enhanced Extract of IRS Financial Data, 2013. NCCS allows users to download data processed by the IRS during calendar year 2013 as submitted on forms 990, 990EZ, and 990PF. All data is therefore “as is,” or as it was reported on the forms to the IRS.

Planning Underway for 2015 White House Conference on Aging; Connecticut Has 7th Oldest Population

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security. It will also be the year when the White House will convene the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. The Conference will be of particular interest in Connecticut, currently the 7th oldest state in the nation based on median age.  The state is undergoing “a permanent and historic transformation in its demographics,” according to the state’s Legislative Commission on Aging (LCA).

The first White House Conference on Aging was held in 1961, with subsequent conferences in 1971, 1981, 1995, and 2005. These conferences have been widely viewed as catalysts for development of aging policy over the past 50 years.

The White House is “fully committed,” to conducting a 2015 conference, and is moving forward developing plans.  Officials intend to seek broad public engagement and work closely with stakeholders in developing the conference, viewed as “an opportunity to look ahead to the issues that will help shape the landscape for older Americans for the next decade.”

Given the advances in technology and social media in the past decade, the 2015 Conference is expected to use web tools and social media “to encourage as many older Americans as possible to participate,” according to White House officials.

Among the key issues likely to be included are: retirement security; healthy aging; long-term services and supports to help older adults remain in their communities; and preventing financial exploitation, abuse, and neglect of older adults.

According to the Connecticut for Livable Communities report, issued earlier this year by the LCA, the state’s 65 and older population is projected to grow by 57% between 2010 and 2040. During the same period, Connecticut’s 20- to 64-year-old population is projected to grow less than 2%.

“In 2010, there were 4.35 working-age people for each person age 65 and older in Connecticut,” according to the CLCA. “In 2030, there will be only 2.75.”  More than one-third of the Connecticut population is over the age of 50, according to the report, and that proportion continues to rise. Residents born in Connecticut today, the report indicates, can expect to live to be 80.8 years old—the third highest life expectancy in the nation.

Nationally in 2013, there were 44.7 million Americans aged 65 and over and 6 million aged 85 and over.  Over the next 50 years, the number of people aged 65 and older is expected to more than double to 92 million and the number of people aged 85 and older is expected to triple to 18 million.

Among the key areas expected to be highlighted during the Conference, according to the White House website:

• Retirement security - Financial security in retirement provides essential peace of mind for older Americans, but requires attention during our working lives to ensure that we are well prepared for retirement.
• Healthy aging will be all the more important as baby boomers age. As medical advances progress, the opportunities for older Americans to maintain their health and vitality should progress as well and community supports, including housing, are important tools to promote this vitality.
• Long-term services and supports - Older Americans overwhelmingly prefer to remain independent in the community as they age. They need supports to do so, including a caregiving network and well-supported workforce.
• Elder justice - Seniors, particularly the oldest older Americans, can be vulnerable to financial exploitation, abuse, and neglect. The Elder Justice Act was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act, aimed at protecting seniors from scam artists and others seeking to take advantage of them.

In 2013, there were 75.9 million baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) accounting for almost one-quarter of the population. Baby boomers began turning 65 years old in 2011.  Between 1980 and 2013, the centenarian population more than doubled from 32,194 in 1980 to 67,347 in 2013.

Between 1990 and 2013, the labor force participation rate of people age 65 and over increased from 12% to 19%.  Among the population age 65 and over, there are 128 women for every 100 men. At age 85 and over this ratio increases to 196 women for every 100 men.

Earlier this year, Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council, announced that Nora Super will be leading this effort as the Executive Director of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting: White House Conference on Aging, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Suite 637D, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Washington, DC  20201, (202) 619-3636, info@whaging.gov. Individuals can also sign up for updates as plans develop, at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USWHCA/subscriber/new?topic_id=USWHCA_1

Individuals with Depression Not Seeking Help from Mental Health Professionals, Study Finds

As the public conversation about mental health continues, new federal data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that nearly two-thirds of individuals who have severe depression do not seek the assistance of mental health professionals. The report, by the National Center for Health Statistics within CDC, also found that people with mild depressive symptoms, as well as those with moderate or severe depressive symptoms, reported difficulties with work, home, and social activities related to their symptoms. For those with severe depression, nearly 90 percent reported such difficulties.  Nearly 3 in 4 with moderate depression also reported having difficulty in those everyday situations.

Studies have shown that the most effective treatment for depression, especially for severe depression, is a combination of medication and therapy. Although medication can be prescribed by a primary care physician, therapy is generally provided by a mental health professional.

The study, which covered 2009-2012, found:

• 7.6% of Americans (aged 12 and over) had depression (defined as moderate or severe depressive symptoms in the past 2 weeks). Depression was more prevalent among females and individuals age 40–59.
• About 3% of Americans (aged 12 and over) had severe depressive symptoms, while almost 78% had no symptoms.
• People living below the poverty level were nearly 2½ times more likely to have depression than those at or above the poverty level.
• Almost 43% of persons with severe depressive symptoms reported serious difficulties in work, home, and social activities. Of those with severe symptoms, 35% reported having contact with a mental health professional in the past year.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 20 million people in the United States have depression. Its symptoms go beyond feeling sad for a few days, and interfere with people's daily lives, causing energy loss, feelings of worthlessness, problems with sleeping, or thoughts of death or suicide.

A report by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) issued earlier this year found that 1 in 6 Connecticut adults (16.7 percent) reported having been told they had a depressive disorder. Women were significantly more likely to have been told they had a depressive disorder (19.0 percent) compared to men (14.2 percent).The likelihood of having been diagnosed with a depressive disorder decreased significantly for each increase in income range, the study found.  The DPH data is from 2012.

According to the CDC, depression is a serious medical illness with mood, cognitive, and physical symptoms. Depression is associated with higher rates of chronic disease, increased use of health care facilities, and impaired functioning.  Its causes may be genetic, environmental, psychological or biochemical.  Numerous studies have also shown that individuals with depression have more functional limitations than those without depression. The DPH study points out that “Depressive disorders may interfere with a person’s work and daily activities and prevent them from functioning normally. Some forms of depression develop under unique circumstances; others occur in episodes or may be longer-term.”

Concussion Education Plan Due to School Districts on January 1; Advisory Panel Meets Today

Three weeks from now, Connecticut should have in place a state concussion education plan to be used by local and regional boards of education.  That’s according to a law passed by state legislators earlier this year in response to growing concerns about the potential lifelong effects of concussions on students injured in school sports. Local school boards will be responsible for implementing the plan using written materials, online training or videos, or in-person training.

The Connecticut Youth Concussion Advisory Group, coordinating the state’s effort, has met four times this fall.  Minutes of the most recent meeting, on November 6, were posted to the group’s website more than a month later, just days ahead of the meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 11.  That meeting is to include an update on the Concussion Education Plan, according to the meeting agenda.

Although the law was approved in May, it was highlighted in public ceremonies in September in Westport, the hometown of three mothers who were instrumental in advocating for passage of the law. Each of their sons’ lives were changed by concussions. Ann Sherwood, Pippa Bell Ader and Diana Coyne came together to form the Parents Concussion Coalition, FOX Connecticut reported.

Public Act 14-66 requires the state Department of Education to consult with the state Department of Public Health, the governing authority for intramural and interscholastic athletics, an appropriate organization representing licensed athletic trainers, and an organization representing county medical associations to do the following:

• By January 1, 2015, develop a concussion education plan to be used by local and regional boards of education. Boards of education will be responsible for implementing such plan using written materials, online training or videos, or in person training.
• Develop a signed informed consent, which must include a summary of the concussion education plan, and a summary of the local board’s policies regarding concussions. For the school year beginning July 1, 2105, local boards of education must prohibit a student athlete from participating in intramural or interscholastic athletic activities unless the student athlete and a parent or guardian returns such form.
• Collect and report to DPH all occurrences of concussions, including the nature and extent of the concussion and the circumstances in which the student sustained the concussion.

The law also requires that a training course regarding concussions be developed or approved, and that “a refresher course regarding concussions, including current best practices, and, for football coaches, current best practices around the frequency of games and full contact practices and scrimmages.”  That provision was effective on October 1. 

At the November meeting of the Advisory Group, “there was discussion regarding the pros and cons of mandating a specific time frame between stages of recovery from a concussion versus considering each case individually and relying on the student’s physician,” the meeting minutes reported.  Among materials reviewed were a Concussion Web page, Concussion Education Initiative Course feedback, and an annual review and refresher course.

Regarding data collection, the Advisory Group “discussed what will work best for schools; what is an ideal versus realistic approach.”

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Board of Control is requiring all CIAC member schools (including private and parochial schools not covered by the law) to develop a plan and begin implementation in the 2014-15 school year.

Westport’s Staples High School is among the Connecticut school that now provide concussion protocols on their websites, so that students, parents, coaches and the community are aware of expected practices.  According to the Staples site, “links include concussion education, the concussion care plan that is to be filled out by your physician when a concussion occurs, our procedures for concussion management, and our Return to Play protocol that will be followed by all athletes before returning to competition after sustaining a concussion.”

Connecticut was one of the first states in the nation to adopt a concussion law, in 2010, following Oregon and Washington, which implemented similar statutes in 2009.  The law dealt primarily with training requirements for coaches.

Video 1       Video 2

Two CT Metro Regions Among Nation's Best for Young Workers

Two of Connecticut’s metropolitan regions have among the highest median earnings for full-time workers age 18 to 34, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.  The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area ranked #5, with Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford ranked #6, just ahead of New York-Newark-Jersey City.  Connecticut and California were the only states to have two regions among the top ten. The media income in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area was $42,757, and the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford region was $42,322 for 18-34 year olds working full-time, according to the data, highlighted in an article posted to The Atlantic’s CityLab website.

Those median salaries in Connecticut compare to a media of $33,883 for the same age category nationwide.    The data indicates that 21.9 percent of the region’s population is age 18-34 in the Hartford metro area; 19.9 percent in the Stamford centered region.

Nationwide, the website points out “since the start of the Great Recession in 2007, the median wage for people between the ages of 25 and 34, adjusted for inflation, has fallen in every major industry except for health care.”  The Atlantic reported earlier this month that “overall U.S. wages are barely growing, and wages for young people are growing 60 percent more slowly than overall U.S. wages.”

“When you dig into the numbers,” the website continues, “the Hartford, Connecticut, metro area emerges, beaconlike, in the darkness: It has become one of the most lucrative job markets for young Americans.”

The report notes “a higher median income for young workers than in New York, Seattle, or Chicago. Millennial wages in many smaller metropolitan areas, including Austin, Minneapolis, and Denver, also lag behind Hartford's.”  The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford region offers the combination of strong median income and a cost of living that isn’t rising at the rate of other metropolitan areas, which makes the region “looking remarkably attractive.”

Also this month, the real estate website Zillow predicts “a big year for home buyers in 2015, with more millennials entering the market amid rising rents.”   Zillow’s annual housing predictions identified the five best housing markets for first-time homebuyers in the year ahead, and ranked Hartford at #2, just behind Pittsburgh and ahead of Chicago, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

Looking ahead to 2015, Hartford was among the “markets most favorable to first-time buyers … with strong income growth among 23-34 year olds, significant growth in the number of entry-level homes on the market and home prices that won’t take a big chunk out of buyers’ paychecks.”

CT’s First Sensory-Friendly Performance Ready at Hartford Stage

Hartford Stage will host a first-ever sensory-friendly performance of its annual holiday classic, A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas on Tuesday, December 9.  This will be the first time that Hartford Stage has offered this type of performance for the community – and apparently the first such effort in Connecticut. A “sensory-friendly” performance is a theatre production that is modified to accommodate individuals with sensory-input disorders, such as people on the autism spectrum, those with anxiety, and people with a range of cognitive abilities.

At the Tuesday night performance, “house rules” will be relaxed – people may need to get up, move around, and leave the theatre in the midst of the performance. There is no expectation that the audience will be completely quiet during the performance.  In addition, a Quiet Room will be available with sensory-friendly toys for anyone who needs a break from the performance.

"Sensory-friendly performances are designed to create a performing arts experience that is welcoming to all families of children with autism or other disabilities which create sensory sensitivities," says Jennifer Roberts, director of education for the theater.  The Hartford Stage website adds, “Our goal is to create an environment where people with autism or sensory needs, along with their families, can enjoy coming to the theatre together and will feel comfortable, supported and free to be themselves.”

Officials point out that while the script of A Christmas Carol will not change, some of the technical elements will be softened to accommodate sensitive ears and eyes. For example, haze will be reduced and strobe lights will be removed from the production. Lights in the audience will be remain lit at a dim level during the entire show to allow safe movement in and out of the theatre.

Abrupt and loud sound effects will be lowered, and there will be a signal to the audience to warn them that a potentially jarring moment is about to happen, so that caregivers can be ready to help those with sensory sensitivities.

The hope is to achieve “a judgment-free, fun experience for the entire family.”  About 150 people, students and their families, are expected to attend the performance.

Hartford Stage has prepared a plot synopsis and social story to help prepare audience members for the experience. They have encouraged families and caretakers to read the synopsis of A Christmas Carol and use the social story to prepare for the whole theatrical experience, from beginning to end.

The production, designed for age 9 and up, is about two hours long with a 15-minute intermission.   Theatre Development Fund’s Autism Theatre Initiative served as an advisor for the performance.

[view NBC Connecticut news story on the sensory-friendly performance]

Connecticut Ranks #12 in Child Homelessness Risk and Response, National Numbers at All-Time High

A new report finds 2.5 million children experienced homelessness in the United States in 2013, representing one in every 30 children in the country - an historic high in the number of homeless children. The report by Homeless Children America at the American Institutes for Research, called America’s Youngest Outcasts, documents the number of homeless children nationally and in every state, their well-being, their risk for child homelessness, and state level planning and policy efforts. It used the most recent U.S. Department of Education count of homeless children in U.S. public schools, which was released in September, and on 2013 U.S. Census data.

From 2012 to 2013, the number of children experiencing homelessness annually in the U.S. increased by 8 percent nationally. The number of homeless children also increased in 31 states and the District of Columbia and in 13 of those states, it increased by 10 percent or more.

Connecticut’s child homeless number was virtually unchanged.  The report examined childhood homelessness on a state-by-state level, ranking the states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). Connecticut’s overall ranking was #12.

The top 11 states were Minnesota, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Iowa, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Maine and Maryland.

For Connecticut, the report shows there were 5,508 homeless children during the 2012-2013 school year. That is virtually identical - down  by four children - from the 2011-2012 data, and nearly 200 less children than in 2010-11. Connecticut, based on those numbers, ranked #1 in the nation 2012-2013 in the “extent of child homelessness” category.

The state ranked #17 in policy and planning, based on factors including the number of emergency and transitional housing units for homeless families, and state planning efforts.

The 130-page report, which will be presented to Congress, at a briefing scheduled for February 10, listed six causes of child homelessness nationwide:

• the nation’s high poverty rate
• lack of affordable housing across the nation
• continuing impacts of the Great Recession
• racial disparities
• challenges of single parenting
• the ways traumatic experiences, especially domestic violence, pave the way toward and prolong homelessness

“Without decisive action now, the federal goal of ending child homelessness by 2020 will soon be out of reach,” said Dr. Carmel DeCandia, Director of the Boston-based National Center on Family Homelessness at American Institutes for Research. “Living in shelters, neighbors’ basements, cars, campgrounds, and worse—homeless children are the most invisible and neglected individuals in our society.”

According to the report, research shows that homeless children are hungry and sick more often. They wonder if they will have a roof over their heads at night and what will happen to their families. Many homeless children struggle in school, missing days, repeating grades, and drop out entirely.

Up to 25% of homeless pre-school children have mental health problems requiring clinical evaluation; this increases to 40% among homeless school-age children. Homelessness, especially in young children, may also lead to changes in the brain, which can interfere with learning, emotional self-regulation, cognitive skills and social relationships.

The report also recommends a series of “effective responses” to child homelessness:

• Safe, affordable housing.
• Comprehensive needs assessments of all family members.
• Family-oriented services that incorporate trauma-informed care.
• Identification, prevention, and treatment of major depression in mothers.
• Parenting supports for mothers.
• Education and employment opportunities for parents.
• Further research to identify evidence-based programs and services for children and families.

The National Center on Family Homelessness, founded in 1988, is described as the nation’s foremost authority on child and family homelessness, using research and evidence-based approaches to prevent and end family homelessness.