Two school districts in Arizona are working to improve water access for students.

Tolleson Elementary and Cartwright Elementary school districts are working with the American Heart Association to prioritize water access and have implemented policies to ensure students can stay hydrated.

Tolleson Elementary School District Superintendent Dr. Lupita Ley Hightower said before the partnership with the American Heart Association, the district had developed creative ways - such as fruit-infused water - to incentivize healthy water consumption and curtail the consumption of sugary beverages.

She said the partnership has made her school district healthier and is helping set her students up for success.

"At schools, we want to look at the whole child," said Hightower. "Water is critical. It does positively impact cognitive performance, visual attention, fine motor skills, and then we live in Arizona. You have to be hydrated."

Hightower said the Valley of the Sun United Way has provided support to the initiative by helping provide water-bottle filling stations to the school districts that have made water access a priority.

Studies show that more than half of U.S. children and adolescents are inadequately hydrated.

Dr. Ingrid Haas - president-elect of the American Heart Association, Phoenix, Board of Directors - said the initiative aims to teach young children the importance of drinking water for overall better health and weight at an early stage.

"I think this is a good starting point at a young age to have children understand what is the healthiest way to go," said Haas. "Replacing sugary drinks, sodas, with water and encouraging that - it's a pattern they learn."

Haas said students shouldn't have to wait until break or lunch time to have access to water, but rather be encouraged to drink water throughout the day and carry water bottles.

The groups are working with districts to update their wellness policies that will support water access long-term.

January is National Mentoring Month and in Minnesota, program leaders report waiting lists for kids to be matched up with an adult willing to spend some valuable time with them.

Calls are being renewed for volunteers. Community-based mentoring programs connect youths who do not have many role models in their lives with adults for a range of activities. It could include attending sporting events, museums, or doing arts and crafts together.

Jill Hinners, executive director of Mentor North in Duluth, said it is all about helping children develop new skills and confidence.

"We definitely see kids that are introverts, shy, anxious," Hinners explained. "Where maybe they just have a little bit of difficulty putting themselves out there to form a large network of friends."

She suggested a mentor might put them more at ease in making connections as they grow. Her group pointed to research showing mentored kids are 22% more likely to have felt a strong sense of belonging. Hinners noted even though Minnesota has a good track record for volunteer work, her office reports a waitlist of between 50 and 60 kids.

Other data show kids who have a mentor are 55% more likely to enroll in college and are 78% more likely to volunteer regularly. Hinners stressed the outcomes can be traced back to a sense of belonging.

"We want youths to feel that they are developing their voice," Hinners emphasized. "To be able to make themselves heard in their community and courageous enough to take leadership positions in their community."

Hinners pointed out even though they have a backlog, volunteer levels have rebounded from a pandemic dip. She added they are trying to be more accommodating in certain ways, including making sure kids with disabilities have a good experience.

Adults who want to become mentors are put through a screening process before they are matched with a youth who has similar interests.


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Nearly 9,000 families are on the wait list for the Oregon Employment Related Day Care program, and family advocates are calling on lawmakers to ramp up funding to meet the growing need. Child-care prices in Oregon can exceed college tuition and have outpaced growth in household incomes, according to research by Oregon State University.

Dana Hepper, director of policy and advocacy with the Children's Institute, said most families, even if they don't qualify for the ERDC, cannot afford child care.

"And most child-care providers do not make living wages. So we can't rely on just parents paying tuition to solve this child-care crisis," she insisted.

Hepper added that the state needs to spend at least $500-million more on the ERDC program this year. This would serve the families that are on the wait list, as well as those who have vouchers for the program but cannot find a child-care provider.

All but one county in Oregon is considered a child-care desert for infants and toddlers, according to Hepper. A child-care desert is defined as having only one licensed child-care slot for every three or more children. She added that there has been more funding for preschools, such as Head Start and Multnomah County's "Preschool For All" which has expanded access. But even if they are not deserts, Hepper added, every county in the state has a shortage of preschool care.

"I think there's a dearth of child-care because there's a lack of public investment in child-care. And the data bears that out," she continued.

Hepper highlights Gilliam County as the only Oregon county that is not a desert for infant child care because it has invested public funds. She added that the ERDC program alone will not solve the child-care crisis; the state also suffers from a shortage of child-care workers.

"We need strategies that support the workforce and invest in pathways to enter this workforce with the skills that you need," she concluded.

The rising costs of children's placements and a failed tax levy in Adams County have heightened concerns about the future of children's services in Ohio.

As counties struggle to balance budgets, the stakes for vulnerable children and their communities grow more dire.

Sonya Meyer, director of Adams County Children Services, said the placement crisis in Ohio stems from both rising costs and a severe lack of foster homes.

"Our board care has been running us around $3.5 million. That's more than half our budget, actually, for the whole year for our agency," Meyer explained. "The amount that it's costing us to provide for the care of these kids, it's just not something that I don't think anybody could have prepared for."

As counties such as Adams face financial strain, many rely on temporary solutions, including residential centers, which cost significantly more than foster care placements. However, critics argued taxpayers may hesitate to approve levies without a clear understanding of how funds are allocated or the long-term impact on communities.

The failed levy in Adams County underscores broader issues with funding children's services statewide. The consequences go beyond budgets, with some children in crisis left waiting in lobbies or offices overnight due to a lack of available placements.

"I know how horrific it can be if we don't have the money to pay for these kids because these are all of our kids. We're all in charge of taking care of them," Meyer emphasized. "We obviously need these levies to be able to function."

Adams County's failed levy highlights the challenges faced by smaller communities without significant financial reserves. While larger counties might weather these increases more easily, the placement crisis reveals a stark reality: Without stable funding, the most vulnerable children risk falling through the cracks.

Voters may not always see the direct impact of levies but Meyer reminded Ohioans the funds are essential to ensuring children have safe, supportive homes.


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