February 02, 2007

WisKids Journal, a publication of the
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
Vol. XXVI, No. 1
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In this issue:
Message from the Executive Director:
The Voters Have Spoken
by Charity Eleson
In this column, WCCF Executive Director Charity Eleson calls on elected officials to heed the message sent by voters in November to work together, invest wisely in children and families, and ensure that we have a fair and adequate system of taxes and revenues.
 

Vision 2020 Report Card: Moving All Wisconsin Families Forward
by Vicky Selkowe
In February, WCCF and its partners will be releasing the Vision 2020 Report Card, an assessment of the current status of Wisconsin's children in four key areas related to healthy futures. This report card is the first project of Vision 2020, a campaign WCCF has launched in collaboration with the Wisconsin Head Start Association and the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association to end child poverty in the state by the year 2020.


Latest Brain Development Research Being Put into Practice in Milwaukee
by Dave Edie and Deborah Schmid
This article highlights the efforts of the UW-Milwaukee Children's Center to incorporate the most recent neuroscientific knowledge into its early childhood curriculum, and the impressive results those efforts have yielded. 


No Place for a Kid: Returning 17-Year-Olds to the Juvenile Justice System
by Wendy Paget Henderson
There are powerful arguments pointing to the wisdom of handling 17-year-old offenders in the juvenile justice system rather than the adult system. This article outlines some of those arguments, focusing on the neurological development of youths, juvenile arrest patterns, and differences in treatment options between the two systems.
 

On the Ground with...
Dr. Tom Wright, Medical Director at Community Partnerships, Inc. and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at University of Illinois at Chicago
interview by Bob Jacobson
In this interview, Dr. Wright discusses the escalating medication of children for psychological and behavioral disorders, and considers some possible factors driving this trend. He also suggests that parents and family members take an active role in developing a treatment plan, and make sure that they understand all of the treatment options available.
 
 
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The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Inc. is a non-profit organization that has been on the cutting edge of social change in Wisconsin since its inception in 1881. It has worked through the years to improve the delivery of health and human services in the state.

WCCF has a statewide, volunteer board of directors which guides its work. Staff serve Council members by monitoring legislation, providing information on issues through newsletters, forums and conferences, and providing technical assistance and research on issues affecting children and families.

The Council is funded by memberships, contributions, and grants, in addition to an allocation from Community Shares of Wisconsin.

 

Officers and Administration

Marcia Engen, President - Appleton
William Perloff, MD, Vice President - Baileys Harbor
Steve Kinkade, Treasurer - Beloit
Tonya Brito, Secretary - Madison
Charity Eleson, Executive Director