1. New advocacy resources on WIC and Nutrition
2. DFT Network activity
3. Want help becoming involved in child advocacy?
4. DFT-NACCRRA project highlighting importance of quality child care
5. Collaborative project to increase voter registration
6. New child well-being index released
7. New chartbook, Quality of Health Care for Children and Adolescents

1.  Please visit the Docs For Tots web site (http://www.docsfortots.org/Links.htm) to view our latest advocacy resources, What Docs Should Know About WIC and a PowerPoint presentation entitled, Food For Thought: How Social Policy Impacts Child Nutrition.  The presentations we post on the web site are meant to be used in part or whole by doctors making advocacy presentations to a variety of audiences.  Please let us know if there are topics you would like to see covered on the web site, dft@docsfortots.org.

2.  The DFT network is up to over 100 doctors in 34 states.  We are receiving requests from advocacy groups and linking network docs to these opportunities.  In Colorado, one network doctor is participating in an audio conference for Early Head Start providers talking about teen parenting issues.  For more examples of doctors who are active child advocates, please visit the Docs In Action Profiles on the web site, http://www.docsfortots.org/Action.htm.

3.  Currently we are contacting network doctors with advocacy opportunities based on requests we receive from local, state and national advocacy groups.  If you are interested in getting involved in advocacy work now and we have not yet contacted you, please contact us and we will work with you to create an opportunity.  Please contact Kate Irish, Programs Manager at 202-898-9043 or e-mail her at kirish@docsfortots.org for more information.

4.  Docs For Tots is working with network doctors and NACCRRA (The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, www.naccrra.org) to highlight the importance of quality child care through a project creating Op-Ed pieces.  We have drafted a template for an Op-Ed piece on the importance of quality child care and collaborating with our network doctors to personalize the Op-Ed and submit it to their local paper. If you are interested in participating in this project or have any question, please contact Kate Irish at 202-898-9043, kirish@docsfortots.org.

5.  Docs For Tots is currently in the planning stages of a project in collaboration with Every Child Matters Education Fund (www.everychildmatters.org) to increase voter registration.  We plan to have free voter registration packets available soon for network doctors to display in their practices, clinics, etc.  Please stay tuned for more information about this project.

6.  A new index on the well-being of American children was released in March providing valuable information on how children are faring now and how their status has changed in recent years.  The index is based on nearly thirty years of data from national surveys of seven areas of child well-being, defined by factors including mortality, poverty, and suicide rates; drug use; educational test scores and health insurance coverage.  The report is available at: http://www.brookings.org/dybdocroot/comm/events/20040324index.pdf

7.  On April 15th, the Commonwealth Fund released, Quality of Health Care for Children and Adolescents: A Chartbook.  This overview of children’s health care found that up to three-quarters of children and adolescents are not receiving care scientifically proven or recommended.  This publication is available at: http://www.cmwf.org/programs/leatherman_pedchtbk_700.asp.