Digital Commons Network^™

Continuity And Change In Coos County: Results From The 2010 North Country Cera Survey, Chris R. Colocousis, Justin R. Young

Carsey Publications

This brief from Chris Colocousis and Justin Young uses the most recent North Country CERA survey to focus on change and continuity in Coos County between 2007 and 2010, and then makes comparisons of the present conditions across the three study counties. The authors examine such topics as community problems, environmental and economic concerns, and community cohesion and confidence in the local government. They report that Coos County residents remain highly concerned about the lack of economic opportunities in the region, and their concern about population decline has increased in recent years. Coos residents see the economic future of their …

Total Children Covered By Health Insurance Increased In 2009, Jessica A. Bean, Michael J. Staley

Carsey Publications

This brief uses data collected in 2008 and 2009 from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) to examine changes in overall insurance coverage rates, as well as changes in types of coverage, and differences by region, state, and place type. The data show that together with new and more inclusive parameters for children's health insurance coverage, rates of children's health insurance have grown during the final year of the recession. Authors Jessica Bean and Michael Staley of the Carsey Institute discuss the complex factors contributing to the shift from private to public health insurance among children. The authors …

Rural And Central City Residents With Multiple Children Likely To Be Hardest Hit By Proposed Wic Cuts, Jessica A. Bean

Carsey Publications

This brief uses data from the 2007 and 2010 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement to describe the distribution of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) receipt across the population and to detail place-based differences in receipt. WIC is a nutrition program that serves pregnant or postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5 (who meet certain criteria) by providing them with nutrition education and checks or vouchers for food purchases. The proposed fiscal year 2012 funding is $733 million less for WIC than fiscal year 2011 levels, and far less than …

Rural Workers Have Less Access To Paid Sick Days, Kristin Smith, Andrew P. Schaefer

Carsey Publications

This brief, using data from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) survey, analyzes paid sick time rates of workers by place and type of work. Paid sick days provide job protection to workers and a steady paycheck when they need to care for themselves or family members. Paid sick days also help workers with more limited resources who cannot otherwise afford to take a day off. Authors Kristin Smith and Andrew Schaefer report that a greater proportion of rural workers than urban workers (both suburban and central-city) lack access to at least five paid sick days per …

Carsey Institute: Lack Of Sick Leave Creates Tough Choices For Rural Workers, Lori Wright

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Granite State College 2011-2012 Catalog, Granite State College

Granite State College Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Foster Care: Different Needs, Different Outcomes, Wendy A. Walsh, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

This brief examines where foster children are living four years after removal from their homes and the characteristics of these children and their placements. Understanding whether child characteristics such as age or emotional or behavioral problems are associated with a longer stay in out-of-home care can help identify children who are least likely to find permanence and may benefit from specialized services. The authors conclude that children in long-term foster care suffer from behavioral and emotional problems at alarming rates. Better identifying and assisting children with, or at risk of developing such problems upon entry to foster care and throughout …

Natural Decrease In America: More Coffins Than Cradles, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

This brief summarizes recent regional patterns of natural decrease in the United States. Natural decrease occurs when more deaths than births occur in an area in a given year. The growing incidence of natural decrease has gone largely unnoticed, yet natural decrease is no longer an isolated phenomenon occurring in a few remote corners of the country. Last year, 24 percent of all U.S. counties experienced natural decrease. And, for the first time in U.S. history, deaths now exceed births in an entire state. Author Ken Johnson discusses the implications of natural decrease, as well as the impact of the …

Community Strength And Economic Challenge: Civic Attitudes And Community Involvement In Rural America, Michele Dillon, Justin R. Young

Carsey Publications

Residents in rural areas that are rich in amenities report a positive outlook about their community strength and civic engagement, with nine out of ten saying they would work together to solve a community problem. However, residents in chronically poor rural communities are less likely to trust, get along with, and help their neighbors.

Maternal, Infant And Early Childhood Home Visiting Program: Draft Updated State Plan, For Public Review And Comment, State Of New Hampshire Department Of Health And Human Services, Division Of Public Health Services

Manchester Research Group

An overview of initial community maternal health and risk factors. Maternal Infant Early Childhood (MIEC) Home Visiting Needs Assessment

Reading Levels Of Rural And Urban Third Graders Lag Behind Their Suburban Peers, Suzanne E. Graham, Christine Teague

Carsey Publications

This brief examines the complex interplay of family, school, and place factors in the reading achievement levels of third grade students. Third grade reading achievement is critical to later academic and occupational success. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, the authors report that suburban children realize greater gains in reading achievement from kindergarten to Grade 3 than their rural or urban counterparts. Rural students who were struggling readers at the beginning of kindergarten have lower average reading achievement in third grade than both urban and suburban students when children of the same socioeconomic status are compared. The differences …

Household Reports Of Energy Assistance Receipt Increased 48 Percent During Recession: Proposed Cuts Threaten Vulnerable Families, Jessica A. Bean

Carsey Publications

This brief examines heating assistance usage and the implications of President Obama's 2012 budget proposal to cut $2.5 billion from the $5.1 billion energy assistance fund for low-income families at a time when families are struggling with higher energy costs amid a difficult economy. The federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) assists vulnerable families in paying their home heating and cooling bills. Nationwide, from the winter of 2006/2007 to the winter of 2009/2010, there was a 48 percent increase in households receiving energy assistance. This growth appears to have accelerated with the recession, particularly in the rural Northeast and …

Climate Change: Partisanship, Understanding, And Public Opinion, Lawrence C. Hamilton

Carsey Publications

In 2010, Carsey Institute researchers began including three new questions about climate change on a series of regional surveys. They asked how much people understand about the issue of global warming or climate change; whether they think that most scientists agree that climate change is happening now as a result of human activities; and what they believe personally about the topic. Survey results show that while large majorities agree that climate change is happening now, they split on whether this is attributed mainly to human or natural causes. Brief author Lawrence Hamilton concludes that most people gather information about climate …

Social Impact Of The Gulf Oil Disaster: Diverging Views From Communities In Florida And Louisiana, Jessica D. Ulrich

Carsey Publications

Carsey researchers surveyed over two thousand residents of the Gulf Coast following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in 2010 to analyze their perception of the spill. Nearly one-half of all Gulf Coast residents perceived damage to the environment and wildlife as the most serious result of the oil spill. Perceptions regarding the impact of the spill reflect the different relationships to the oil economy in the two states--”Floridians are most concerned about effects on tourism and Louisianans on the fishing and oil industries. Louisianans were more than twice as likely as Floridians to think that their state and …

Education In Chronically Poor Rural Areas Lags Across Generations, Jessica D. Ulrich

Carsey Publications

As part of the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) initiative, the Carsey Institute has been investigating broad trends between rural community types, including the education level of residents and their parents. Since 2007, Carsey researchers have conducted over 17,000 telephone surveys with randomly selected adult Americans from twelve diverse rural locations to ask about both their own and their parents’ educational attainment, as well as their perceptions of school quality in their communities. Survey results conclude that educational achievement varies significantly by type of place in rural America. In chronically poor rural areas, 45 percent of residents have …

Civil Protective Orders Effective In Stopping Or Reducing Partner Violence: Challenges Remain In Rural Areas With Access And Enforcement, T. K. Logan, Robert Walker

Carsey Publications

Civil protective orders are a low cost, effective solution in either stopping or significantly reducing partner violence for women. While all women benefit from civil protective orders, this brief finds there are greater obstacles to enforcement in rural places, which result in less benefit for rural than urban women. The authors suggest that policies and services should be tailored to address community-specific barriers and differences such as hours of access, time it takes to obtain or serve an order, and access to information about the process.

Environmental, Economic, And Social Changes In Rural America Visible In Survey Data And Satellite Images, Joel N. Hartter, Chris R. Colocousis

Carsey Publications

This brief focuses on the changing landscapes of different types of rural America where social, economic, and ecological changes are occurring over large areas: the Northern Forest, Central Appalachia, and the Pacific Northwest. These three study sites embody varying historical reliance on land and natural resources and represent very different socioeconomic dynamics. Their common and unique challenges are explored, along with the far-reaching implications of land-cover change in their areas. Data used includes both telephone surveys and satellite imagery to illustrate the unique changes seen in rural America in recent years. (Please note that it is best to print this …

Enduring Ties To Community And Nature: Charting An Alternative Future For Southeast Alaska, Jessica D. Ulrich, Thomas G. Safford

Carsey Publications

Like much of rural America, Southeast Alaska is confronting the social implications of both population declines and the downturn in natural resource-based industries. Although many residents have chosen to leave Alaska in the last decade, the majority have stayed. Strong social cohesion and intimate ties to the natural amenities of the region are what sustain rural Alaskans. It is these connections to people and place that may ultimately enable residents to create renewed and more resilient Alaskan communities. Examining the challenges faced by Southeast Alaska, this brief discusses ways to encourage community groups and governmental agencies to work collaboratively to …

How Far Would You Drive For Fresh Food? How Some Rural New Hampshire Residents Navigate A Dismal Food Landscape, Jennifer J. Esala

Carsey Publications

Lack of access to food stores with healthy and affordable food is one of the central obstacles to eradicating hunger in America. Approximately 23.5 million Americans live more than a mile from a supermarket, which makes accessing healthy food more challenging. Among low income populations, especially those with young children and limited transportation, this distance can severely limit access to affordable and healthy foods. This brief reports the challenges that eighteen rural New Hampshire mothers face to secure healthy, affordable, and quality foods and suggests ways to help address these challenges.

No Place Like Home: Place And Community Identity Among North Country Youth, Genevieve R. Cox, Corinna J. Tucker

Carsey Publications

This brief explores the link between rural youths’ identification with their community, their self-esteem, and their future plans. The panel study of New Hampshire’s Coos County youth offers a snapshot into the dynamics of a population that is developing its identity in a region that is undergoing an identity transformation of its own. Place identity may be influential in how individuals think of themselves and their futures, particularly for youth in the process of forming an identity. The study reveals the importance of developing community programs and activities for youth that create social ties to form a positive identification with …

Grand Facts: State Fact Sheets For Grandparents And Other Relatives Raising Children, American Association Of Retired Persons, Brookdale Foundation Group, Casey Family Programs, Child Welfare League Of America, Children's Defense Fund (U.S.), Generations United

Manchester Research Group

Statistics about children and grandparents living in New Hampshire and the services available to them for raising children.

County Of Belknap, New Hampshire 2010 Report O The Belknap County Commissioners For The Year Ending December 31, 2010., Belknap County Representatives

Belknap County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a county in the state of New Hampshire.

Report Of The County Commissioners, County Treasurer And Other Officers Of Cheshire County, New Hampshire For The Year Ending December 31, 2010., Cheshire County Representatives

Cheshire County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a county in the state of New Hampshire.

Updated Trends In Child Maltreatment, 2010., David Finkelhor, Lisa M. Jones, Anne M. Shattuck

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Even in the midst of continuing difficult economic times, 2010 national statistics showed no increase in child maltreatment. Overall substantiated child maltreatment actually declined 1% from 2009 to 2010, including a 3% decline in sexual abuse and a 2% decline in physical abuse. Child maltreatment fatalities also declined 8%, but some known administrative changes af‐ fected the rates.

The Mental Health Needs Of Children Exposed To Violence In Their Homes, Jane G. Stapleton, Kimberly G. Phillips, Mary M. Moynihan, Desiree R. Wiesen-Martin, Abbie L. Beaulieu

White Papers and Other PIRC reports

No abstract provided.

Preschool Teachers' Beliefs And Practices: Emergent Literacy In Inclusive Preschools, Leigh Rohde

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines preschool teachers' beliefs and practices related to emergent literacy learning for both children who are typically developing as well as those with identified disabilities. The sixty-eight teachers who worked in preschool programs that enrolled children with and without disabilities were asked to indicate levels of agreement with belief statements about emergent literacy, children with disabilities, and instruction. They were also asked to indicate what specific emergent literacy learning strategies and activities (if any) they used in their classrooms.

A new model of emergent literacy skills and understandings is used as a framework, indicating specific components of emergent …

The Foster Parent Experience Of Attachment, Taylor Cohen

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study explores the attachment experience of foster parents. The researcher used a qualitative research framework to explore what 10 foster parents experienced in regards to attachment with their foster children. Based on the data and content analysis, a foster parent ecology emerged showing that the foster parent/child attachment relationship is affected by doctors, therapists, social workers, case workers, other foster parents, and the biological parents. The temporary nature of foster care and the goal of reunification of child to biological parent also affected the attachment relationship between foster parent and foster child.

More Than One In Ten American Households Relies On Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits, Jessica A. Bean, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is one of the most responsive federal programs to economic downturns, as evidence by the increases in SNAP use between 2007 and 2009. Nationally, more than one in ten households relies on SNAP benefits, and the rate is even higher in rural areas, with more than 13 percent of households reporting use. This brief examines the trends in SNAP use across the United States since the recession began in 2007 and considers the impact of legislation in the Congress on those who rely on SNAP to make ends meet.

Hard Times Made Harder: Struggling Caregivers And Child Neglect, Wendy A. Walsh

Carsey Publications

Poverty is only one of many challenges tied to a report of child neglect. The analysis in this brief finds that neglected children whose caregivers struggle with substance abuse and mental health problems are at significant risk for out-of-home placement. Risk factors for out-of-home placement for neglected children are discussed, as well as a multifaceted approach to services to prevent neglect and out-of-home placement.

The Unequal Distribution Of Child Poverty: Highest Rates Among Young Blacks And Children Of Single Mothers In Rural America, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Jessica A. Bean

Carsey Publications

Measuring by race, place, and family, this brief highlights poverty rates for two rural groups--young black children and children of single mothers--who each face rates around 50%.