USDA Food and Nutrition Service: FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR CHILDREN

Free summer meals (breakfast, lunch, or snacks) will be served to children in low-income areas at sites such as neighborhood parks, libraries, schools, places of worship, mobile buses, and recreation centers. To find free summer meals near you, call the toll-free National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or visit www.whyhunger.org/findfood. If you work for an organization that serves low-income children, you can learn more about addressing childhood hunger when school is out by watching the Summer Food training videos. Learn more about the summer meals program. You can also get childhood nutrition e-mail updates from the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

Application Deadline Extended for New Youth in Custody Certificate Program

Application Deadline Extended for New Youth in Custody Certificate Program The Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG Justice Center) and the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute have extended the application period for CJJR’s inaugural Youth in Custody Certificate Program. CJJR is partnering with the CSG Justice Center, the Missouri Department of Social Services' Division of Youth Services, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's National Center for Youth in Custody to offer this professional development opportunity, which is designed to help juvenile justice system leaders improve outcomes for youth in custody. Advances in research have revealed much about how to best serve youth in the juvenile justice system. For example, research shows that low- and moderate-risk youth are best served in the community in non-residential placements, which produce better outcomes at lower costs. For higher-risk youth who require residential placements, facilities should be safe and operate according to best practices that include family engagement, use a treatment-oriented approach, promote non-residential program options, and engage other youth agencies. To ensure youth are served in a manner that promotes positive outcomes, jurisdictions must develop a strong assessment system, a robust continuum of effective services, and aftercare processes. This is particularly necessary for the highest-risk population of juvenile offenders. Most efforts to date have focused on ensuring that low- and moderate-risk youth are not placed in juvenile justice facilities. Less attention has been paid to best practices for serving high-risk youth who are in the custody of the juvenile justice system. And while research has shown the juvenile justice field “what works” for this population, it is often difficult for juvenile justice systems to reform accordingly. Although the Youth in Custody Certificate Program stresses the need for a continuum of services and placements throughout the juvenile justice system, the curriculum focuses on youth in post-adjudication custody. The program offers leaders the opportunity to develop capacity, effectuate change, and sustain and build on system improvements over time. Upon completing the coursework, participants will design a capstone project —a plan of action to be implemented within their organization or community that fosters collaboration among stakeholders and improves outcomes for youth in the custody of the juvenile justice system. Once faculty evaluates and approves the capstone projects, Georgetown University awards participants an Executive Certificate and offers technical assistance to implement the projects. In addition, alumni of the program become part of the CJJR Fellows Network. The Youth in Custody Certificate Program will be held from Monday, August 19, to Friday, August 23, 2013, at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Applications were originally due by April 23, 2013; however, the deadline has been extended. The new deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. (in the applicant's local time zone) on Friday, May 17, 2013. For more information about the Youth in Custody Certificate Program, click here.

Keeping your Disability Benefits While you work.

ESRO - Benefits! How to Keep Disability Benefits While You Work When Thursday May 16, 2013 from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM EDT    Where Eastern Shore Regional Office Eastern Shore Regional Office Driving Directions Most people with disabilities want to work, but worry they'll lose cash and medical benefits they depend on for survival. Fear of losing benefits is the greatest obstacle to employment for people with disabilities. Believe it or not, people really CAN work and keep essential benefits, using special rules known as "work incentives." The Eastern Regional Office welcomes Michael Dalto!!!! May 16, 2013 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Eastern Shore Regional Office (926 Snow Hill Road, Bldg. #100, Salisbury, MD) Get more information Register Now! I can't make it Please contact me with any questions or special requests: andrea.jones@maryland.gov    Sincerely,    Andrea Jones Andrea Jones