Celebrating the Holidays with Many Voices EM

Transcription

Action Ailiance for Children
3200 Adeline Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
Non-Profit Organization
U.S.
Postage
PAiD
Berkeley, CA
Permit #1474
The newspaper for people committed to children and a quality future.
Since 1973
Volume XIV Number 6
Winter 1987
Celebrating the Holidays with Many Voices
By Gabriel Friedman
ach year around mid-Decem
ber, a strange mood descends
on the United States. It’s called
the “holiday spirit.” It generally refers
to the huge volume of buying, selling,
parading, and caroling centered
around the birth of Jesus. With Santa
Claus stationed at every major depart
ment store, a wreath hanging from
ever tinseled lamppost, it sometimes
seems as though the whole country
is celebrating this one event with one
voice.
Not so. While Christmas is certainly
the most apparent and glittering holi
day to occur in December, America is
too diverse a country for it tobe the
only one. Amst ml bt the maj reli
gions, and some of the “minor” ones,
celebrate a holiday during this season.
Theyjust don’t happen to involve twq
story floats and animated TV. spe
cials, and so are less obvious.
For Japanese Buddhists, who cornprise about half of the JapaneseAmerican population, according to
the Reverend Ken Tanaka, the holi
day is the celebration of the New Year.
“The centerpiece of the celebration is
the New Year’s Day Feast. The women
of each household are supposed to
prepare live days in advance. At least
Steinmetz of Berkeley, whose husband
converted to Buddhism from Judaism.
“I try to accept all my invitations, even
if it’s just for 15 minutes or so, instead
of saying “I’m too busy.” Etsuko’s own
house often overflows with 100 or
E
more guests.
‘
,
in Japan; things have changed in
America,” says Tanaka. On this day,
the cuisine is strictly Japanese—
octopus, Fish, sushi, sake—and the
host’s house is, or should be, packed.
“This is the one time you can make
up for not seeing your friends and
relatives during the year,” says Etsuko
Supreme Court Considers
Minors’ Rights in Four Key Cases
By Elizabeth Boyd
arion is sixteen, pregnant and
terrified. With the help of her
friends, she manages to gain
access to a service that offers her coun
seling. She meets with the counselor
to explore and understand her op
tions. She can have the baby, give it
up for adoption or have an abortion.
But if she lives in California or Il
linois, two of the 22 states with paren
tal-notification laws on the books, she
would know that choosing an abortion
would also mean telling her parents
beforehand, a prospect sh’e could fear
more than the pregnancy itself.
Even though Marion’s particular
case is not real, the familiar predica
ment illustrates just one of several
critical cases currently before the Su
preme Court of the Uuied States con
cerning the rights ajnl privileges of
children and young people. The deci
sions the Court makes will echo be-
M
yond the specifics of each case as the
Justices consider how we, as a society,
choose to view and treat our young
people—as children in need of guid
ance and protection, oras near-adults,
capable of making their own decisions
and responsible for their own actions.
Their conclusions may set the tone of
juvenile law in this country for the
next few decades.
There are four cases directly per
taining to young people that the
Court will hear before the year’s end:
Illinois’
parental-notification
law
which would place conditions on ado
lescents’ access to abortions; Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, which concerns
the rights of teenagers to a free stu
dent press; a New Jersey law, which
would allow a moment of silence for
private reflection in public schools;
and Thompson v. Oklahoma, which
will decide whether the death penalty
is permissible for people who were
under age 18 when they committed
their crimes.
Hartigan v. Zbaraz involves an ap
peal to a 1983 lower court decision
ruling that states could not require
pregnant girls seeking abortions to
notify both their parents and wait an
additional 24 hours before the abor
tion. The appellate court found that
this law placed an undue burden on
young women, even though those
who felt they could not discuss the
issue with their parents could go be
fore a judge to seek permission.
Much of the controversy surround
ing these so-called “parental-notifica
tion” or “parental consent” laws cen
ters on the debate between pro-choice
and anti-abortion forces, but there is
a more Fundamental question at the
root of the issue: do teenaged women
continued on page 10
-
In traditional Buckihist homes, Tan
aka says, the feast lasts for clays. Before
celebrating the new year, however,
amends must be made for the old one.
By December 31st, debts are supposed
to be settled, and the house thoroughly
cleaned. Debts of gratitude are in—
clucled, says Thnaka; elders are cx—
pectecl to favor children with
Otoshiclania’—srnall gifts of cash
wrapped in paper, in thanks for the
respect the voting have given them
I hroughout the year The custom has
been mostly lost in America; however,
Japanese-American children ai-e more
likely to i-eceive new clothes.
Several days before New Year’s,
family groups get together to pound
out Mochitsuku (rice cakes), using a
wooden mallet and a rock bowl, both
of which are made by the families
themselves. “There are some com
panies now that mass-produce the
howls and rnallets,” Etsuko says with
some scorn, “But most families still
use their own.” The making of the
cakes, besides being traditional, is also
an excuse to invite friends over and
drink sake. “Everyone’s involved at
the Mochitsuku parties—children, old
people, friends. There’s a real sense
of doing something together,” says
Tanaka.
Early on the first morning of the
New Year, most Buddhists attend a
temple service at which the 108 sins
identified by their religion are driven
out through the striking of a large bell.
The bell is struck once for each sin,
among which are hate, greed, and
anger—”The things Buddhists try to
overcome,” says Tanaka. “We go into
a lot more detail than Christians.”
continued on page 6
-
INSIDE
Tax War on Poor
Children
Special Multi-Cultural
Calendar
Coming Up
Black History Month
Book Reviews
Puppy Love
School Lunch Update
3
7
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2
Winter 1987/CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE
Children’s
ADVOE
COMMENTARY
Daphne Muse
Executive Editor
Elizabeth Boyd
Assistant Editor
Deborah Ehrens,Joyce King, Ph.D.,
Herb Kohl, Nola Hadley, Jack
Hailey, Sylvia Isabel, and Harvey
Pressman
Contributing Editors
Carlos Briceno, Gabriel Friedman,
Robert Graizda
Contributing Writers
Dara Efroii
Administrative Assistant
Circulation Coordinator
Ellen Felker
Advertising Director
Chris Orr
Layout & Design
Carmen Gillis
Kim Wright Violich
Sari Francisco Junior League
Logo Art
Kiintthi Asante
Distribution
Pam Elliott
Staff Accountant
Ellen Ritchie
Development & Volunteer
Coordinator
Barry Kau I man, Ph.D. (President)
Ellen Beilock, Esq.
Francie Kendall, Ph.D.
McKinley Williams
Board of Directors
Arthur Brunwasser
Legal Counsel
Robert Cox,
McCutcben, Doyle, Brown &
Enersen
Audit Counsel
Jim Bedingez, CPA
Bedinger & Associates
Children c Advocate is published bi
monthly by Action Alliance for Children,
a non-profit organization. Support for
this publication comes in part from a
grant from the state Department of Edu
cation/Child Development Division.
However, the opinions expressed herein
do not necessarily reflect those of the
California State Department of Edu
cation.
Oiildrenc Ath’ocale welcomes letters, arti
cles, photographs and artwork. We are
not responsible for the return of unso
licited material. Howevei if you include
a self-addressed, stamped envelope,
your materials will be returned.
Teaching Children
to Give
By Daphne Muse
year Roberta and Charles
spent $1500 on a Christmas that
was guaranteed to bring abun
cast
dant happiness and joy to their ten
year old son, Joseph. After a week,
Joseph grew bored with many of the
toys and several found their way to
the land of broken, not worth the ef
fort of repairing, toys.
From his parents Joseph got three
new programs for his computei a
Porsche 911 Turbo charged model car
costing $120.00, a pair of Nike shoes,
two jogging suits, an assortment of
games and a few books.
His grandparents, on both sides,
and several cousins and other relatives
from across the country, showered
him as they have done for the past
ten years with scores of presents.
“Some were never played with more
than once,” notes Roberta with a pen
sive blush of embarrassment.
At a time when more and more par
ents are trying to demonstrate their
power through material compensa
tion to their children, Joseph is not
especially unique. Every Christmas,
the toy, clothing and game industries
benefit tremendously from the efforts
of parents to pmvide material plea
sure to their children.
When I asked Roberta what Joseph
gave her or his grandparents, a visible
lump formed in her throat. “We gave
him $80 to buy gifts for his grandpa
rents, but he came home with some
kind of super gadget toy for his best
friend Enrico and no change from the
$80,” she says, throwing her hands up
in the air.
In much the same way that we
adults have become conspicuous con
sumers, we are teaching our children
to become the same. We figure our
hugs, kisses and creative time spent
with them are not valuable. We think
that only material things can serve as
an “index” for how much we really
care.
My experience as a parent, teacher
and long-time observer of children is
that if you don’t teach them how to
give, it is not something most children
will do on their own. We’re dealing
with a generation of upwardly mobile,
middle class, working class and out
and out poor children who have been
weaned on designer labels, conspicu
ous consumption and crash courses
on how to spend your parents’ entire
paycheck on tennis shoes.
When I asked several colleagues
and friends how they were teaching
their children to give of themselves, I
was startled by the number who were
at a loss or whojust simply hadn’t got
ten around to doing so. But one par
ent told me she started with each one
of her children from the time they are
four or five and gives them money to
buy presents for friends and family
members and teaches theiri to make
things that their relatives, friends and
neighbors would enjoy as well.
“My husband and I both make very
good salaries;’ notes Susan Clift a
Chicago educational consultant. “But
I want my children to know that the
world does not center solely around
them and giving is essential to their
development as well-rounded people.
And besides, I just feel it’s the right
thing to do.”
There’s a special kind of joy that
comes with giving. Giving can be a
sign of healthy self-esteem and em
powerment. It also enables the giver
to focus on other than self. And it truly
is an essential part of a child’s devel
opment.
Remember, along with a few de
lightful and wonderful surprises
you’ll have under the Christmas tree
or next to the Kwanzaa bush, one of
the greatest gifts in the world you
could give your children is to teach
them how to give with sincere inten
tion and creative generosity.
Suggestions for
Encouraging Your
Children To Be Givers
• Get your children to team up with
a group of friends to volunteer a des
ignated number of hours in commu
nity soup kitchen
• Have your children design coupons
or gift certificates for a specific senior
citizens home, hospice or hospital that
stipulates he/she will donate a given
number of hours, over the next year,
to read stories to or write letters for
the residents
• Encourage them to make musical,
stoyy or poetry tapes for blind people,
people in prison or terminally ill
children
• Get the children to make a series of
drawings that can be used as. posters
to announce eventsat their school,
place of worship, or community center
• Bake cookies and other goodies to
take to shelters for the homeless or
battered women’s shelters
• Send a friend or relative postage
stamps to ensure you will hear from
them during the year
• Make up your own gift certificates
that can be redeemed by friends, rel
atives or neighbors for a designated
number of hours assisting them with
babysitting, cleaning or just keeping
them company
• Have your children plant seeds and
trees or donate money to a conserva
tion society so they can help replenish
the beauty of the earth
Childrenc Advocate assumes no liability
for products or services
By Daphne Muse
The Inner Circle, a story of teenage
friendship and the AIDS crisis, will
begin its live theater tour in San Juan
Puerto Rico on November 16th.
San Francisco’s nationally heralded
New Conservatory Children’s Thea
tre Company brings its cast of four
teens to Puerto Rico at a time when
AIDS virus infection among youth on
the island is increasing dramatically.
Written by award-winning play
wright Patricia Loughrey, The Inner
Circle represents the only dramatic
work in the nation dealing with the
issues of AIDS awareness for young
people. The Inner Circle is an innova
tive educational entertainment that
brings to life the AIDS dangers facing
our youth in a realistic drama that
touches both the heart and mind.
The New Conservatory Children’s
Theatre Company will present 12 per
formances in San Juan, Puerto Rico
to be followed by a Northern Califor
nia Tour in early 1988. An extended
U.S. tour of the Inner Circle is
planned for the summer of 1988 with
an expected national educational
video tape release set for distribution
in the American public/private school
system during the fall of 1988.
The play upholds the mandate set
forth by U.S. Surgeon General C.
Everett Koop that asserts that AIDS
education for children is a priority
that must be addressed before the epi
demic moves even deeper into their
population.
The Inner Circle is now available
for additional bookings. For more in
formation contact The New Conser
vatory 25 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA
94102 or call (415) 861-4914.
Kudos
I was pleased to read your May-June
issue that included information about
our magazine. Thank you. I tho
roughly enjoy your publication and
often find it thought-provoking and
well-researched.
—Randa Roen Nachbar
Editor
Day Care & Early Education
Errata
In the September/October 1987
“from Sacramento” column, we mad
vertantly reported the entire state
budget ($40.5 billion) as the budget
for child care. As we went to press
with this issue, we were still unable to
ascertain a precise figure. The correct
figure will appear in the January/Feb
ruary 1988 issue.
3
Ending the Federal Tax War
on Poor Children
By Robert L. Gnaizda
any Americans have ap
plauded the Tax Reform Act
of 1986 for providing substan
tial benefits to the poor. Under the
new act, a family of four at the poverty
level will receive a tax cut of over
$1000. But this merely returns us to
the pre-Reagan tax level of 1979 and
avoids the more fundamental ques
tion of why the poor and near-poor
are taxed at all.
Historically, our income tax was in
tended to apply 0111)’ to the wealthy.
The original 1917 income tax applied
to the upper two percent of families,
and the Social Security tax, when it
was initiated in 1937, applied to only
one-half of one percent of the popu
lation. Even during the Truman era,
the poor and near-poor were not
taxed at all, except for a very modest
Social Security tax of one percent.
But why does our nation tax the
families of poor children and ignore
the benefits a Pro-Poor Children Tax
Policy could bring? Or put another
way, why does our nation offer billions
M
Why does our nation
offer billions ofdollars
a year to farmers for
not growing crops
while failing to offer
comparable incentives
to families forgrowing
healthy children?
of dollars a year to farmers for not
growing crops while failing to offer
comparable incentives to families for
growing health)’ children? Or, why
should our nation permit its children
to go hungry while providing $166
billion a year in military subsidies to
affluent NATO allies such as West
Germany, which has used that subsidy
to ensure that no German child go
hungry?
If fully implemented, a Pro-Poor
Children Tax Policy could remove at
least 80 percent, or 20 of 25 million
children from poverty or near-poverty,
largely by raising the income of these
families by as much as 70 percent.
A Pro-Poor Children Tax Policy is
as necessary to the American future
as the pro-elderly Social Security pol
icy begun in the Lyndon Johnson era,
which reduced the percentage of poor
elderly to less than one-in-ten.
Unfortunately, partly as a result of
that Social Security system which has
taxed the income of the poor while
Robert Gnaizda is founder and partner at
Public Advocates, Inc., a non-profit
public interest law firm that focuses on the
needs and rights ofminorities and the poom
Gnaizda is national tax counsel to the
League of United Li-tin American
Citizens, aformer althsey for the United
Slates Department of the Treasu,y and
former chief Deputy Secretamy for Health
and Welfare for the state of Caqfornia.
largely excluding the income of the
wealthy, we have failed to reduce pov
erty among working families with chil
dren. But, reducing poverty among
the elderly and the working poor is
not necessarily incompatible.
As we will see, three basic changes
in the present system could go a long
way in lifting the poor from poverty:
first, convert the dependency tax de
duction to a $600 refundable credit;
second, modify the Earned income
Tax Credit so that it increases with the
size of the family; and third, exempt
poor heads of households from the
employee’s share of Social Security
Tax. The overall cost of these three
changes could be met by a less than
20 percent cutback in military sub
sidies to our affluent allies.
What’s Wrong With the
Tax Reform Act?
In 1988, most wealthy families will
secure a tax deduction of almost
$2,000 per child. For wealthy families
taxed at a 28 percent rate, this deduc
tion is worth almost $600 per child.
For modest income families whose tax
rate is 15 percent, deductions for each
child are worth about $300. For the
working poo1 who owe no taxes, the
tax deduction could be worth abso
lutely zero.
As a result of this pro-wealthy bias,
an upper income couple, with three
children, earning $150,000 a year
could receive a tax subsidy of over
$60,000 over the 22 years that their
children are claimed as dependents.
A poor family could receive nothing
in tax benefits.
This can be changed. The depen
dent deduction (as well as the personal
exemption deduction) could be trans
formed into a credit that is full)’ re
fundable, regardless of the amount of
tax due. The credits should be 30 per
cent of the tax deduction or $600 per
child. The credit should be phased out
as income increases so that families
with incomes exceeding three times
the median family income receive no
subsidies.
This pro-child policy would provide
as much as $3,000 per year in addi
tional income to a poor couple with
three children, and over $60,000 IH
cash over the course of their children’s
period of dependency.
The Earned Income Tax
Credit Is Inadequate
The Federal Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) was intended to help
low-income families who work. In
1988, it is supposed to provide lowincome families with a refundable
credit of up to almost $900. However,
this credit is reduced by ten percent
for each dollar earned above $9,780,
even where the family income is sub
stantially below the poverty level. It
also fails to take into account the size
of the family.
Although this earned income credit
is supposed to be a gift to the working
poor, it is hardly that. A poverty-level
family earning $12,000 is presently
forced to contribute more than twice
as much in Social Security tax pay
ments as it receives from the earned
income credit.
A Pro-Children Tax policy would set
a far higher income threshold before
the earned income credit is phased out
and would provide credits that in
crease with the size of the family.
Tax Policy Discourages
Welfare Families From
Working
The current tax policy mindlessly
discourages welfare families from
working. The earned income tax
credit is a perfect illustration of coun
terproductive tax policies:
1. A family on welfare is totally pro
hibited from receiving the earned in
come tax credit if one-half or more of
the child support comes from welfare
benefits, thereby penalizing workers,
particularly mothers working parttime or for minimum wage.
2. Even in the few cases where a
welfare family is eligible for the
earned income tax credit, the credit
is automatically deducted from wel
fare benefits since it is, incorrectly,
treated as income.
3. The earned income tax credit is
considered income for the purposes
of determining food stamp eligibility
unless the family waives the right to
receive the credit on a weekly or
monthly basis.
4. The earned income credit is
treated as income in order to disqual
ify families from subsidized rents.
Should the family qualify for subsidi
zation, the credit is treated as income,
which raises the rent.
The Social Security Tax
Harms The Working Poor
The young working poor will not
benefit from the 15 percent social se
curity contribution the)’ make. By the
time they retire, there will be an in
sufficient number of workers to pro
vide adequate benefits. This does not
mean that we should abandon Social
Security, but it does mean that we
should re-examine whether these
taxes should be imposed on the work
ing poor while the earned income of
the wealthy is virtually exempt.
In 1988, none of the earnings of the
wealthy above $45,000 will be taxed
for the purposes of Social Security.
Thus, someone earning $600,000 per
year will have over 90 percent of his
income exempt from social security
taxes. On the other hand, all income
of th working poor will be fully taxed.
Perhaps it would be more produc
tive to partially or wholly exempt the
working poor with children from So
cial Security tax while extending it to
all earned income, even if that income
is a million dollars or more.
Such a shift, from taxing the poor
to taxing the wealthy, would save a
poverty level family with two children
$900 per year It would also raise an
additional $30 billion per year to add
to the coffers and would easily exceed
4 Winter 1987/CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE
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5953 Doyle St. Emeryville 655-1265
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ED(JCA11ONAL SERVICES
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OUR CHRISTMAS SALE
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Classes:
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Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri.,
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Monthly Family Class Sun. 11:00-12. Call for more information.
Oakland-Piedmont
Jewish Community Center
3245 Sheffield Ave., Oakland
533-9222
Try our Kindergym parties: call Dawn
WINDING DOWN THE YEAR
As 1987 comes to a close, we
can look back on a few positive
signs. The Concurrent Budget Res
olution for FY 1988, approved by
Congress in June, gave high prior
ity to programs for children and
families, and allowed increases in
spending for health care, pre
school, elementary and secondary
education, and job training pro
grams. Two bills in particular, HR
1018, the Infant Mortality Amend
ment of 1987 and HR 5, an omni
bus education bill, seem slated for
success.
The Infant Mortality Amend
ment of 1987, sponsored by Henry
Waxman (D-California), would re
quire states to provide Medicaid
coverage for all children under 8
years of age if the child’s family has
an income that falls below the state
level under the Aid to Families with
Dependent Children Program
(AFDC). The legislation would also
allow states to cover pregnant
women and infants rjth family in
comes up to 185% of poverty level.
The omnibus education bill,
which has been sent to the full Sen
ate for consideration, would
reauthorize a long list of programs,
including bilingual education,
magnet school assistance and com
pensatory education for schools
with large numbers of disadvan
taged children, and would create
new programs to aid rural educa
tion and encourage innovative
school improvements.
The $18 million proposal for
school improvements would award
grants to school districts and state
agencies to help support ideas for
improving precollegiate education.
The $10 million rural education
proposal would create 10 regional
centers to aid and train rural school
districts, particularly those in areas
of high poverty.
FAMILY EARNINGS GROW
The Department of Labor recently
announced that families with em
ployed members rose by nearly 1.1
million, and family earnings grew
to an average of $572 per week, a
6.2 percent increase over last year’s
earnings.
The Labor Department also re
ports that there are 40,000 fewer
families with unemployed mem
bers; 71 percent of families have at
least one employed member.
But one Labor Department fig
ure is especially significant—in the
31.9 million families with children
under 18, three-fifths of the moth
ers were employed outside the
home, about one million more than
last year. And, nearly half of the
increase occurred among mothers
with preschool-age children.
Some notable year-end legislative
efforts would help those working.
mothers by increasing the federal
government’s role in child care. In
particular, the Act for Better Child
Care, scheduled to be introduced
on November 19 in the Senate by
Christopher Dodd (CN) and John
Chafee (RI) and in the House by
Dale Kildee (MI), would provide
new funds to make child care more
affordable for low income and
moderate income families and in-
II
IIUlIlfl
ii
F1
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r;VL
crease the accessibility of quality
child care for all families.
THE LEGACY OF 1987... Much
of the legacy of 1987 remains hang
ing in the balance as the details of
next year’s budget are battled out.
Whether family programs will re
ceive additional funds or be cut
back should be decided in the final
weeks of the year. The following
editorial, reprinted from the New
York Times, points to several cru
cial programs anxiously awaiting
the President’s final decisions:
The President and the
Children
Children are a nation’s greatest
future resource; that’s why Amer
ica is heading for trouble. In the
next 12 weeks, President Reagan
will either seize—or forfeit—his
last chance to do something about
It.
At this moment, his Office of
Management and Budget is con
structing the 1989 Federal budget,
for his last full year in office. The
usual strains of budget-making are
intensified by merciless pressure to
cut the deficit, notably the present
struggle to bring the 1988 budget
within Gramm-Rudman’s manda
tory targets. Temptation is strong
to cut back everywhere, on the
theory that All Must Share the Bur
den. Yes. But not the children.
Many American children, and
the number is rising, need help,
especially in early childhood. More
than 20 percent of children are now
growing up poor; in 1970 it was 15
percent. The nation has developed
programs that work to prevent or
ameliorate poverty’s worst effects.
A new consensus is coalescing
around early childhood health and
education; people are coming to
recognize that insuring a fair
chance for every child saves futures
and also millions, in increased pro
ductivity, decreased crime and de
pendence.
The judgement Mr. Reagan pas
ses on five programs especially will
do much to establish how he is re
membered when today’s toddlers
become adults.
WIC
Women-Infants-Chi1dren). By providing supplemental
food to those at nutritional risk, this
program helps reduce infant mor
tality and increases birthweight. It
has the greatest effect on pregnant
women: every dollar spent on the
prenatal component saves three in
5
Laurie F. Bochner, M.S., CCC-Sp/L
FROM
SACRAMENTO
Licensed Speech & Language Pathologist
Credentialed Learning Disabilities Specialist
SPEECH, LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SERVICES
of the East Bay
By Elizabeth Boyd
WINDING DOWN THE YEAR
1987 brought several significant
changes that will affect children
and families, despite the restric
tions on state spending imposed by
the Gann limitations. The State Tax
Reform Act, enacted to bring state
tax laws into compliance with the
Federal Tax Reform Act of 1986, is
the most wide-reaching and should
give most people a break by re
ducing taxes for most low and
moderate-income families. It also
increases the state child care tax
credit to 30 percent of the federal
credit, regardless of income level.
So, under the new law, a family
earning less than $20,000 will re
ceive a tax credit three times larger
than last year’s; for those earning
more than $20,000, the increase
will be six-fold.
Homeless families can also look
forward to a break in 1988 as a new
law now entitles them to receive up
to $30 per day, on a vendor-voucher
basis, for up to four weeks of tem
porary housing. The law, passed
under AB 1733 and sponsored by
Phil Isenberg (D-Sacramento), also
requires county welfare depart
ments to provide last month’s rent
and utilities deposits within one day
to homeless families who find per
manent housing.
THE GOOD NEWS & THE BAD
NEWS
As the 1987 legislative
session came to a close, dozens
of billscrossedr Governor Deuk
mejian’s desk. Under a new law
sponsored by Art Agnos (D-San
Francisco), expedited food stamps
must now be available in three
rather than five days. Other supple
mental food programs didn’t fare
so well. In particular, a bill au
thorizing the Department of Hu
man Services to spend additional
funds to make available all federal
monies for the Women-Infants—
Children food program was vetoed
by the governor. In 1986, only 31.1
percent of the California women
and children who were eligible to
receive WIC supplements actually
did receive them, according to Chil
dren’s Defense Fund. Nationwide,
only 40.4 percent of those eligible
are actually served. The funds, pro
vided in this bill, would have signifi
cantly increased the number of
Californians served by the WIC
program.
Preschoolers with mild dis
abilities were winners of state edu
cation funds. The governor signed
into law a bill requiring that early
education opportunities be avail
able to all children aged three to
five who need special education.
AB 2666, sponsored by Tom Han
nigan (D-Fairfield), gives $25 mil
lion for special services in Head
Start programs, public and private
preschool programs, child care
centers and private homes. The law
also requires a teacher/student
ratio of 1:5 for severely disabled
children.
Another law (AB 226) requires
the Department of Human Services
to monitor school health programs,
like immunization, vision and hear
ing screening anf.tlisability pre
vention progranis. to ensure that
students’ health needs tare being
...
Assessment and Remediation of Learning Disabilities
and Communication Disorders
2034 Blake St. at Shattuck
• Berkeley, 848-0754
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wheelchair accessible
adequately met. And some public
libraries will offer special literacy
programs for children in families
with reading difficulties. SB 482,
sponsored by David Roberti (D
Hollywood), gives $400,000 to pub
lic libraries around the state to set
up Families for Literacy programs.
An additional $50,000 will go to
ward developing new library ser
vices for children and youth.
But overall, education bore the
brunt of the state’s tight pursestrings. A bill to reactivate and
extend special programs, like Bilin
gual Education, Native American
Indian Education, Miller-Unruh
Reading Program, School Im
provement Program, Economic
Impact Aid, Special Education and
Gifted and Talented Program, was
vetoed by the governor, along with
a bill that would have appropriated
$54 million to restore money for
these categorical education funds.
Other special programs were de
nied funds as well. Senator Gary
Hart’s (D-Santa Barbara) bill to re
quire AIDS education for all stu
dent grades 7-12 was vetoed, as was
a bill to give another $5 million in
state funds and $10 million in fed
eral matching funds to create a
comprehensive Drug and Alcohol
Abuse prevention Education Pro
gram for children in grades K-12.
On the child care front, the re
sults were not much brighter as the
governor refused to allow any addi
tional funds to expand existing pro
grams. Consequently, at least a
dozen child care bills were vetoed
or dropped. The main expansion
bill, AB 2138, sponsored by Domi
nic Cortese (D-San Jose), would
have given $4.8 million to expand
child care programs, with $1.75
million going to infant care, $2
million for alternative payment
programs ($500,000 of that to be
reserved for participants in the
Adolescent Family Life Program),
$1 million for SAPID, and $75,000
for a new Teen parent Education
and Child Care Pilot Program.
The governor did approve Max
ine Waters’ (D-Los Angeles) bill to
give special funding priority to pro
grams serving GAIN participants
so they can establish child care
facilities in or near public housing
projects or in areas with many
AFDC recipients. And he agreed to
establish a Senate Task Force on
Child Care to look into the feasibil
ity of program to fund child care
through employee/employer con
tributions, much like the state un—
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6
By Carlos Briceno
s a kid, I remember being embar
rassed by my mother’s Spanish
accent, a trait that represented
the old world, which I was trying to
avoid. Sometimes it was difficult to un
derstand mother’s English, especially
when she got excited and started pep
pering her sentences with Spanish.
While growing up, I vowed to learn
English so well that I wouldn’t sound
like the stereotyped Hispanics I saw
all the time in the movies or on TV.
My parents wanted me to learn Eng
lish also, though for different reasons.
When my eldest sister was born, my
parents spoke only Spanish to her. By
the time she entered school, she knew
so little English that she had to repeat
the first grade. My parents didn’t want
to make the same mistake twice, so
they spoke less Spanish to Rose, the
next child, and even less to me, the
youngest.
That’s not to say they completely
abandoned the language. My mother
speaks Spanish to me most of the time,
and I understand everything she says.
But I’m not fluent enough to answer
her every time; I can string together
A
Celebrating
continued from poge 1
ot all year—end celebrations are
as ancient as Buddhism, which
pre-dates Christianity by about
as many years as the latter has been
around. Kwanzaa, a seven-day holi
day observed by over 10 million black
Americans, was initiated only twentyone years ago. A KiSwahili word
which means “first fruits of the har
vest,” Kwanzaa was put together in
1966 by Di: Mauluana “Ron” Karenga
as a non—religious alternative to what
he saw as the degrading commercial
ism of Christmas.
Each day is organized around one
of several principles: unity, selfdetermination, collective work and re
sponsibility, cooperative economics,
purpose, creativity, and faith. “If the
day’s principle is work, say, we’ll all
go over to a friend’s house and study.
Or if it’s creativity, we’ll get together
and cook something,” says Songa, a
Bronx, New York native who braids
hair using African techniques. “And
every day everyone brings some food:
potato salad, sweet potato pie.”
Karenga recognized the impor
tance of gifts and included in Kwanzaa
the practice of exchanging them. But
one of the really important things
about Kwanzaa gifts is that they are
all to be made instead of bought.
“When you get home from your job,
you get to work on a little wool Rasta
cap for your cousin, or a little beer-can
steel drum for your daughter:’ Songa
says. Gifts are given to children out
side one’s immediate family, so em
phasis is put on creativity and re
sourcefulness. “And if you have a
large family or friends with a lot of
children, you’re wise to start making
gifts a few days after Kwanzaa is over,”
notes Songa.
Kwanzaa begins as Christmas ends,
on December 26, and runs until
January 1st. As with Buddhism, New
N
a few sentences with no difficulty, but
then I start to hesitate, searching for
the right words, and when I don’t find
them I fall back on English.
I could have practiced my Spanish
in school. I’ve gotten A’s in most of
the Spanish courses I took in high
school and college, but I never really
studied the language like I should
have. Now I realize that I was terribly
wrong. I had the best Spanish teachers
in the world in my parents, but I re
fused to allow them to teach me while
I was growing up. I was taking my
heritage for granted.
My situation parallels that of many
other first-generation Americans. We
are often caught between two worlds
—the old one of our parents and the
new one, America. In my case, I
wanted to be so American that I forgot
I ws Hispanic.
I’ve come to realize that I was too
self-conscious about my ethnicity. Part
of the reason is that I grew up in
neighborhoods that had few, if any,
Latinos. In school, it was the same. I
felt terribly alone at times, sur
rounded by kids with names like Fred,
Larry, and Greg. Those were ordinary
names, American nanies, names that
Year’s day is a feast day, when family
and friends come together for cultural
celebrations. According to Kwanzaa by
Cedric McLestei; the day should in
clude a program of dance, poetry and
singing, as well as a recitation of the
names of family elders, dead and liv
ing. This last practice has its origins
in the African celebration of the 12
days of Christmas during which new
born members of the community file
past the village elders while the chil
dren’s names are read to them, living
proof of the elders’ iirlportance to the
community.
Much of the decoration used in
Kwanzaa is also of African origin. McLester suggests placing a straw mat in
the center of the home, on which is
lain fruit and ears of corn represent
ing the number of children in the
household. Amadi, who describes
himself as an “artist, a craftsman, and
a businessman,” creates an African
atmosphere” during Kwanzaa by
playing traditional music, hanging Af
rican robes and weavings around the
house, burning incense and doing Af
rican dances. He invites as many
friends to these celebrations as his
house will hold. Amadi recounts “In
Africa, we have tribes that believe in
the principles of Kwanzaa. In the
United States there are no tribes, so
we have to form our own communi
ties—Kwanzaa is a way to do that.”
For those with neither a temple nor
a community at hand, the holiday sea
son means making do with some com
promise, some invention. If this were
Afghanistan, Abdullah and Bobbi
Kudfia and their two young daughters
would be at the market choosing a
lamb to slaughter about this time.
Lambs are cheap in Kabul, Bobbi says,
and as part of the Muslim holiday of
“Eed” each family would slaughter
one (saying “allo agbar”—praise
god—as
didn’t stick out as much as I thought
mine did. That’s why everybody knew
me by my nickname—Chuck.
Nobody knew my real name until I
told them. I used to dread roll call at
the beginning of the school semesters.
The teacher would call out my name,
and I felt as if all the eyes in the class
room were staring at me. I would im
mediately tell the teacher to call me
by my nickname, and that would solve
the problem I thought.
The first time I consciously decided
to use my real name, on a consistent
basis, was during my third year in col
lege. I was working for the school
newspaper, using my nickname in the
byline, when I realized that all my life
I had been ashamed to be classified
as a Hispanic. I changed my byline to
Carlos.
I realized that pride came from
knowing who you are, and for many
years I hadn’t known—until then.
Another reason for returning to using
my real name was my fathet: I have
the same first name as him, but I
wasn’t carrying it around with as
much pride as he was. I thought it
would be an insult if I continued to
let my name appear in print as Chuck.
If Carlos was good enough for him,
then it was good enough for me.
Only after going away to college
and maturing a bit did I realize that
although I was born in America, a part
of me also belongs to Cuba and Mex
ico, the birthplaces of my mother and
father. I’m proud to be an American,
but I’m also pi-sud to be Hispanic. I
now acceptbfh, as opposed to ac
cepting only one.
I often wonder if my children will
have the same feelings about their
heritage while they are growing up.
I’ll tell them that they are part His
panic, and that they should be proud
of that fact. I will remind them that
their last name is not Jones or Smith
but Briceno. I will tell them that their
father may have been unsure of his
heritage when he was younger, but
that they shouldn’t be: some of their
blood comes from Mexico, Cuba and
Spain. And some comes from
America.
I went with my parents to Miami
recently to visit relatives, most of
whom weren’t born in the states. No
body spoke English to me except for
my cousins, who were educated here.
Other than talking to them, I didn’t
speak much. Instead I observed and
listened, enjoying the rapid fire spout
ing of Spanish and the strong sense
of family that united us all.
I decided then that I would speak
more Spanish at home so I wouldn’t
appear to be such a gringo the next
time around. And when my parents
and I left at the end of the visit, I was
sad to be leaving a place that so much
resembled a foreign country. I was sad
because Miami had felt so much like
home.
Car/os Briceno, 22, works as a reporter in
Pa/rn Harbor, Florida.
©PacfIc News Service
7
The Children’s Advocate
Right-On Rainbow
Multi-cultural Calendar
HOLIDAYS, rituals
and celebrations are im
portant to us all. They
signify major historical
milestones related to cul
ture, education, spiritual
ity and the arts. With that
in mind, we have designed
a calendar that we hope
truly reflects the diversity
of this nation.
We look forward to
including this calendar as
a yearly feature and ex
panding its scope each
year as well. You can play
a major role in that expan
sion by submitting dates
and celebrations that we
may have overlooked.
Hopefully, this will be
+as exciting and useful to
all ofyou as it was for us
to design!
Holidays &
Celebrations
to Remember
JANUARY 1988’
Birth Defects Prevention
Month
New Year’s Day
1
Martin Luther King,
15
Jr.’s Birthday
Martin Luther King
18
Day observed
FEBRUARY•
National Children’s Dental
Health Month
Black History Month
Poet Langstön
1
Hughes born in
1902
2
Groundhog Day
Lincoln’s Birthday
12
Valentine’s Day
14
President’s Day
15
Mardi Gras.
16
Chinese New Year
17
(Year of the Dragon
4686)
Ash Wednesday
17
Washingtn’s
22
Birthday
•JUNE’
•MARCH’
Women’s History Month
Purim
3
World Day of Prayer
4
8
International
Women’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day
17
Vernal Equinox
20
World Day of Poetry
21
and Childhood
**
**
5
14
14
14
19
19
21
School Closes
Graduation Ends
World Environment
Day
Flag Day
Childrens Day
Green Corn Dance
(Seminole)
Juneteenth
Father’s Day
Summer Solstice
‘JULY’
4
15
24
Independence Day
Public Schools for
Blacks open in 1822
in Philadelphia
EidulAdha*
• AUGUST’
-‘7
‘-I
4
6
14
‘APRIL’
National Child Abuse
Prevention Month
April Fool’s Day
1
Good Friday
1
International Chil
2
dren’s Book Day
Passover
2
Easter Sunday
3
World Health Day
7
Eastern Orthodox
8
Holy Friday
Eastern Orthodox
10
Easter
10-16 National Week of the
Young Child
Ramadan Begins*
18
16
31
I
• OCTOBER.
National Headstart Aware
ness Month
Universal Children’s
3
Day
Child Health Day
6
Columbus Day
10
Dia de Ia Raza
12
12-21 National School
Lunch Week
United Nations Day
24
Halloween
31
National UNICEF Day
31
Corn Dance (Pueblo)
PeaceDay:Anniver
sary of Hiroshima
Muharram: Islamic
New Year
Snake Dance (Hopi)
School Begins in
Some Areas
r
NOVEMBER•
All Saints Day
Election Day
Veteran’s Day
American Education
Week
16-22 Children’s Book Week
Thanksgiving
24
1
8
11
15-21
SEPTEMBER.
•MAY•
**
1-7
3-10
5
5
8
8
17
25
25
30
Graduation Begins
National Teacher
Appreciation Week
Asian Pacific American
Heritage Week
Cinco de Mayo
Korean Children’s Day
Mother’s Day
World Red Cross Day
EidulFitr*
National Missing
Children’s Day
African Freedom Day
Memorial Day
Sunrise Dance
(Apache)
Labor Day
5
International Literacy
8
Day
9-13 Rosh Hashanah
11
Grandparents Day
13-19 National Hispanic
Week
Citizenship Day
17
20
International Day of
Peace
Yom Kippur
21
Autumnal Equinox
22
First Day of Sukkot
26
Native American Day
26
2-5
DECEMBER’
4-11
10
21
24
25
26-1/1
31
Hanukkah
Human Rights Day
Winter Solstice
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Kwanzaa
New Year’s Eve
**Dates Vary
These are Islamic high holy days
and the dates provided may vary
based on the position ofthe moon.
*
—Compiled by Elizabeth
Boyd, Nola Hadley, and
Daphne Muse.
I
8 Winter 1987/CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE
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Send contributions to:
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(415)949-3390
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TheNewConservatory
d*1i Theafrecarparryandschxi
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For further information, call 861-4914
ti ++‘+‘H
COLLEGE AND CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
t
NEW WiNTER CLASSES
Pacific Oaks College Extension and MA Degree Outreach Program provides
a continuing series of course offerings for teachers, administrators and other
human services professionals. Our programs include evening and weekend
meeting dates, convenient locations, academic semester unit credits and
reasonable cost.
For more information and a free brochure,
phone Mike Marsh at 415/547-3529
or write to
Pacific Oaks College Extension
P.O. Box 20136, Oakland, CA 94620-0136
& lee”
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
1987 Tax Information
Beginning with the 1987 tax return,
the Internal Revenue Service requires
that all dependents, five years of age
and over, must have social security
numbers in order to be claimed on
your return. For more information
contact your IRS office or social secur
ity office.
Explanation of the Tax Reform Act of
1986 for Individuals is availabLe from
the IRS to help explain the new tax
laws. The publication provides an
overview of the differences between
the old and new laws and how the new
law effects dependents. To order Pub
lication 920 (August 1987), call toll-free
1-800-424-FORM (3676) for forms
and publications only. Direct any
questions to your IRS office.
Divorce Info
Family Court Services of the Super
ior Court of Alameda County offers
free informational workshops for per
Sons in the process of separation or
divorce. Call (415) 670-6350 for times,
dates and location.
Infant Car Seats
The Passenger Safety Project, of the
Alameda County Social Services
Agency, sponsors an infant car seat
loaner program for babies born at
Highland Hospital. Seats can be
rented for $15 with $12 refunded
when returned nine months later. For
information, call Rudy Glover or
Linda Cherry at (415) 769-6122.
Preschool Classes
The Berkeley Unified School District
offers preschool classes for 3- and 4year-old children. The classes are free
for low-income families and school
bus transportation for children and
participating parents is available. Call
(415) 644-6339 for more information.
proranhs
Art and Disabilities
/MOSJ\
the
i,erkee1
d haJe
OUsreme
‘yOU
a \me
-
Sign-up Now!
PROGRAM INCLUDES
Preschool Gym & Swim 3.5 months to 5 years
Youth Gymnastics, Ballet, Modern Dance & Swimming 5 to 17 years
Youth Recreation Gym & Swim 3.5 months to 13 years, ongoing
Family Gym & Swim 3.5 months to 13 years, ongoing
Youth Swim Club 7 to 12 years
Teen Challenge 12 to 14 years
Call— 848-6800 for more information
or come to 2001 Allston Way, Berkeley
Creative Growth Art Center provides
creative art programs, educational
and independent living training,
counseling and vocational oppor
tunities for adults who are physically,
mentally and emotionally disabled.
Creative Growth also provides ser
vices to teachers, caregivers, families
and therapists who work in the field
of art and disabilities. For more infor
mation, contact the Creative Growth
Art Center, 355 24th Street, Oakland
or phone (415) 836-2340.
Work/Study Grants
East Bay Association for the Educa
Lion ofthe Young Child has small grants
available to students preparing for or
working in the field of early child
hood. Contact EBAEYC at 43100 Isle
Royal Street, Fremont, CA 94538 for
guidelines and details.
Publications
Berkeley Public Schools: A Guidefor
Parents, profiles each of Berkeley’s 16
public schools to aid parents who are
choosing a school. The 100-page
guide, available in early November,
summarizes test scores, curricula,
programs for gifted, handicapped
and other special groups of children,
district policies, school finances and
parents’ roles in the schools. Pub
lished by the League of Women Voters
of Berkeley, the guide will sell for
$3.95 and will be available at Avenue,
Ben Franklin, Cody’s and Gray’s
Books and Pooh Corner Toys in Ber
keley and BANANAS Child Care Re
ferral. Copies are also available at the
League offices, 1836 University Ave.,
Berkeley.
Helping parents prepare for the
parent-teacher conference is the focus
of a new video cassette and compan
ion brochure, produced by the Na
tional PTA and the National Education
Association. The il-minute video tape
and accompanying brochure are de
signed to help both parents and
teachers have more productive con
frences. The video follows a parent
through a meeting with her child’s
teacher, highlighting what parents
should expect from teachers and of
fering advice on how to make confer
ences productive for both parties.
Single copies of the brochure can be
obtained by sending a stamped, selfaddressed legal-size envelope to Free
Publications, National PTA, 700 N.
Rush St., Chicago, IL, 60611. For in
formation on the video, call the Na
tional PTA at (312) 787- 0977.
Wages and Working Conditions Sur
vey of Child Care Programs, the first
survey of wages and working condi
tions among child care programs in
Southern Alameda County, has been
completed by the Child Care Em
ployee Project. The survey reveals
that the average hourly wage for
teachers in Southern Alameda
County is just over $6.00 and that
there is an alarmingly high turnover
rate for staff —57% annually for
teachers and 43% for assistants. The
survey report also documents the con
ditions characterizing child care work
and outlines some critical implications
for children and families. The report
is available for $1.50 (includes post
age) from CCEP, P0. Box 5603, Ber
keley, CA 94705.
Homeless Info
The Berkeley Homeless Information
Line is a 24-hour telephone line pro
viding a recorded message of current
information about homeless programs
in Berkeley. The Homeless In for
mation line lets callers know about
shelters, food, multi-service centers,
drop-in counseling and other pro
grams in Berkeley. Information on the
location of services, hours of opera
tion, costs and phone numbers is also
provided. The Homeless Information
Line telephone number is (415) 6448716. For additional information, con
tact Steve Paskowitz at (415) 644-6080.
Christmas Caroling
City of Oakland Office of Parks and
Recreation offers one-half hour carol
ing rides aboard the Merritt Queen
for individuals and small groups,
days or evenings, from December 4
through December 24. Reservations
will be taken beginning November 16,
weekdays 9-4. Wheelchair access is
available. Call 444-3807 for informa
tion and reservations.
Story Time
Berkeley Public Library’s South
Branch is offering a new story time
and
songs
stories,
featuring
h.
Englis
and
h
Spanis
in
lays
fingerp
The half-hour programs are tailored
for preschoolers, age 3 and older. The
whole family is welcome to attend and
widen its language skills. Story times
are held each Wednesday at 10:30 at
1901 Russell Street (corner of Martin
Luther King Way). For more informa
tion, call the branch at (415) 644-6860.
continued on page
9
Spin! Swing! Soar!
On Low-Flying
Trapezes!
CALENDAR
1987
—
United Nations Year of the
Sanduary for the Homeless &
The Year of the Reader
DECEMBER
December 1: The San Francisco Depart
ment of Health will conduct a special
hearing to assess the health needs of
children anil youth. For further in for
mation, contact Gayle Orr, Chair/Ma
ternal Child Adolescent Board (415)
558-3684.
December 4-6: Frontiers and Front
Lines: A Decade of Strengthening Infants,
Thddlers and their Families Through Re
search and Practice, The National Cen
ter for Clinical Infant Programs Fifth
Biennial National Training Institute,
will take place at the Marriott Hotel
in Washington, D.C. Continuing edu
cation credit is available for nurses,
physicians, and psychologists. For
more information contact Eileen Pow
ell, Conference Coordinator, NCCI P,
733 15th Street, N. W., Suite 912,
Washington, D.C., 20005 or (202)
347-0308.
December 4-5: Youth at Risk: AIDS: Ed
ucation, Prevention and Policy, a confer
ence exploring teenagers and AIDS
and AIDS policy directions for 1988,
will be held at the Ramada Inn, Old
Town, San Diego, California. For
more information, contact Western
States Youth Services Network, 1722
J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 or
(916) 447-7164.
December 6-29: Celebrate the Celebra
tions II. In conjunction with the holi
day season, Berkeley Public library is
sponsoring a series of storytelling and
songfest events. For more informa
tion, contact The Friends of the Ber
keley Public Library (415) 644-6783.
• JANUARY 1988
January 11-15: The Foster Care Profes
sional: Confronting the Challenge, of the
80’s, sponsored by the National Insti
tute for Alternative Care Profession
als, the American Youth Work Center,
and Eastern Michigan University, will
take place in St. Petersburg, Florida.
For information, contact Bill Treanor
at (202) 785-0764 or Jim Kale at (419)
227-8837.
• FEBRUARY
February 12-14: Volunteer-Staff Leader
War Resisters League/West provides
information on the effects of war toys
on children, their friends and family
to parents and other concerned
people. For information on their on
going activities, contact David Freed
man, War Resisters League/West, 942
Market Street, Room 705, San Fran
cisco, Ca 94102 or call (415) 433-6676.
Native Amerkañ Myths
For
many geiiet’ations, Native
storytellers have watched
American
Dates
and
Times:
Mon., Jan. 25—March 7
4:45-5:45
Sat., Jan. 30—March 5
1:30-2:30
2 :40-3 :40
(6 week session)
Ages: 6-10 years
Cost: $48
Coed Classes
Limited Class Size
Based on the
motivity
technique
created by
Master Teacher
Terry Sendgraff
February 19-20: Ca%fornia School-Age
Child Care and Recreation Conference,
1988, will be held at Chabot College
in Hayward. Contact the California
School-Age Consortium, 2269 Chest
nut St., Suite 117, San Francisco, CA
94123 for more information.
5953 boyle St. Emeryville
_655-1 265
February 29-March 3: National PTA
Legislative Conference. PTA leaders
from around the country and Europe
will meet in Washington D.C. to dis
cuss legislative issues of concern to the
association and will have an opportu
nity to hear from and interact with
key legislators and policy makers. For
more information, call Tan Marshall
(312) 787-0977.
We otter:
APRIL
April 13: Who Cares for the Children?
The State of Child Care in America is a
PBS special that will air in conjunction
with “Child Care Theme Week on
Public Television” and NAEYC’s
“Week of the Young Child.” Check
your local PBS affiliate for the sched
uled time of this show.
The Children’s Advocate Calendar pre
sents listings of conferences and workshops
sponsored by community groups, schools,
and non-profit agencies that are focused
on children, youth, andfamily, orfor work
ers in related fieldLc. If you would like to
see your event listed, send a coiry of your
press release to the attention ofthe assistant
editor.
—Compiled by Daphne Muse
and Elizabeth Boyd
publications
curriculum workshops
staff inservice training
program management services
fiscal management services
technical assistance
CHILD CARE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
March 6-12: Parents and Youth: Facing
the Pressure, the National PTA’s obser
vance of Drug and Alcohol Awareness
Week. Planning kits are available.
Contact Marita Craven, (312) 7870977 for details.
March 24-27: The Magic of Young Chil
dren, the 39th annual conference of
the Southern Association on Children
Under Six, will be held at the Civic
Center/Ramada Hotel in Birmingham,
Alabama. For details and registration
information, contact SACUS, P.O.
Box 5403, Brady Station, Little Rock,
Arkansas 72215 or phone (501) 2276404.
•
•
•
•
•
•
• MARCH
8
Effects of War Toys
Integrating dance, movement,
gymnastics and trapeze skills.
Building on strength,flexibility
and balance.
ship, a conference presented by the
National Mental Health Association,
will be held at the Hyatt Regency in
New Orleans, during the Mardi Gras
Celebration. For information, contact
the National Mental Health Associa
tion, 1021 Prince Street, Alexandria,
Virginia, 22314-2971.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
continued from page
9
11742 W. Pico Blvd., Suite 202, Los Angeles, CA 90064
(213) 477-2177
ICE SKATING
CLASSES
Special Adult Classes—Wednesday and Saturday mornings
Tiny Tots (ages 3 to 6)—Wednesday afternoons
& Saturday mornings
All other lessons—Choice of Tuesday through Saturday
Call for JANUARY CLASSES
For Further
Information Cell:
841-7349
(e.tw..n 3-5 p.m.)
GILL SKATING SCHOOL
Berkeley Iceland
2727 Milvia St., Berkeley
Member of I.S.I.A.
Adverlise
In The
Advocate
Classified Ads: $15 for 40 words or less; additional words .40 each.
the night sky and told tales of the stars
and the constellations. They Dance in
the Sky, Native American Star Myths,
is an exciting introduction to the skylore of the first Americans. Authors
Jean Guard Monroe and Ray A. Wil
liamson have gathered a fascinating
collection of Native American star
myths and in their commentary have
explained what these tales reveal of
the world view and culture of the
peoples who told them. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston,
Mass., in 1987, the book’s hardcover
list price is $12.95.
Display Ads: Call (415) 654-0535 for more informatiQn on rates and
regulations.
Payment must accompany all ads.
Children’s Advocate is an award-winning, bi-monthly publication with
a San Francisco Bay Area, statewide and national subscription-based
readership.
Established in 1974 as a non-profit parent and professional resource
and referral service, the organization has evolved into a media and in
formation service. The primary mission of the organization is to publish
a newspaper that provides comprehensive coverage of all the issues af
fecting children’s lives.
t
10
Supreme Court...
continued from
page 1
have the same right to choice and pri
vacy as adult women? The Supreme
Court, in the critical Roe v. Wade de
cision, placed abortion under the pro
tective wing of the Constitution for
adult women, but the Court has never
considered whether niinors are to be
guaranteed the same rights.
For parents of teenaged girls, the
issue of privacy is not so easily de
cided. “I wotilcln’t want my daughter
to haie an abortion, but if she did, I’d
want to know about it beforehand,”
says one San Francisco mother. “What
if somethig happened to her; what
if she started to bleed or something?
How can I help her if I don’t know
what she’s done?”
Some observers, like David Alois, of
the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of
California in Sacramento, see these
laws as “parents’ rights bills:’ assuring
that parents have control over their
children’s lives. “The argument is that
How A Case Gets to the
Supreme Court.
By Elizabeth Boyd
Not every legal dispute has
the potential of being settled
by the Supreme Court of the
United States. Both the federal
and the state courts have their
own systems, and the court of
origin usually determines which
path the case will take as it
moves through the appellate
procedure.
The United States Constitu
tion established the Supreme
Court and gave Congress the
power to create the lower fed
eral courts. In general, within
each state, the state constitution
is dominant, and statues, or
state laws, must not conflict
with that constitution. Cases in
volving questions about state
laws are heard in the state sys
tem, with the state supreme
court the final
-
parents should have control over their
children,” says Alois. “You’ll hear parems say, ‘My child needs my permis
sion to have her ears pierced, to take
an aspirin at school. How can she have
a surgical procedure like an abortion
without my permission?’”
But for many girls, involving one
or both parents is not a viable option,
and, says Alois, couching the issue in
terms of the family is not fair. “It is
good to have families involved, we’re
not against families, but the reality is
all families aren’t perfect and we have
to try to deal with that.”
The Supreme Court Justices have
held in the past that parents do not
have absolute veto power over their
daughters’ decisions—should they re
fuse to give permission for an abor
tion, she must be able to appeal to a
court for permission. But the Justices
have not specifically considered the
question from the perspective of mi
nors’ constitutional rights, and the ap
proach they take in deciding this case
should clear up the existing confusion
over the extent to which parents may
participate in their daughters’ de
cisions.
n Hazehvood v. Kuhlmeiei the
Court will decide if student re
porters have the same First
Amendment rights to a free press as
adults. The case stems from a 1983
dispute in Hazelwood, Missouri, near
St. Louis. Catherine Kuhlmeier, Leslie
Smart and Lee Ann Tippett were the
editors of their school papei the Spec
trum, when their principal, Robert
Reynolds, censored articles he consid
ered inappropriate. Without inform
ing the editors, he ordered the paper’s
adviser to delete a series of articles
dealing ‘ith teenage marriages, preg
nancy, runaways and the effects of di
vorce on children. Reynolds said the
material was unnecessary and too sen
sitive to be included in a school news
paper. He also said the stories, which
quoted unnamed sources, constituted
an invasion of the interviewed stu
dents’ privacy andmight be libelous.
In 1986, a court of appeals ruled
that the school paper is a public
forum, and the principal had violated
the students’ rights. But in other
‘cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has
ruled that students are not always
guaranteed the same civil rights as
adults—they forfeit some of their
rights as soon as they step foot on
school grounds, and the school be
comes, in effect, the parent.
Had this been a case involving adult
journalists, the stories could not have
been censored unless the stories were
deliberately false or libelous. The First
Amendment of the Constitution
guarantees that “Congress shall make
or abridg
no law.., prohibiting
ing the freedom of speech, or of the
press.. But the Supreme Court has
not decided if this also applies to the
student press. Mark Goodman, the
executive director of the Student Press
Law Center in Washington, D.C., has
called this case the most important
case in the history of the student press.
“Should the Court rule against the
students, they will be saying, ‘We think
the rights of the First Amendment are
rights that can be negated if they don’t
serve our purposes,” says Goodman.
“The First Amendment rights have
enjoyed more protection than any
I
..
.“
.
The Justices will
consider how we, as a
society, choose to treat
our young people
as children in need of
guidance and protec
tion, or as near-adults,
capable of making
their own decisions
and responsible for
their own actions.
—
other. The Court will be saying these
rights are not for students.”
Goodman, who was in the court
room when arguments in the Hazelwood case began in mid-October, says
he hears a loud message for young
people. “It was interesting and signifi
cant that Justice Scalia kept using the
example over and over again of a stu
dent paper advocating the use of
marijuana,” he says. “There’s a strong
presumption that students and young
people are irresponsible. That’s a
pretty powerful message.”
Some high school journalists see
this as a clear indication of how they
are viewed by the adult world—as
children who must be constantly
watched over by adults and not as
thinking, rational people who have
the right to a forum for their opinions.
“The school paper is the one place
where we can air our views, where our
voices can be heard:’ says one East
Bay high school senior. “To make us
have everything approved would be
to take away our voices.”
he moment of silence case will
add one more coal to the fire in
the debate over the appropri
ateness of prayer in public schools.
The Supreme Court will decide if a
1982 New Jersey law requiring public
schools to observe one minute of
silence daily “for quiet and private
contemplation and introspection” is
constitutional. Moment of silence
laws, in one form or another, have
been adopted in about 25 states, even
though the Supreme Court struck
down organized school prayer and
Bible-readings in the 1960s.
A Federal appeals court in 1982
ruled that the New Jersey law, even
though it did not actually specify
T
prayer, was unconstitutional because
its ultimate purpose was to accommo
date children who wanted to pray. In
1985, the Supreme Court struck down
an Alabama moment of silence law
because it was clearly intended to
encourage prayer (as opposed to in
trospection or day-dreaming), but ob
servers say the court may permit laws
that are sufficiently neutral in lan
guage.
Clearly, the most important deci
sion to be handed down by the Court
is that concerning the death penalty
for juveniles. The Court has avoided
the issue in the past, but some experts
in the area ofjuvenile justice say it is
time for the Supreme Court to take a
stand.
The case they will hear on Novem
ber 9 involves an appeal by William
Wayne Thompson, who was sentenced
to death for his part in a kidnapping
and murder in 1983. He was 15 at the
time. According to the National Coun
cil on Crime and Delinquency in San
Francisco, as ofJune 1987, there were
33 people on death row who were
under age 18 when they committed
their crimes—several were as young
as 15. There are 36 states with valid
death penalty laws—one-third have
no minimum age. In Montana, the
minimum age is 12. Since 1977, three
people have been executed for crimes
they committed as minors—two in
Texas, and one in South Carolina.
While public support for the death
penalty in general is growing, the con
sensus is that it is inappropriate to
execute minors. According to Loren
Warboys of the Youth Law Center in
San Francisco, one recent American
Bar Association poll estimated that 70
to 80 percent of Americans support
the death penalty for adults; con
versely, about 20 percent view the
death penalty as appropriate for mi
nors. The Supreme Court will take
public opinion into consideration to a
certain extent when the Thompson
case is considered, but says Warboys,
there are several ways the Court can
approach the issue.
“They could reason that there is
something particular about this case
that makes the death penalty unfair,
something procedural or technical:’
says Warboys. “Or they could reason
that there is something universal or
particular about juveniles—like age
or capacity to understand conse
quences—that makes the death pen
alty inappropriate.”
It is in this area that public opinion
would come into the equation as the
Tiny Tots
Cooperative
Childcare
2370 Grande Vista Place
535-1230
Oakland
Bay Area
Educational
Directory
Tiny Tots is a parent co-op nursery
school serving children ages 2-5 with
a 3 or 5 day morning program. Chil
dren in diapers cheerfully accepted!
We also offer flexible, extended day
care from 7:30-5:30. Located in a
large Victorian on a 3/4 acre site,
Tiny Tots has been in operation
since 1946. Please call for more
information.
CEDAR CREEK
MONTESSORI
DAY CARE
1470 Cedar St.
1600 Sacramento St.
Berkeley
525-3338
Cedar Creek Montessori Day Care is
a balanced full-day program for chil
dren 2.7 years until Kindergarten. The
morning Montessori program pro
vides a stimulating environment in
which children are challenged but
never pressured. After nap in The af
ternoon there is a Nature Study and
an Arts & Crafts program. Gymnastics
and music specialists come weekly.
There are 16 children per class with
two teachers. We are located in
North Berkeley.
DAISY
NURSERY
SCHOOL
5016 Daisy Street
Oakland
531-6426
Daisy serves children 18 months
to 5 years of age in 4 age groups.
Each group has its own room,
teacher and teaching assistant.
We pride ourselves on our warm,
relaxed atmosphere and attrac
tive in and outdoor environment
where learning through play is a
pleasure. We are open from 7:30
am. to 6 p.m. Part-time and
morning only programs are avail
able. The Director is a licensed
psychologist.
Supreme Court...
continued from page 10
Justices would likely look to the Eighth
Amendment, the “cruel and unusual
punishment” clause, says Warboys.
“They will consider whether it is
shocking to the sensibilities to execute
minors. These ‘community standards’
change—just as they have outlawed
stocks and whips as unreasonable
punishment, they may decide that the
death penalty for minors is shocking
to modern sensibilities:’ he says.
The third approach the Court could
take would turn the issue into one of
judicial control and how much power
should be left up to individual states’
standards. The key question facing
the Court as it considers whether the
execution of minors is “cruel and
unusual” punishment is that of re
habilitation. Opponents of the death
penalty as punishment argue that re
habilitation works for juveniles; pro
ponents say that certain crimes are so
vicious that they must be punished to
the full extent of the law, regardless
of age.
“I think the death penalty issue will
be shaded most on the extent to which
you can rehabilitate yoing murder
ers:’ says Ira Burnim, of the Chil
dren’s Defense Fund in Washington,
D.C. “The argument against the death
penalty is that they’rejust kids., they’re
not as mature and kids do vicious
things—surely murdering someone is
vicious—but even kids- who murder
can be rehabilitated. There’s no clear
path that says how they’ll be as adults,
and the literature strongly suggests
that appropriate intervention can
have a real impact.”
Underlying each of these cases is
the fundamental question of how to
view children in society. Historically,
we have seen children as vulnerable
and in need of protection. The basis
of the modern juvenile justice system
is rooted in the notion that children
must be cared for outside the adult
social service andjudicial systems. But
various reform movements through
out the past 50 years have moved chil
dren closer to the status of adults, as
the courts recognized that minors, too,
have certain due process rights in at
least some situations, like the right to
an attorney, to confront witnesses and
to be notified of charges.
Some observers say we are in the
process of moving away from the no
tion of minors as “mini-adults” with
adult-like rights. Several decisions in
the past decade have restored the
power of decision and control to par
ents or adult officials, restricting, in
some cases, even the right to due
process.
But as the Supreme Court considers
each of these cases, another question
emerges—one of coherence and con
sistency. “If we are moving toward the
position that children need decisions
made for them then that should lead
toward the position that it is inapprop
riate to punish children as adults:’ says
Warboys. But it unlikely that such
logic will play a large role in the dcci-
2446 McKinley Avenue
Berkeley
The Center for the Competent Child
1332 Parker Street
(415) 548-3420
Berkeley
841-7248
Walden School is an independent
alternative school for grades K-6
which has been providing quality
child-centered education in Berke
ley for 29 years. Language arts, social
studies, math, science, music, move
ment and art form an integrated cur
riculum designed to enhance each
child’s academic, social, creative
and physical growth. Our Minority
Outreach Scholarship Program im
plements our belief in the value of
a multi-ethnic community. Some
openings remain in the upper
grades.
CCC is a mainstreamed preschool
and developmental kindergarten. It
offers individualized and structured
learning experiences for children 2
to 6 years of age, in morning and
afternoon half-day classes. The pro
grams are designed to foster success
experiences and incorporate chil
dren with learning, communication
and behavior difficulties. Assessment
and planning is done by a multi
disciplinary team of childhood spe
cialists.
For further information,
please contact
AysheTalay, Ph.D., Executive Director
A non-profit community agency
discovery
house
FOCUS
CHILDREN’S
SCHOOL
diTh
1810 Hopkins
Berkeley
11
841-6836
Discovery House has a Montessori
oriented curriculum that includes
art, music, movement math, lan
guage arts, sensorial, cooking
and field trips. The purpose of Dis
covery House Pre-School is to fos
ter the growth of a well-rounded
child with a positive self-image.
We furnish an atmosphere in
which each child can develop
into an independent, responsi
ble, thinking and loving person.
The program is for ages 21/25
years. Pre-school 9 am—I p.m.
After school care 1-5 p.m.
sion, says Warboys, because the Court
rarely thinks in terms of a coherent
youth or juvenile philosophy, even
though its decisions translate into very
real politics.
Warboys suggests a slightly differ
ent approach to juvenile rights, one
that would place the burden of proof
on the party trying to restrict minors’
rights. That kind of approach, he says,
could make room for some semblance
of coherence in the ways of juvenile
law.
Alameda
(415) 865-0134
Focus Children’s School is a small
California state certified special
education school open to chil
dren 6 and up from any unified
school district. Children with se
vere learning difficulties, lan
guage delays and autism are
provided with a structured and
individualized program sup
ported by daily speech therapy,
art, music, sensory-motor skills,
and meaningful mainstream ac
tivities. Classroom size 4, teacherpupil ratio 1:2. Hours 9 a.m.—3 p.m.
“Instead of the child not having
rights to begin with, assume they
have full freedoms and place the bur
den of proof on those who want to
take away those rights,” he says. For
instance, in the case of the First
Amendment, if we are going to make
exceptions to it and say that children
cannot make certain kinds of state
ments, then those trying to take away
the rights should have to show why
that’s necessary. That could go a long
way in helping kids become adults.”
CLASSIFIED
SUPPORT GROUPS OFFERED for
Stepfamilies beginning in January
1988. New groups will begin in San
Francisco and Oakland and will be
held for 10 weeks, for adult members
of stepfamilies. Professional facilita
tors will conduct the groups. For more
information call 482-4171.
3650 Maple Ave., Oakland CA 94602.
SEX ED. BOOKS for parents. Send
$1 for details to: PARENT SIG
BOOKS, 2483 Emerson Suite 23,
Corona CA 91720.
WORK to end sexual abuse and as
sault against children and women. Get
the word out about available services
and help begin the healing process.
Paid positions in a supportive envi
ronment. Call Shivaun, 658-9048.
INTERNATIONAL MAGIC and
Pantomime troupe offers original
stage show that magically educates
and entertains children and families.
Specially designed holiday shows.
Workshops in magic also available.
Discounts for schools, libraries. Please
contact Jester Enterprises for further
details at 865-5378.
NEW!! THREE CROSS-CULTURAL
ALBUMS/TAPES for children by
Nancy Raven. Songs from all over the
world. Words and teaching aids md.
Preschool—6th
for
Appropriate
grade. C7040: Sky Bears, a Winter
Festival Coil. C7041, C7042: The
House We Live In, Vols. I & II, a Yearround Worldwide Coll. Records $10,
Tapes $9 ppd. Send to Lizard’s Rock,
KARATE FOR KIDS. Cuong Nhu
Karate develops concentration, dis
cipline, respect, confidence, coop
eration, coordination, self-defense,
flexibility, strength, stamina, overall
physical fitness—and FUN! Classes:
Mondays & Fridays, 1970 Chestnut,
5-6 p.m.; Mondays & Wednesdays,
1924 Cedar, 3: 15-4: 15 p.m. Berkeley.
$30/month. 526-3008.
1
_____
____________________________________________________________
_____
12
Tax War.
the loss of revenue from exempting
the working poor.
Tax
Benefits to Help End
Poverty Among Children
The chart below compares 1988
federal tax benefits with the Pro-Poor
Children proposals we have discussed
here. For a typical single parent with
three children, the changes tinder the
Pro—Poor Children Tax Policy would
be dramatic:
Poverty level families would have a
net gain of $4,000—5,000 a year, or
enough to lift virtually all of them out
of po’erty;
• Near-poor families would have a
gain of as much as $6,000, or enough
to lift them into the lower middle class.
The federal tax reforms of 1986 were
quite modest and failed to lift the poor
from poverty. Until those who are
Comparison
and
Between
Pro-Poor
most adversely affected by these antipoor children policies are both en
raged and emboldened to take action,
our nation will continue to wage a tax
war on poor children.
Although some of these tax propos
als have a substantial price tag, the
aggregate cost is substantially less
than 20 percent of our nation’s $166
billion per year defense contribution
to our affluent NATO allies. But tiar
row financial considerations should
not be the basis for change. Larger,
more basic moral and ethical issues
are at stake.
The Pro-Poor Chilclren Tax Policies
suggested here would constitute a
powerful incentive br families to get
off welfare and enter our political, so
cial and economic mainstream. They
would also help remove 20 million
children from poverty. These changes
could secure for our children what
most western European nations have
given their children—lives of hope
and dignity.
Tax
Tax
Federal
Children
FROM
WASHINGTON, DC
short-term hospital costs. Now
funded at about $1.7 billion, it
serves less than half those eligible.
Prenatal Care. Several programs,
including a block grant for mater
nal and child health and Medicaid,
provide prenatal services to lowincome women. Investing one dol
lar in prenatal services saves $3.38
in the cost of care for low-birthrate
infants. Every dollar spent on
comprehensive prenatal care for
Medicaid recipients saves $2 in care
during a baby’s first year. Still, in
1985, nearly 25 percent of mothers
did not begin prenatal care in the
critical first trimester Congress has
approved an increase of $27 mil
lion in the maternal and child
health block grant. That could pro
vide complete prenatal care ser
vices to 40,000 more women.
Childhood Immunization. Each
dollar spent to imniunize young
children saves $10 in later medical
costs. Yet in 1985, one of four chil
dren between ages I and 4 was not
immunized for rubella, mumps,
polio or measles and 13 percent
lacked immunization for diphthe
ria, tetanus and pertussis. Congress
would increase funding by about
$20 million, enough to immunize
600,000 more youngsters.
Preschool Education. Enriched
Benefits
Benefits
(Example based on a single parent with 3 children.)
Earned
Income
Net Federal Pro-Poor Child
Tax 1988
Refunds
Net Gain
(Dollars)
S6,00()
$1 2.000
518.000
450
25()
2.220
4,320
5.030
6,360
(3,870)
(4,780)
(4.140)
Net Gain
(%)
42’7c
367
preschool prO’s increase later
school success. Head Start, the cele
brated Federal contribution to this
effort, is now funded at about $1.1
billion, enough to serve barely one
out of every five eligible children.
Congress contemplates an increase
that could cover 28,000 more
children.
Remedial Education.
Since
1965, the Federal Government has
provided remedial services to eclu
cationally disadvantaged children.
A year of such service costs about
$600. Compare that with the
$4,000 it costs taxpayers when a
child must repeat a grade. Con
gress would add about $350 million
for remedial education, targeting
most of it to the poorest students.
That could allow school districts to
serve another half-million students.
Big funding increases for child
welfare programs may be unrealis
tic at a time of huge deficits. But
the modest Congressional increases
approved so far are well within
Gramm- Rudman’s budgetary lim
its. They make progress toward 100
percent coverage of those eligible.
If the President cares about poor
children, he’ll do well to continue
these modest but steady gains.
These
investments
that
are
America cannot afford not to
make.
© 1987 by The Pzt’ York Times
J)a try. Reprin ted Iry penn 155/On.
Corn
Fror4
SACRAMENTO
continued from poge 5
TJ)ichce)
OLç
employment insurance rog1m
Finally, by signing AB 231, spon
sored by Bill Lancaster (R-Covina),
the governor agreed to authorize
the State Insurance Commissioner
to order the creation of ajoint un
derwriting association (J UA) for
any class of liability insurance. The
J UA would then appoint an acivis—
ory committee made up of mem—
hers of that class—a JUA for child
care would have an advisory com
mittee made tip of child care rep
resentatives.
catalogue $1
“The Montessori Shop”
“Cosmic Education” supplies for ages 0-16
at home and in school
beautiful books • musical instruments • art supplies
wooden toys • art posters • foreign language • globes
maps • cooperative games • infant gifts • dinosaurs
fossils • rocks • shells • puzzles • brooms • cookware
new treasures weekly
MICHAEL OLAF, 5817 College Avenue (Rockridge)
Oakland, California, 94618 (415) 655-7100
Benefits the ‘l-1elp the Children” Fund, Africa
Children’s Advocate
because you care about children.
Keep me informed.
Here is my check for:
Individual
(personal check & mailed to home address)
lYear
2 Years
(6 issues)
(12 issues)
$18
$34
Organization
$24
Subscribe now!
Mail my subscription to:
Name
Organization
$45
Address
Sample Copy
$
3
City
Children’s Advocate, 3200 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA 94703
State
415 654-0535
Zip
LOOKING AHEAD TO 1988...
Dozens of so-called “2-year bills”
will be carried over and considered
in 1988. In the upcoming months,
look for legislative activity on SB
604 (Rebecca Morgan, R-Menlo
Park) which would require an an
nual cost of living adjustment for
subsidized child care programs
equal to that received by K-12 edu
cation. The bill would also give an
$8 million appropriation for a 2.54
percent adjustment for subsidized
child care and state preschool pro
grams in 1987-88.
Democratic senator Robert Pres
ley’s School Reform Bill (SB 1677)
would give over $600 million for
education and would reform the
state’s teacher credentialling sys
tem. And AB 1617 (William Leo
nard, R-Redlands) would enact the
governor’s proposal to reduce the
size of 1st grade classes to a teacher!
student ratio of 1:22 by eliminating
and redirecting funds from four
programs: Gifted and Talented
Pupil Program, Native American
Indian Program, Educationally
Disadvantaged Youth Program and
the Miller-Unrah Reading Program.
(Thanks to On the Capital Door
step’s summaries of 1987 legislation.)

Celebrating the Holidays with Many Voices EM

Transcription

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