Carson City, NV – ChildSharing.com today reported sales of 3000 classes sold from September 2011 to February 2012, an increase of 30% over the previous six months. Year-to-date sales through February 2012 are outpacing last year’s sales at this time by 45 percent.

Leading the sales charge for the past six months is the launch of the new website, along with the addition of several new parenting classes including a comprehensive online Parenting Skills programs and an Anger Management program specific to Co-Parenting.

ChildSharing.com flagship programs, the 4, 6, 8 and 10 hour online co-parenting classes continue their strong charge with over 75 percent of total class sales.

“The flexibility, convenience and growing acceptance of online education is creating a new trend in how parents going through transition attend classes and earn their court mandated certificates. Today, over 650 counties across the United States are accepting ChildSharing.com online certification and the numbers continue to grow weekly. The ability for the…anytime, anywhere, for a lot of them is the difference between being able to go to complete the mandated program or not,” stated Lori LaVigne, Education Director for ChildSharing.com. “Online programs offer parents the flexibility to finish their classes at their own pace and this is something that most in person classes don’t offer. Hence, there are a number of parents who prefer the online programs to the regular brick-and-mortar classrooms, which leads to an increase in the number of enrollments for online programs.”

According to Babson Survey Research Group in their ninth annual report on the state of online learning in the U.S Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011 stated that in 2003, fifty-seven percent of academic leaders rated the learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to face. That number is now sixty-seven percent. To view the Babson Survey Research Group, Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, click here.

“The surge in consumer confidence and the launch of the new online classes combined to produce the strongest results since our inception in 2008,” said Michelle Muncy, Marketing Director, ChildSharing.com. “I fully expect the momentum for all of our programs to continue as we continue to offer new programs to the state and county agencies in the coming months.”

Founded in 2008, ChildSharing, Inc. is dedicated to better educating and supporting families. ChildSharing, Inc. works with experts across the country in an effort to properly educate families in transition. For more information on our experts, or for additional questions regarding ChildSharing, Inc., visit ChildSharing.com. (PRWEB)

FEMA, National Commission On Children And Disasters Announce New Partnership To Promote Fire Safety Awareness For Families

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (MMD Newswire) February 21, 2011 — With home fires on the rise in winter months, and a new study showing that young children are at an especially high risk of getting seriously injured or dying in residential fires, today the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Commission on Children and Disasters are announcing a new public awareness campaign to help keep children and families safer from the threat of home fires.

As part of this effort, FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration is releasing a new report on the risks fires pose to children. The report, which is based on the latest available data released by the National Center for Health Statistics, found that young children face the greatest – and a growing – risk of death or serious injury in home fires. As such, 52 percent of all child fire deaths in 2007 involved children under the age of four. This was a slight increase from the most recent study previously conducted in 2004. Click here for a copy of the report.

“When you take some time this week to practice and learn about proper fire safety for families, especially children, you are taking the initial steps toward protecting your household from the risks and dangers associated with fires,” said FEMA Region III Regional Administrator

Ms. MaryAnn Tierney. “Practicing proper fire safety will help you to empower yourself as well as your family to become household emergency managers.”

In addition, the report found that:

* Deaths from fires and burns were the second leading cause of accidental deaths not related to transportation, after drowning;

* Boys are at higher-risk of dying from fires than girls;

* Between 2006 and 2008, smoke alarms were not present in at least 23 percent of residential fires;

* African-American children are at an increased risk of fire deaths; and

* Low-income children are at greatest risk of exposure to home fires.

To help families protect their homes and loved ones – especially young children – from fires, FEMA, the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Commission on Children and Disasters are asking families to take simple steps now to prevent fires in their residences, and partnering with leading organizations across the fire, emergency medical services, public health and emergency management fields to get the message out.

To provide families with important tips about fire safety and lists of additional resources, FEMA is launching online and social media tools, including:

* An updated web page dedicated to children’s fire safety, including tips on how to prevent the two leading causes of fire during the winter months: cooking and heating;

* A widget that will link to this website and resources;

* A Facebook tab; and

* A dedicated Twitter hashtag to engage the public in a dialogue about how to protect kids from fires.

Among other things, these updated tools will offer tips for how to prevent the two leading causes of fires during the winter months: heating and cooking.

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UK (MMD Newswire) March 1, 2011 — A new £33.5 million project will follow 90,000 British children from birth to tell us more about the factors affecting the health and happiness of society, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts announced today.

In a speech given at the British Academy, David Willetts confirmed that the Birth Cohort Facility Project will bring together the UK’s leading portfolio of cohort studies starting in 1946, and includes a new birth cohort study starting in 2012. This will involve children and families from all backgrounds across the UK, and is nearly five times bigger than the previous study conducted in 2000.

For the first time in a study of this kind, a series of samples will be collected from parents and the child. This will reveal more than ever before about the complex interplay between social, economic, biological, environmental and health related experiences and conditions, and how they relate to problems later in life.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, said:

“This Government is committed to the long term – to making decisions today that will promote a better future: a more prosperous economy, and a fairer society. In order to tackle intergenerational social mobility, breaking the pattern of deprivation being passed from one generation to the next, we need to know more about long-term outcomes from birth. The Birth Cohort Study will improve the evidence base we need to make the right investments in our drive to break down the barriers to a fairer society.”

Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said:

“Birth cohort studies provide a unique insight into all the factors affecting people’s lives and are central to our understanding of child development. They produce powerful evidence that informs Government policy on a wide range of issues, including social mobility, inequality, education and public health.

“This is turn has positive economic impacts through changes in the delivery of public services, earlier diagnosis of diseases and improvements in quality of life.

“The 2012 study is the largest yet. This research will help us understand more about the needs of individuals than ever before, and ultimately strengthen the fabric of our society.”

Previous studies have provided groundbreaking research on the dangers of excessive drinking amongst young people, the consequences of teenage births for parents and their children and the role that child growth and development plays in cardiovascular disease and other health disorders.

The Birth Cohort Facility Project will create a UK centre of excellence, facilitating comparative analyses of data across previous studies, and helping illuminate how health and wellbeing have changed over time in line with society and lifestyles.

Notes to editors

1. The Birth Cohort Facility Project will receive £28.5 million from the Large Facilities Capital Fund, £3 million from the Economic and Social Research Council and £2 million from the Medical Research Council.

2. The ESRC and MRC are two of the seven UK Research Councils principally funded through the Government’s Science Budget which is administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Each year a total of around £2.5 billion is invested in research conducted at UK universities, Research Council Institutes, and in securing access to international facilities for UK researchers. Together the Research Councils cover the full spectrum of academic disciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering, social sciences, economics, and the arts and humanities.

3. The full speech is available online at http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/speeches/david-willetts-arts-humanities-social-sciences.

4. BIS’ online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.

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Provision Expands Safety Net against Childhood Hunger and Promotes Healthy Lifestyles

WASHINGTON, DC (MMD Newswire) March 2, 2011 — USDA today announced that children placed into the foster care system by a state or court are categorically eligible to receive free meals in all USDA child nutrition programs. The expansion of categorical eligibility to foster children is a component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 which President Obama signed into law December 13, 2010.

“Ensuring all children receive nutritious meals at school and through other child nutrition programs is a top priority for the Obama administration and a key step toward winning a healthy future for the next generation of Americans, ” said Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon. “Categorical eligibility is a vital tool to simplify and expedite enrolling eligible children in school meal programs.”

HHS’ Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF), which partnered with USDA in today’s announcement, administers grants for foster care, runs the federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and oversees state child welfare agencies. ACF stressed the importance of helping foster children and families have better access to school lunches.

“Ensuring foster children have access to healthy, balanced and nutritious meals without the burden of unnecessary eligibility paperwork shows our commitment in providing the best quality of life for many deserving children and their families,” said David A. Hansell, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families.

According to the most current AFCARS report, there were approximately 423,773 children in the U. S. in foster care on September 30, 2009. This new provision will help reduce administrative burdens on states, schools and those foster care families by certifying eligible foster children for free meals in the National School Lunch and other Child Nutrition Programs without the need for an application. The National School Lunch Program serves nearly 32 million children nutritious meals each school day and is a critical component of the national nutrition safety net that safeguards children against hunger.

“This is just one of many critical provisions in the recently passed Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that provide kids greater access to healthy food and a more healthful lifestyle,” said Concannon. “We look forward to working with our schools and our other essential partners across the country as we continue to implement this important Act.”

Improving child nutrition is the focal point of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act signed by President Obama in December 2010. The legislation authorizes USDA’S child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, Summer Food Service Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. The Act allows USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the chance to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children, and help a new generation win the future by having healthier lives. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the child nutrition programs. For implementation guidance relating to the Categorical Eligibility of Foster Children provision visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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SAN JUAN, PR (MMD Newswire) March 3, 2011 — Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials, the Puerto Rico Fire Department and the National Commission on Children and Disasters are announcing a new joint public awareness campaign to help keep children and families safer from the threat of home fires.

As part of this effort, FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration released a new report on the risks fires pose to children. It reveals that there is a growing risk of death or serious injury in home fires and young children are most vulnerable. Fifty two percent of all child fire deaths in 2007 involved children under the age of four, a slight increase from a 2004 study.

“Fires are one of the most common emergencies, but are preventable. FEMA encourages local residents and families to follow simple steps to avoid fires, such as doing fire drills at home and have a family emergency plan to help save lives and property,” said Alejandro De La Campa, FEMA’s Region II Caribbean Area Division Director.

Furthermore, Puerto Rico residents should take notice that according to the latest report, boys are at higher-risk of dying from fires than girls; and between 2006 and 2008, smoke alarms were not present in at least 23 percent of residential fires.

“Curiosity in children can cause fires. This is why, as parents, we have the responsibility to look after our children’s safety by keeping them away from fire risks. Do not allow them to play with candles, lighters, matches or pyrotechnic items. Also, keep them away from places with fire, such as grills, stoves, etc. Do not leave then by themselves or alone with other minors at home. Although it is FEMA and the PR Fire Department responsibility of warning about these risks and statistics regarding children’s deaths, it is also the responsibility of every parent or guardian of minors to look after their safety and keep a home free of fire risks”, said Carmen Rodríguez, Puerto Rico Fire Department Chief.

FEMA has launched online and social media tools at www.ready.gov/kidsfiresafety to give families key tips on fire safety and other resources. You can also join FEMA on Twitter by using the hashtag #kidsfiresafety or follow the agency on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.

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