By Regan Gray, Children First for Oregon

The Great Recession that led to an explosion in childhood poverty began in December 2007 and ended — officially — in June 2009. But it doesn’t seem that way for almost half of Oregon’s children.
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Teaming up with other parents can help ensure a fun and healthy break
By Oregon Partnership

Many area kids are counting the days until Spring Break. Excitement reigns. For parents, however, the reaction can be mixed.

Maybe Spring break means a reprieve from the typical busy week of homework and shuttling between school and activities, but for parents who will clock in at work during Spring Break, kids’ time off can present challenges. How can you ensure a fun and safe Spring Break for your kids amid your busy workweek?
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By Tony Fuentes

The sluggish economy has many of us a little weary as the holidays come into full view. However, even if it’s smaller these days, your pocketbook may pack more economic power than you realize. In fact, you can help jump start your local economy in one easy step: move beyond “what to buy?” and consider “where to buy?”

It’s estimated that every dollar you spend at local independent businesses grows by 300 percent in terms of economic benefit for your community. That seems like a staggering impact but how it happens isn’t hard to imagine. When you shop local, more of your hard-earned dollars stay in your community and, in turn, are spent at other local businesses.

My wife and I own a business here in Portland, so I know first-hand how much of those local shopping dollars stay in the community. Where does the money go?
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On Nov. 2, take the time to show your kids how you rock the vote
By Sally Murdoch

When the California Voter Foundation asked infrequent voters in our most populous state a few years ago why they don’t turn out at the polls, the overwhelming response was simple; we’re just too busy. Parents today know the feeling. Our schedules are jam-packed with sports, school, shopping, friends and (hopefully) fun. Voting can easily fall off our to-do lists, especially without the crescendo of excitement we had during the 2008 Presidential election, when 86% of Oregonians cast their votes.
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Daycation and Staycation Resources

Books to Help You Plan Your Close-to-Home Holiday

By Metro Parent Staff

When it comes to planning one of these “tourist in your own town” trips, The Great American Staycation: How to Make a Vacation at Home Fun for the Whole Family by Matt Wixon (Adams Media, 2009) is a logical standout. This book has a ton of creative ideas for things to do on your staycation as well as wisdom on what your mindset should be as you plan your “vacation at home” (e.g. “Rule # 1: A Staycation Muse Be Treated as a Real Vacation”). But, if you’re only going to buy one or two books to guide you in your staycation/daycation planning and implementation, you should probably consider the following:

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