For the past three decades, the federal government has targeted the poorest areas of American cities with a succession of antipoverty initiatives, yet these urban neighborhoods continue to decline. According to David Rusk, focusing on programs aimed at improving inner-city neighborhoods--playing the "inside game"--is a losing strategy. Achieving real improvement requires matching the "inside game" with a strong "outside game" of regional strategies to overcome growing fiscal disparities, concentrated poverty, and urban sprawl. In this persuasive book filled with personal observations as well as his trademark mastery of census statistics, Rusk argues that state legislatures must set new "rules of the game." He believes those rules require regional revenue or tax base sharing to reduce fiscal disparity, regional housing policies to ensure that all new developments have their fair share of low- and moderate-income housing to dissolve concentrations of poverty, and regional land-use planning and growth management to control urban sprawl. State government action, Rusk argues, is particularly crucial where regions are highly fragmented by many competing city, village, and township governments. He provides vivid success stories that demonstrate best practices for these regional strategies along with recommendations for building effective regional coalitions. A Century Foundation Book

According to David Rusk, focusing on programs aimed at improving inner-city neighborhoods--playing the " inside game" --is a losing strategy. Achieving real improvement requires matching the " inside game" with a strong " outside game" of regional strategies to overcome growing fiscal disparities, concentrated poverty, and urban sprawl.

450 indoor and outdoor games for pre-school to middle-school-age kids arranged by age group.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An imperative call to action” (Nick Offerman) to get children off their screens and into nature, with tips for bonding activities that teach the importance of outside time and build tough, curious, competent kids—from the New York Times bestselling author and host of the TV series and podcast MeatEater “A revelation for families struggling to get kids to GO OUTSIDE, or to just stop using the darn smartphone.”—Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent In the era of screens and devices, the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for kids’ physical and mental health, it jeopardizes their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment. Thankfully, with the right mind-set, families can find beauty, meaning, and connection in a life lived outdoors. Here, outdoors expert Steven Rinella shares the parenting wisdom he has garnered as a father whose family has lived amid the biggest cities and wildest corners of America. Throughout, he offers practical advice for getting kids radically engaged with nature in a muddy, thrilling, hands-on way, with the ultimate goal of helping them see their own place within the natural ecosystem. No matter their location—rural, suburban, or urban—caregivers and kids will bond over activities such as: • Camping to conquer fears, build tolerance for dirt and discomfort, and savor the timeless pleasure of swapping stories around a campfire. • Growing a vegetable garden to develop a capacity to nurture and an appreciation for hard work. • Fishing local lakes and rivers to learn the value of patience while grappling with the possibility of failure. • Hunting for sustainably managed wild game to face the realities of life, death, and what it really takes to obtain our food. Living an outdoor lifestyle fosters in kids an insatiable curiosity about the world around them, confidence and self-sufficiency, and, most important, a lifelong sense of stewardship of the natural world. This book helps families connect with nature—and one another—as a joyful part of everyday life.

First published in 2003. Children's Friendship Training is a complete manualized guide for therapists treating children with peer problems. This unique, empirically validated treatment is the first to integrate parents into the therapy process to ensure generalization to school and home. Representing over twelve years of research, Children's Friendship Training presents the comprehensive social skills training program developed by these pioneering authors. Step-by-step interventions help children develop the skills to initiate mutually satisfying social interactions. These interactions can lead to higher regard within the peer group and the development of satisfying dyadic relationships that will, in turn, serve to enhance overall well being. Clinical and empirical rationales, illustrative case examples and parent handouts that educate parents and give specific guidelines for homework assignments are presented for each treatment module. Brief relevant reviews of the child development literature and selective reviews of assessment techniques and other approached to children's social skills training are presented to sufficiently acquaint therapists interested in implementing children's friendship training.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina laid bare the tragedy of American cities. What the storm revealed about the social conditions in New Orleans shocked many Americans. Even more shocking is how widespread these conditions are throughout much of urban America. Plagued by ineffectual and inegalitarian governance, acute social problems such as extreme poverty, and social and economic injustice, many American cities suffer a fate similar to that of New Orleans before and after the hurricane. Gentrification and corporate redevelopment schemes merely distract from this disturbing reality. Compounding this tragedy is a failure in urban analysis and scholarship. Little has been offered in the way of solving urban America's problems, and much of what has been proposed or practiced remains profoundly misguided, in David Imbroscio's view. In Urban America Reconsidered, he offers a timely response. He urges a reconsideration of the two reigning orthodoxies in urban studies: regime theory, which provides an understanding of governance in cities, and liberal expansionism, which advocates regional policies linking cities to surrounding suburbs. Declaring both approaches to be insufficient—and sometimes harmful—Imbroscio illuminates another path for urban America: remaking city economies via an array of local economic alternative development strategies (or LEADS). Notable LEADS include efforts to build community-based development institutions, worker-owned firms, publicly controlled businesses, and webs of interdependent entrepreneurial enterprises. Equally notable is the innovative use of urban development tools to generate indigenous, stable, and balanced growth in local economies. Urban America Reconsidered makes a strong case for the LEADS approach for constructing progressive urban regimes and addressing America's deepest urban problems.

"Whether you're planning a party, gathered as a family, confined by a rainy day or organizing a team-building exercise, Great Games is the perfect source for exciting, free games for every age and play situation. Comprised of new games and exciting twists on time-tested favorites, this book celebrates fun while promoting a wholesome spirit of competition. From two players to the largest groups, interactive play expands friendships, motivates and inspires. Once you delve into this exciting, new creative resource, you can finally remove the word bored from your vocabulary."--Publisher marketing.