Child's suicide raises medication questions (Daytona Beach News-Journal) Local agencies are seeing a rise in the number of children with psychiatric problems, from severe anxiety to depression. They're also seeing more young children who are 5 or 6 years old. The concern is especially high in foster care, where a higher percentage of children are given psychotropic drugs than in the general population.

Moms say Fla. denies kids good care under Medicaid (Tampa Tribune) Several mothers are testifying in a class action lawsuit this week that Florida doesn't give their children access to quality health care.

Report: Florida child-abuse deaths up 21% in 2008 (Orlando Sentinel) Research shows added stress during economically tough times contributes to an increase in child abuse and neglect, the report said. The risk of abuse is exacerbated in families where a parent abuses drugs or alcohol and has difficulty controlling anger or stress.

Gov. Quinn: Early Childhood Programs Vital to Illinois Economy (Orlando Business Journal) Research has shown that at-risk children with quality early-learning opportunities are less likely to need special education and more likely to graduate from high school, earn more money and contribute more tax dollars.

Political, Business Leaders: Overhaul Education in Fla. (Lakeland Ledger) Contending that Florida's economic future is imperiled by a deficiently educated work force, political and business leaders on Thursday called for a sweeping overhaul of the state's education system that would touch everything from preschool classrooms to college campuses.

At-risk students learn joys of volunteering (Pensacola News Journal) Chain Reaction executive director Kristin Fairchild said that for the past couple years she has worked with students individually who got into trouble and negotiated community service as a means of punishment with their schools or local law enforcement.

Jim Stringfellow: We must work as one for the sake of children (Gainesville Sun) Recently our Juvenile Justice Council looked at the school records of 102 recent juvenile offenders. These kids all showed early signs of school failure, poor reading skills, disruptive classroom behavior and chronic truancy, eventually dropping out of school.

Juvenile justice system could get no-cost reforms (Sarasota Herald Tribune) State juvenile justice officials are attempting to tick off more of the recommendations from a nearly two-year-old commission report that made suggestions on how Florida could improve the juvenile justice system.

Early Intervention Can Save Kids (Tampabay.com) Those of us who are practitioners and advocates know what drives kids into the system. It is educational failure, mental illness, substance abuse, sexual abuse, family disintegration and a host of other challenges.

State review raises questions about Juvenile Justice secretary's spending (St. Petersburg Times) Florida juvenile justice chief Frank Peterman's extensive travel at taxpayer expense includes thousands of dollars in extra charges because of missed flights as well as $2,300 in airport parking costs called "excessive" in an ongoing state review.

Florida schools losing millions in funding (Bradenton Herald) The Florida Department of Education sent districts a memo over the holiday break lowering the state’s average per-student funding by $14 — from $6,876.99 to $6,863.09 — because the state now has to divide its education dollars among more students.

Watchdogs for Kids (Tallahassee Magazine) Miller wants to “get beyond the existing choir” and be able to call on local residents to speak out on behalf of children when the Florida Legislature convenes in March and begins its budget work in earnest. The idea is that state lawmakers might pay more attention to children’s programs — and be less likely to cut funding — if members of the public come to personally testify in support of them.