Group items tagged

Website Name: Family Life Project URL: http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~flp/index.cfm Website Overview: The Family Life Project focuses their study on child development, particularly on children living in rural areas. This project is interesting as it follows the lives of a number of children from birth through their second grade school. Specifically, they are focusing on the temperament and the competence of the children, as well as, any outside factors that affects children from low-income families. Intended Audience: The intended audience for the Family Life Project is both families and educational organizations. Critique: The Family Life Project is a joint study amongst The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Penn State University, the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The website provides a detailed list of the key staff responsible for overseeing the study, which leads to the sites credibility. The site offers a brief overview of the study, but provides little in the way of detailed information. Although, the site provides a fair amount of information under the FAQ link, the user will have to search the various organizational links provided. Overall, the information within the site is easy to understand and the website itself is simple to navigate.

The website is easy to navigate, but information seems to be limited, and out of date. The last recorded newsletter or update i could find was from 'Winter 2009". This report detailed some results from their 48 month study, but it would be interesting to see what kind of metrics they found at 60 months, and even 72.

The site is interesting but if the community knows certain children are being "followed", I believe that will throw off the results of their studies. However, it is good for the community because they are coming together for their children...just as a community should. I wish neighborhoods were a little more like they were in the old days when it was safe to walk down the street.

National Fatherhood Initiative http://www.fatherhood.org/ Overview: The National Fatherhood Initiative is a webpage for the organization with the same name who attempts to minimize the amount of children that grow up without their fathers in their lives. The organization is devoted to making sure fathers are there for their children as much as possible. Through its 3-E strategy, Educate, Equip, and Engage, the National Fatherhood Initiative has successfully helped more than two million children live with their fathers, along with reaching 1 million fathers with skill building resources. The webpage as a whole seems to promote the efforts of the organization a great deal as well as reaching out to potential donors. Intended Audience: The intended audience of the webpage is aimed at fathers who feel like they need to be more involved with their children. The website offers a number of help brochures and books in order to better fathers who are not as involved in their children's life as they could be; for a small fee of course. Critique: The first and most annoying aspect of reviewing this webpage was the lack of information available to the reader. The organization is a non-profit organization however it would seem otherwise from browsing through their website. There is a donate link on nearly every page of the site, making it frustrating to navigate as every link eventually takes you to either a donate page or a page that wants you to buy something. The four key tabs are For Fathers, For Organizations, For Media, and Donate. Choosing one of the four tabs basically takes you to a link where the viewer can give them money. If you are a father you can search their Father SOURCE collection in order to buy materials to learn how to be a better father. If the viewer is involved with an organization he/she can learn how to donate money and if you are a media member, then the viewer can learn how to hire one of the organizations speakers to do a presentation. Almo

Here is the remainder of the review as it seems to have been cut short Almost everywhere you go the webpage is attempting to get money from the viewer. The whole page is virtually an advertisement for the organization. On a positive note, the organization does seem to be very good at collecting money and aiding fathers in need. The organization has been associated with companies such as Disney, Nissan, FedEx, the NBA, and the NFL. Having an affiliation with all of these companies does go to show that the organization is achieving their mission. The website also has an interesting section labeled statistics; the section details some interesting statistics relating to the effects of fathers missing from their children's lives. All of the statistics are very well documented and precise with accurate source material. They webpage also has a number of ways to contact the organization all labeled on the bottom of the webpage. As a whole I would say that the webpage is very credible in its information, it's just a shame there is not much information to look at without having to dish out some money to see it. Relationship to Work, Family, Community class: The obvious connection to the concepts that we have learned this semester can be found in amount of work/family conflicts that result from overworked parents neglecting their families in favor of financial growth. As we have learned, fathers tend to be the parents who are more often than not placed in the role of bread winner. As a result of the amount of pressure that is placed on fathers, they are typically responsible for failing to be there for their children as they are growing up. I believe that the National Fatherhood Initiative is definitely attempting to shed some light on a less talked about subject matter; however I feel that the way that they are attempting to achieve their goal is somewhat disappointing. If as a non-profit organization you have some piece of knowledge that is going to help fathers ach

It seems that everyone is willing to provide help to anyone for a price. I wonder how much of the money they raise actually goes to help fathers have better and stronger relationships with their children. I took a look at this website and it appears to just give enough information to try and draw someone in so that they will pay to learn more. It may be very credible but I think fathers would be better off finding an organization in their community that offers meetings where fathers can get together and talk about issues and a facilitator donates their time to help.

The Future of Children is an organization that focuses on the best social science research about children and youth translated into information that useful to many groups (policymakers, practitioners, grant-makers, advocates, the media, etc.). The organization is a collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution. The research, articles, and other information on this site are written in non-technical terms for easy understanding by a wide range of readers. At first glance, and after a deeper dive into the site, it appears to be a credible source of information. It is free of advertisements and other marketing propaganda. As well, the collaboration between a renowned and accredited university (Princeton) and a Washington D.C.-based public policy organization (Brookings) suggest the resources available on the site are factual and reliable. There are several sub-sites to the parent site: - About: o Overall explanation of the organization, its goals and mission. o People: credentials of the varying level of contributors to the site's content. o Policies and Procedures: copyright information and guidance on how to cite content from the site. - Publications: o A wide variety of literature written by Princeton and Brookings contributors. o Includes journals, executive summaries, policy briefs, article summaries, journal highlights, and research data and figures. - Media: o Press releases, newsletters, other honorable mentions in the media. - Events: o Provides information on upcoming events hosted by, or affiliated with, the Future of Children organization. - Webcasts - FAQs - Resources - Blog While the name of the site suggests that its contents are directly related to children (policies and practices that affect them), there is just as much content that is indirectly related.

[Continued...] Many of the webcasts and written literature relate to marriage and family, work-life, diversity in children, community and school research, civic engagement, military transition, etc. This is website is not full of fuzzy, feel-good literature. It is research-based content which is a great source of reference for the facts.

The Center for the Child Care Workforce URL: www.ccw.org Website Overview: This website is intended to help the education workforce develop leadership and advocacy skills intended to affect the available assets and applicable policies that effect early childhood development and education. The website advocates "having a seat at the table" where decisions and policy are made that effect the overall operations, policy standards, and programs of the education system. Intended Audience: The site clearly states in its mission statement that the intended audience is the educators, administrators, and all those directly connected to the education system as a staff member. The material is accessible to the general public and for the educational workforce. It seeks to tie the two together as more of teacher-parent education than a niched website strictly for the education workforce. This is evidenced by many parent focused sections included in the educator sections. Relationship to Work, Family, & Community: This website is relevant to the class in that it focuses on the early education of children and community projects that might be beneficial to helping them develop skills during their education and also advocate for the home and after school programs available to them. Credibility: This is a front for a union operation that seeks to advocate for the wages and benefits of the educator. While there is some subtle delivery of policies and programs that seems very beneficial to all, there are certainly strings attached for the union to be able to benefit. There are several different areas related to wages, tax revenue, and how to squeeze more money out of the government to fund programs related to education - all with a nice little bump for the teachers union. There are also areas of the website related to "supporting" the website and the union through monetary giving. Areas also exist to organize protest rallies, sit-ins, and days off to educate teac

John- I definitely agree that there are other interests at stake here than just the development of early childhood education policies. It looks like the group started out as an unaffiliated proponent of early childhood education and later merged with the AFTEF (nonprofit educational arm of the American Federation of Teachers) after its move from California to Washington, D.C. (surprise, surprise) Hopefully they continue their advocacy work as a neutral party advocating greater need for early childhood education. But, as you state, the website seems less intent on organizing such advocacy efforts and more interested in propagating the union's interests in greater compensation levels for its membership in the early childhood sector. Excellent research on your part. Yours, Mike

Hi John, While I agree that there is linkage to the teachers federation, it seems that there is a strong on enabling child care by focusing on providing support mechanisms for those who are in the profession. I think the credibility is valid in that it is trying to focus on establishment of programs that will reduce turnover, improve compensation, quality and improve public awareness. One of the challenges we face, and it was noted in our studies, are credible, reliable child care programs. There are no easy answers, and while we are challenged to pay for child care, finding quality child care is just as much of a problem. Good research Mitch

Focus on the Family http://www.focusonthefamily.com/ This website focuses on family issues beyond work/family issues including; marriage, parenting, life challenges, faith and social issues. Focus on the family also has a radio broadcasts, websites, simulcasts, conferences, interactive forums, magazines, books, counseling and much more. Their mission statement is "To cooperate with the Holy Spirit in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible by nurturing and defending the God-ordained institution of the family and promoting biblical truths worldwide." And their vision is to redeem families, communities, and societies worldwide through Christ. This organization has a value statement which emphasizes value on evangelism, marriage, children, human life, social responsibility, and the individuality of both male and females. This is a large not for profit organization with a 2010 asset and liability of just over $82 million. Obviously Focus on the family is a Christian based organization which targets mainly Christians. All materials are accessible to the general public and seem be easy to understand. Focus is a politically active organization and highly influential in our countries policies. This is a highly legitimate organization with many contributors from all walks of life. This organization was founded by a world renowned child psychologist, Dr. James Dobson Ph.D. I learned that this site has a treasure trove of information and help with raising children. As a working father myself, and a product of parents who lacked in both parenting skills and communication, I had a rough time trying to train my own children. Without the proper training on child raising or even how to deal with your spouse in hard situations, we find ourselves working longer hours to stay away from the problems at home. Although this site might not be interesting for everyone because of its outspoken Christian beliefs, one cannot deny that getting educated on p

Focus on the family is a great source! The cite provides a lot of useful advice and I have heard them on the radio many times. Definitely one to trust. Nice work.

What a great pick for a review... one I would not have thought of, but very appropriate. I think so many times I think of the work family conflict of only having solution at work, but the solution can come at home when one chooses the life they want to lead.

URL: http://www.timeday.org Website Overview: Take Back Your Time is a major US/Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of over-work, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and environment. The purpose of the website is to bring individuals and organizations together in support of a public policy agenda to guarantee paid leave for all parents for the birth or adoption of a child, guarantee at least one week of paid sick leave for all workers, guarantee at least three weeks of paid annual vacation leave for all workers, placing a limit on the amount of compulsory overtime work that an employer can impose, making Election Day a holiday, and making it easier for Americans to choose part-time work. Intended Audience: The content on the website is geared toward individuals and organizations affected by work-family issues. It intends to speak to the needs for time poverty relief that millions of Americans share. Critique: The Take Back Your Time website is an advocacy site. Although it provides a great deal of useful information about the issue, its main purpose is to raise awareness by supporting a movement that seeks a "more balanced American life" by encouraging all types of programs to win back time, whether on a personal level or by enacting legislation locally and nationally. I found the information provided on the site to be credible. Everything is directly related to education on and support of their "Time to Care" agenda. The organizations that they partner with (the Moms Rising Web Site and www.MassCouncilOfChurches.org) show further evidence of their credibility.

John de Graaf is the national coordinator of TAKE BACK YOUR TIME, and a frequent speaker on issues of overwork and over-consumption in America. He is often a guest lecturer on college campuses. John is the co-author of the best-selling AFFLUENZA: THE ALL-CONSUMING EPIDEMIC (Berrett-Koehler, 2001/2005-now published in eight other languages as well.). He is also the editor of TAKE BACK YOUR TIME (Berrett-Koehler, 2003) and of the children's book, DAVID BROWER: FRIEND OF THE EARTH (Henry Holt, 1992). He also wrote the first chapter ("Childhood Affluenza") of the American Academy of Pediatrics' seminal book on childhood, ABOUT CHILDREN (2004). His articles have been published in dozens of magazines. John has worked with KCTS-TV, the Seattle PBS affiliate, for 24 years, as an independent producer of television documentaries. More than 15 of his programs have been broadcast in Prime Time nationally on PBS. He is also the recipient of more than 100 regional, national and international awards for film-making, including three Emmy awards. Relationship to work, family, community class: Take Back Your Time agenda relates to work, family, community class because their mission is to reduce the Time Bind and relieve the strain that families have when trying to balance work, family, and community responsibilities. The agenda is focused on uniting groups who seldom talk to each other -- family values conservatives and the women's movement, labor unions and environmentalists, clergy and doctors, advocates for social justice, enlightened business leaders and the "slow food" and "simple living" movements creating awareness of emerging family-work issues. The Agenda also recognizes that Working Americans and their families are imploding from a 24/7 workplace with no boundaries and we need time to care for our children, our families, our communities, our religious and spiritual lives, and ourselves. These are all topics that we have discussed in the course.

General Observations: A few things (statistics) that I learned about Work, Family & Community by exploring the site: -163 of 168 countries guarantee paid leave for mothers in connection with childbirth. 45 countries offer such leave to fathers. The U.S. does neither. - 139 countries guarantee paid sick leave. The U.S. does not. - 96 countries guarantee paid annual (vacation) leave. The U.S. does not - 84 countries have laws that fix a maximum limit on the workweek. The U.S. does not. - 37 countries guarantee parents paid time off when children are sick. The U.S. does not. Other comments: I thought that the website was both informative and educating. It enforces a great initiative that is based on collaboration, between individuals and organizations, to satisfy a clearly stated agenda.

PART 1 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org Purpose and content: The purpose of the website seems to be to provide educational and/or public service information for parents, teachers, and caregivers. The content is basically brief definitions and information regarding child abuse prevention, tips to avoid lashing out at your children, tips on adoption, education, daycare, divorce with children, work and family balance, caregiving, and links to other web resources. Accuracy of information: None of the information is comprehensive in nature. However, the brief text that is present does seem believable. It seems the purpose is to direct visitors to outside sources -- or to the "sponsors" shown at the bottom of most pages, which are for-profit businesses. All the information on the pages within this website seemed to be generic tips and definitions that could have been copied and pasted from almost any other website with similar information. Qualifications of the author or group that created the site: There is nothing on this website to determine the author's identity or establish any qualifications, expertise, or credibility of anyone associated with this website or organization.

PART 3 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org The domain Whois report shows Avid Amiri to own about 17 other domains and is associated with over 1,000 more. This is not concrete evidence that information is biased and the site is actually for advertising, but it is conspicous. Either Avid Amiri is the person hired by the organizations to register and host the domains -- which does not seem plausible since the address is the same for all contacts and the organization -- or Avid Amiri is in fact also the author. If the latter, I would venture to presume Avid Amiri is using domains as an underhanded method of search engine optimization (SEO) for the for-profit businesses shown as sponsors on many pages of the website. Further investigation of Avid Amiri revealed there is one with the name Avid Amiri located in the Salt Lake City area that is a member of LinkedIn and Twitter. When looking at the Twitter page connected to that Avid Amiri, that person is in fact a consultant specializing in search engine optimization. Contact information / means of communication with author or webmaster: On the Contact page there is an email address that looks like it is attached to administration -- whether it intends to be web administration or organizational administrative staff member or author is not clear. The address is admin@familysupportamerica.org. There is a mailing address on the Contact page as well. It lacks the two-letter state abbreviation. There is no phone number. There are no specific contacts displayed. Broken links: The link to the "learning center" hangs on a blank page and is therefore broken (http://www.familysupportamerica.org/familysupportamericalearningcenter.html). The Links and Resources page does not provide any links or resources at all.

PART 4 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org/ Design, organization and ease of use: The overall appearance of the website is generic. It is what I call a "cookie-cutter" template. It is easy to read and navigate, but that is because there isn't much on it. The home page template is fractured, i.e., the left panel link image is too large for what is allowed in the template causing a fracture in the design elements. A site map is available, but the learning center link does not work. There are no help screens. There is no search available within the site. Final evaluation remarks: At first glance, this site is revealed as a non-profit site (.org domain extension) sharing family support information. At second glance, it appears to be a bare bones approach to direct visitors to other sites for more comprehensive assistance and/or information. The home page reads they can help with child abuse, alcoholism, and more, but continues that if they cannot help, they can direct the visitor to someone who can. There are no individuals featured. There is nothing to indicate anyone has any credentials of any type in the field of Family Support. Again, it appears to be directing visitors to other sites and it does not appear to do that well. The closer look reveals misrepresentation and sneaky SEO tactics to pump up search results for the businesses shown as "sponsors" on many of the pages. I will say the information that is on the pages is not useless and it does pertain to families and work as I feel the real-world pressures of work and bills to pay has a lot to do with family abuse and the ability or non-ability to deal with those issues.

CELF A UCLA Sloan Center 341 Haines Hall Box 951553 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1553 Mailcode: 155303 Phone: (310) 267-4262 . Website Name: UCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families URL: http://www.celf.ucla.edu/ Website Overview: This website is directed to help behavioral science professionals "study how working parents and their children approach balancing challenges." (UCLA, Center on Everyday Lives of Families) The research posted on this site is very detailed of basic everyday living. The four focused areas are detailed, ethnographic research of the middle working class, digital archive of everyday family life, research training opportunities, and public dialogue on working family life. Intended Audience: Professional in the behavioral science field. Critique: I find this site to be credible. First off its URL ends in .edu which means that it is a part of an educational site. After doing some research, this site is part of Sloan Centers on Working Families. There are five other centers located throughout the United States at various reputable universities. The faculty and the staff that tend to this website belong to various educational departments in UCLA. I do not feel that this site was built in bias because it is a site that contents research data. This site does have a particular social agenda in which it feels that it can create a more balance world for all. I can say that I am comfortable in the level of supporting documents that the website displays. It has a particular tab on research and working papers. Relationships to Work, Family, Community Class: The main focus of this course is to recognize the imbalances that working families endure and think up with a solution to help ease their negative issues. I feel this site would prove beneficial in helping working parents and their children with their challenges. These resolutions are found by observing basic everyday lives.

Good review, I found this website to be informational and purpose driven. This site does a great job of demonstrating it's objectives through research and actionable goals.

Raising a family in this modern world of instant everything can be a gargantuan task that is quite daunting to new parents no matter what their age is. Website Name: Family Support America URL: http://www.familysupportamerica.org Website Overview: This website is to help parents gain helpful and useful tips, information, support, and connections in order for families to survive. One of the main focuses is eating healthy and staying activity. Healthy children equal happy children. Other major topics include child abuse prevention, stress, adoption tips, education, childcare, and family-work situations. Intended Audience: The intended audience is parents. Critique: I feel that this site is somewhat credible. First off the website is an .org, thus referring to the website being associated with an organization. After doing some research on my local library database, I found a couple of publications mentioning the organization, Family Support America. One example of a publications mentioned that Family Support America hosted the 10th Biennial National Conference in Chicago. (2004) There is no specific author mentioned within the website. All information of given freely though each section does mention a sponsoring source at the end. The one thing that does bother me about the website is that it does not provide supporting documentation on its points. I do not find any signs of bias on the site since the site is directed to both parents. Relationships to Work, Family, Community Class: I feel this is site is very useful in helping families adjust and deal with work-family situation. Throughout this course we have read about many hardships and stress that many different types of families endure. This site gives families different solution to their dilemma. For example, we read about the lack of quality daycare many working parents deal with. Under the education & day care it gives a parent reading how to help you choose the right place for your child.

This site was interesting. It was very simplistic compared to other sites that have been reviewed in this forum. There is some great information available, but there is a lack of enthusiasm or care. The site seems mildly depressing with the white and blue color scheme. Overall, it has great intentions, but it lacks some of the more social aspects that other similar organizations has. I feel one of the best resources are other parents or individuals that have similar experiences. We can learn from each other and support one another. Using social networking or blogs helps to foster that communication. I feel this site just misses the mark with its simplicity. Thank you for your review on this site. Joshua

Wow, I would most certainly agree with you Toni. The webpage is certainly lacking a lot of polish as well as information. The information provided has no credible sources and is very scares. I would agree with Jade that the organization seems to be a real organization, however they certainly seem to be lacking a real mission. They claim to cover everything form child abuse to divorces. Most organizations seem to focus on one aspect instead of just doing it all. The sponsored links on each page also raise some red flags. Overall, I would say this is the worst website I have seen while doing this project.

The family Caregiver Alliance is an organization dedicated to giving a public voice for the caregivers; those who use their time outside of work to care for "loved ones with Chronic, disabling health conditions." The site provides more than advocacy and support. It presents educational materials, valuable information and research as well. "The Family Caregiver Alliance was the first community based nonprofit in the country to address the needs of families and friends providing long-term care at home." The site aims to address the concerns and support those who care for their loved ones in a diminished capacity. They offer information for public seminars, online webinars, and workshops that address specific needs. The Family Caregiver Alliance website is intended directly for those families and individuals that provide at home care for an individual in a severe diminished capacity. Although many of the seminars and newsletters address specific concerns in San Francisco and California, many of the topics and articles are relevant in every state. It provides information on how to communicate to doctors, how to take care of you as a caregiver, and provides information on more specialized care such as nursing homes, behavior specialist, and assisted living centers. It also creates a forum within seminars and webinars for individuals to communicate with others that are experiencing similar challenges and concerns. It offers online, unmoderated forums for open discussion from caregivers. They also offer support groups as well.

The Family Caregiver Alliance website is very professional, functional, and straight forward. The site is quite legitimate, publishing newsletters, articles, and sponsoring events to address the concerns caregivers face. Their list of sponsors and endorsements include AARP, the Administration on aging, the Archstone Foundation, and several California counties and California based organizations. Although they do not have a stated bias or affiliation to any political party, they do address that family care giving creates a lessening dependency on Medicaid and encourages the administration to support an agenda that addresses family caregiver concerns. . The site also details the eligibility criteria for each state's programs to assist caregivers in an easy to read chart. It is designed to be very user friendly and informational.

Elder care has become a more severe concern as the baby boomer population ages. Many of this generation are expected to be within the retirement phase anywhere from 20 to 40 years. With the increase in medical expenses and the increase in life expectancy, many families rely on their children to provide care and support for that aging generation. This time commitment can create a strain on the already complicated work-family balance. An interesting section concerned states legislation with respect to care giving. In the state of Illinois, "HB 493 (enacted 2003) Appropriated funds for senior caregivers of adult disabled children. It is informative to have knowledge of public assistance programs that may be available to help a family. Government and private industry often have policies and programs that are aimed to assist families in need with support, but the lack of knowledge regarding the programs often allows an individual in need to overlook the opportunity. Overall, the site is informative, clean, updated, and user friendly. There is plenty of information, but it is organized in an easily discernible fashion. There is a host of resources for further information and a variety of programs designed to inform and involve the caregiver with others that are in similar circumstances.

http://www.stayhitched.com/balance.htm This website is called marriage success training, with the tagline of building the foundation for your lifetime together. They sell seminars for engaged couples who want premarital counseling. They cover many issues that engaged couples encounter from cohabitation, relationships with each other's families, and even how long couples should wait following the wedding to have children. The intended audience of this website seems to be couples, who are considering marriage. Either engaged or considering getting engaged. The knowledge assumed is that you are either an engaged heterosexual couple or a newly married couple. The information on this site seems reliable as a counseling resource for couples. This website does have bias towards religion and spirituality, even though it says there is no specific religion as its basis. On the homepage there are reviews from prior users of these services. They are quoted in the New York Times, as well as seen on WNBC TV news. They are holding seminars in Chicago next spring. They have Facebook pages as well as Twitter. I looked at their Facebook page, it looks like they don't really keep up on it, and they only have 75 fans. I think that any avenue that keeps a couple communicating is a positive thing for a relationship. This website did discuss many valid points for couples that may be entering that next phase of life that would encounter. In relationship to Work, Family, and Community this website brought up many good discussion topics for couples, such as how would household work be divided, would one parent stay home with children, and many other topics that may be otherwise taken for granted in a young relationship situation.

Help! Without an associated name, I'm having trouble figuring out who amers921 is. Please identify yourself so I can give you credit for posting your website review.

An interesting website, and there are some gems of information spread throughout. I especially liked the following pages of the website... http://www.stayhitched.com/mother.htm http://www.stayhitched.com/finance.htm Two of the most stressful parts of a new marriage, the moms of the parents, and struggling with the finances!

Deer Oaks- A Behavioral Health Organization http://www.deeroaks.com/ From the company's posted mission statement, Deer Oaks is a large behavioral healthcare organization offering Employee Assistance, Elder Assistance, and psychological assessment and treatment services throughout the United States. Of particular interest to our class, Deer Oaks offers Employee Assistance Program services to 'public and private companies. From the website, "founded in 1992, Deer Oaks EAP Services is a premier provider of Employee Assistance, Work/Life, and Health & Wellness Programs serving over 1 million members throughout North America. Deer Oaks offers public and private employer groups short-term counseling and work/life services that positively impact employee morale, medical claims, turnover, and supervisor effectiveness." As far as intended audience, this is a commercial website intended for the members of employer groups that subscribe to the services that Deer Oaks provides. Employees have 24-hour access to the Deer Oaks website to receive resources to balance work and family life. Through the website, employees can receive information regarding Deer Oaks services, answer self-assessment questionnaires and schedule appointments. The website features online support chats, message boards, questionnaires, monthly educational newsletters, an online library and an online magazine. The website also offers web-based seminars and information on a wide variety of topics, including wellness, family and workplace issues, financial and legal concerns. I find the website quite credible as a review of the credentials of the senior members of the organization shows them to be highly trained and qualified to perform their jobs. A number of them have received Doctorates in clinical psychology and seem well qualified to direct programs designed to assist employees attempting to balance work and life commitments. The range of assistance provided under the EAP plan is quite extensive a

The range of assistance provided under the EAP plan is quite extensive and would be an attractive benefit to anyone working for a company that sponsored such a plan. From the website, some of the services provided include: Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessments, Telephone Triage, Individual, Marital, Family, and Group Psychotherapies, Clinical Coordination and Consultation Services, Crisis Intervention Services, Supervisor/Manager Training, Psycho-Educational In-Services, Appropriate Referrals for Financial, Legal, or Health Plan Needs. Types of issues addressed through these services can include: Depression, Anxiety, Interpersonal, Familial, or Marital Conflicts, Grief: Death and Dying, ADHD and Conduct Problems, Substance Abuse, Stress Management, Childcare/Eldercare, Occupational issues, Crisis Management, Workplace Violence, Trauma: Abuse / Neglect, Domestic Violence, Financial, Health, or Legal Difficulties. Programs of particular interest include the following: Legal Assist Through Legal Assist, participants have free access to vital legal information on the Deer Oaks website, including a library of legal documents (with legal information on eldercare, domestic violence and family health) and a small claims and consumer "self-help" series, as well as access to online document preparation. Participants also have access to telephone information and services from a full service legal and financial Consumer Resource Center. Program participants are entitled to free preparation of a simple will by an attorney, and professional review of many types of legal documents. Find Now Childcare and Eldercare Program The Find Now program is designed to assist participants with caring for children and / or aging parents. The resources of this program make the search for licensed, regulated, and inspected childcare and eldercare services in each community an accessible and streamlined process. Online databases are available for searches. In addition, child and geriatric psych

Inspired by Secretary Clinton's leadership, No Limits Foundation is a non-partisan, non-political organization which aims to help "make the case" that foreign policy matters, and that an active and engaged America working with allies around the world will help to build the safe and secure future we want for our children.

No Limits foundation http://nolimits.org/ As per their about us page "No Limits Foundation is a non-partisan, issues-based organization that enables members to stay informed and active on a range of domestic and international policy issues through information, education, and advocacy." The three main issues this site overviews are "stronger communities, a safer and secure world, and human rights home and abroad." Under the "stronger communities" section there is a link to work family issues and in the work family issues section you will find issues that relate to and were covered by our class to include better leave policies for American families and greater support for caregivers to name a few. This site was easy enough to navigate, simple yet effective. There are many links to supporting sites who are working on such issues for the working families. This site claims to be inspired by our own Hillary Clinton but doesn't really point to how much the Secretary of State is involved, if any at all. As for an intended audience, this site would work for anyone wanting to get involved with their core issues or research information on these issues. In this case, less is more. I liked the site, it was relevant and informative.

Since I initially chose a website that, I didn't notice, had already been reviewed (Family and Work Institute) I decided to report on another site that helps families who work in thoroughbred racing (After all this is Kentucky Derby Week). Website Review: The Race For Education (RFE) helps families who typically earn low wages and work long hours in the Thoroughbred industry, send their children to college. The website is user friendly and offers information on the mission and fundraising efforts of the Thoroughbred Industry. Their mission is to provide mentoring, tutoring and partnership, along with financial support, with the ultimate goal of making sure students are successful in life and become an asset to their community. Although the majority of the students involved in The Race For Education program come from high risk and extreme need backgrounds, the graduation rate is over 70%, while the national average is about 50%, and 90 % of RFE students make the dean's list. The organization is managed by a volunteer board of directors and an executive committee with both professional and academic experience. Approximately 75% of its funding comes from private individuals and foundations and is 25% federally funded. The organization also receives an annual contribution that covers all operational expenses. This allows 100% of the contributions received to go directly to student programs and services. The Race For Education's primary source of funding is the Racehorse Nomination Program, in which horse owners donate a percentage of their racehorses' earnings to the scholarship program. Annual fundraisers include The Race For Education 5K/10K Run, held in beautiful Midway, Kentucky, each October; and the Thoroughbred Charities of America Stallion Season Auction in December. In looking at the Board of Directors the organization and website is maintained by people who work and actively participate in the racing industry. Key areas of the site include fundraising and

(continued)....scholarship opportunities, Equine Programs and Vet schools,News and Current Events. There isn't a political agenda, just an industry that wants to take care of their own and ensure a good future. The site lists success stories and is credible. My own Thoroughbred racehorses have contributed to helping students with tuition at the University of Kentucky and at Auburn. It is refreshing to see a private industry successfully intercede to provide funding for their possible future participants.The general public may be interested in this website, however I think it may be limited to families in the Thoroughbred Industry.

Thank you for your review of this site. I am impressed by this organization. Many of the sites we have reviewed five information on how to help or publish documents related to a particular topic. This organization aims to assist families with scholarships and educational expenses. Many parents work multiple jobs and late hours not only to help their family make ends meet, but many do so to provide much needed funds for post secondary education. I was also impressed that due to some donors, 100% of the contribution go toward the organizations goal. Thank you for reviewing this site and introducing this organization. Joshua

New Ways to Work http://www.newwaystowork.org/ Website Overview: The purpose of the webpage titled New Ways to Work is to inform the audience of the organizations continuing efforts to create partnerships with other organizations such as schools, communities, private and government partners in order to provide young adults access to quality education and career opportunities. The New Ways to Work is devoted to providing less fortunate youths with choices to better themselves by using the public resources available to them. The organization also provides training programs, community activities and support groups that help educate youths about the necessary skills or goals required to succeed in an evolving school/work environment. Intended Audience: The intended audience for this website seems to be the general working families. I feel as the whole purpose of the webpage is to let less fortunate families know that there are organizations out there attempting to provide their children with a better way of life. Critique: After reviewing the webpage I began to realize that the webpage itself is extremely focused on informing individuals about the organizations efforts and continuing involvement with organizations to improve future generation's way of life. What I found interesting is the number of corporations that are associated with the organization, names such as Bill Gates, Apple, IBM, Wells Fargo, and the US Department of Education have all helped fund the organization in one way or the other. This alone can lead one to believe that the organization is accomplishing its objective of working with corporations and educational institutes to help build awareness regarding the possibilities youths can have. However, the webpage itself lacks information regarding how these corporations and individuals have made their contributions. The whole site seems to fail to make any real stance against anything other than helping youths. I found it interesting to see th

that they do not have a way for their visitors to donate money. The webpage seems to be more focused on making sure people are aware of what their organization does more than how they go about it. As for the website itself, I feel that a lot more time could have been placed on creating a more organized webpage. I looked at several webpages and the new ways to work webpage might be one of the worst put together website I have seen. The whole thing just looks like it was put together as a high school project. The webpage lacks some real direction as it seems the developers of the site were satisfied with just throwing a large amount of information out on their site and letting the viewer attempt to decipher the meaning of the information. One of the worst cases of this would be the web links section. I could not determine why the tab was there. From what I could tell the section is just a list of websites organized in alphabetical order, there is no introduction to the page or any references attempting to explain why the websites are there. Are these webpages sites that the organization supports or are they actual organizations that the group works with? Overall I feel that the organization as a whole has been successful in accomplishing their mission, however, I feel that their webpage needs better direction and more credible sources. I found it very difficult to find any sort of sources throughout the entire webpage and feel that the reason for this is largely due to the lack of organization on the website itself. The Author of the webpage is never revealed, however there is a section regarding the staff of the company under the "About us" section. Overall, I would say that the large number of individuals and corporations that have worked with the organization can only lead one to believe that the information provided is credible and that the lack of clarity on their website is due to poor organization. Relationship to Work, Family, Community class: I feel t

One of the topics that we covered in the class was Community which is described as being based on the idea that what we share exceeds what divides us, and that we gain more by working together than alone. New Ways to Work seems to be all about promoting the element of Community. It is good to have a source to go to for guidance on how we can collaborate and strengthen our ability to accomplish things that we would otherwise not be able to accomplish on our own. This seems to be a good site and I will probably refer to it again in the future.