Strengthening The Foster Care and Adoption System Essays

Many potential adopted parents have experienced heartbreak, anguish and other problems that can be associated with adoption. There is an imbalance in the Nations foster care system and the system needs to be strengthening and the quality of services improved. Despite attempts in the foster care system agencies under the guidelines of the â€Å"Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997† (ASFA) to locate suitable homes and families for foster children, many remain in foster care. â€Å"Too often, Child Welfare policy and the agencies responsible for it – offices that respond to child abuse and neglect, oversee foster care placements, and seek to reunite children with their parents to find adoptive families- are out of sight and out of mind except for†¦show more content†¦The Child Permanency Plan court orders that parents participate in their require services 15 of the most recent 22 months unless there is an exception (decided on by the court). If not children when possible are placed with suitable family members and/or adoptive parents for safety and permanency. However, there are major problems in the Foster care/ Adoption system and many children continue too many years in foster care without a permanency plan. A ccording to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Adoption and Foster care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) from October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008, there were 123,000 waiting to be adopted. Currently there are 200,000 plus children in foster care nationally. Many have been in continuous foster care for as long as 2-3 1/2 years. (1.) Initially children are placed into the foster care system because of high risk safety factors which determines how the government will respond. What’s not clear at the time is that the child may have underlining problems- mental health issues, truancy, juvenile delinquency. Once placed in foster care if the issues are not detected and the case management plans do not address the underlining problems they may be aggravated and increase the severity of the child’s conditions/ behavior. (2.) Many times agencies and case managers do not have access to information and files that their counterparts have even whe n they are involved in the same case because ofShow MoreRelatedH. R 4980 : Preventing Sex Trafficking And Strengthening Families Act Of 20141671 Words   |  7 PagesThe policy under analysis is the H.R. 4980 (113th): Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014. It was introduced to Congress on June 26, 2014, and it was enacted on September 29, 2014 (Civic Impulse, 2017). The law was enacted to target several problems: first, to prevent and address sex trafficking of children in foster care (Subtitle A); second, to improve adoption incentives and extending family connection grants (Subtitle B); and third, to improve international child supportRead MoreSocialworktoday.Com Conducted A Study On Ways To Repair978 Words   |  4 PagesSocialworktoday.com conducted a study on ways to repair the foster care by consulting foster care experts. The system came up with five strategies that are explained in article titled â€Å"Fixing Foster Care — 5 Strategies f or Change† written by Nadine M. Hasencez. The five strategies are to strengthen families of origin, support case workers, educate the public, help children deal with unresolved grief and loss, and guide children in building connections (Hasencez). Carol Wilson Spigner, a professorRead MoreSocial Workers And Social Work950 Words   |  4 Pageseligibility rules, service delivery systems, and financing (Chapin, 2014, p.186). This paper will explore and analyze the service delivery system and financing of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Additionally, this paper will examine the achieved outcomes that have been accomplished by the implementation of CAPTA. Children are one of the most vulnerable populations that social workers will assist in the social work profession. The child welfare system encompasses many services thatRead MoreI Am A Master Of Social Work Degree1537 Words   |  7 Pagesculmination of my undergraduate studies, I was recruited into the Children’s Corps and received training for graduates interested in working in the child welfare system. After my training, I immediately began employment as a case planner at JCCA. My main goal as a case planner is to help children find permanency through reunification with parents, adoption or legal guardianship. My experience at JCCA has allowed me to develop my interpersonal skills and increased my ability to work with a diverse group ofRead MoreFirst Three Years Old Child Who Tested Positive For Crack Cocaine During Pregnancy1530 Words   |  7 Pagesold child who tested positive for crack cocaine at birth. She was immediately taken into custody. For the first three m onths of her life, she was placed in foster care. During this time, her mother, Emilia, was remanded into drug treatment, which she did not complete. Her father was nowhere to be found, so she was placed in kinship care with her grandparents at the age of three months. They are currently in the process of adopting her. Her mother states that she would like to work towards regainingRead MoreWendys International, Inc.1409 Words   |  6 Pagescompany aims to follow that motto in all of its restaurants. They want in return Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction, by their plan to exceed customer expectations, foster a performance-driven culture, deliver the balanced message of brand equity plus value in outstanding advertising, and most importantly creating a healthy restaurant system. Wendy s faces stiff competition in the overall fast food industry, as McDonald s holds a dominating 18% share of the market with Wendy s and Burger King holdingRead MoreReasons For Adopting Children From Foster Homes1392 Words   |  6 PagesAllowed to Adopt In today world there’s a huge population of children in foster homes. Why not give LGBT people the chance to adopt. They probably want to raise a child or even children of there own today or someday. The LGBs community overpowers the foster care community. Therefore, LGBs people should be able to adopt children from foster care. LGBs community should be allowed to adopt because they nurture the neediest, they foster tolerance, and they choose the responsibility to have children, despiteRead MoreChild Protective Services1477 Words   |  6 PagesCHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES REFORM 1 INTRODUCTION Child Protective Services (CPS) is a complex system of assessments, investigations, and conclusions. CPS is the central agency in each communities child abuse and neglect service system. It is responsible for ensuring that preventative, investigative, and treatment services are available to children and families endangered by child abuse and neglect. As a result, CPS workers must perform a variety of functions when responding to situations of childRead MoreHunger, Poverty, And Poverty3258 Words   |  14 Pagesproblematic, but the issue exists and is very real. Since severe poverty leads to homelessness, the next step is children being put in foster care because their parents do not have the resources to provide for them. Struggling families multiply as time continues. Since greater poverty and homelessness often lead to an increase in foster care for children, strengthening family units can decrease financial hardships. In order to see the issues of poverty, one must know how it is relevant today. In PhiladelphiaRead MoreFoster Care As A Temporary Solution Essay2185 Words   |  9 PagesFoster Care is one of the major issues still faced in this world today. According to Crosson-Tower (2013), in the early 1800s, boarding homes was instituted with the idea of rescuing â€Å"good† children from ‘bad† parents. She notes that the idea of paying for foster homes to house children was renounced because agencies advocating foster care argued that it will lead foster parents to take children for money rather than out of altruism. However, she also explains the practice of paying for foster care

V xcvbxcv Free Essays

Under this contract, the customer selects the capital equipment or property (assets) to be nuanced by the bank and the bank then purchases these assets from the manufacturer or supplier and then leases them to the customer for an agreed period. In conformity with the Shari’s, the owner of the assets (in this case the bank) must be paid rent (fixed or variable, as agreed by the lesson and lessee) and must exercise all the rights and obligations that are incidental to ownership such as maintaining, insuring and repairing the assets. The lessee, on the other hand, obtains the use of the asset for the period of the lease subject to paying the rent. We will write a custom essay sample on V xcvbxcv or any similar topic only for you Order Now The lessee may assume the obligations, such as maintaining, insuring and repairing the asset, in return for a reduced rent. 1 . 3. 2 What is Car Ajar? As mentioned above ‘Jar is basically the transfer of suffuses (defined below) of a fixed asset to another person for an agreed period, for an agreed consideration. Under a Car ‘Jar agreement the car will be rented to the customer for the period agreed at the time of contract. Upon completion of the lease period the customer in the Means case discussed below, gets ownership of the car against his initial security deposit. Car ‘Jar is a Shari’s-compliant car-leasing scheme. It is based on the principles of Jar and is completely free from the element of interest. This product is designed for interpretative individuals, looking for a car-financing scheme that helps in avoiding interest-based transactions. So Car ‘Jar is simply a rental agreement under which the car will be given to the customer in exchange for rent for a period, agreed at the time of the contract. Means Bank, based in Pakistan and a pioneer in this area, purchases the car and rents it out to the customer for a period of three, four or five years. Upon completion of the lease period the customer gets ownership of the car against his initial security deposit. Somewhat confusingly, the Means Car ‘Jar scheme has elements of ‘Jar WA Satin within it. In this case study I propose to follow the Means assumption in using ‘Jar in the sense that it involves car ownership at the end of the maturity of the deal. This is in line with Shari’s methodology and terminology. . 3. 2. 1 What is Suffuses? Suffuses is the right of enjoying a thing, the property of which is vested in another, and to draw from the same all the profit, utility and advantage that it may produce, provided it be without altering the substance of the thing. Items without suffuses cannot be leased. It is necessary for a valid lease contract that the corpus of the leased asset remains in the ownershi p of the seller, and only its suffuses is transferred to the lessee. 1 . 3. 3 In what Sense is Car ‘Jar Interest Free? In Car Ajar, the asset remains under the ownership and at the risk of the bank and the customer only pays the rental for the use of the asset, Just like the rent of a house. 3 Under leasing or lease purchase, the Islamic financial institution buys the financed asset and retains the title through the life of the contract. The customer makes a series of lease payments over a specified period of time, and may have the option at the end to buy the item from the lesson (and owner) at a pre specified residual value. Leasing was not originally a mode of financing. It was simply a transaction meant to transfer the suffuses of a property from one person to another for an agreed period and an agreed upon consideration. Leasing can be used as a mode of financing, in Islamic banks, as an alternative to conventional car financing. However, the consideration of leasing as a mode of financing should be based on certain notations. It should be understood, by all using it as a mode of financing, that it is not sufficient to substitute the term ‘interest’ with the term ‘rent’, and use the term ‘mortgage’ instead of the term ‘leased asset’. There must be a significant difference between leasing and an interest-bearing loan. It is no secret that an Islamic bank or financial institution will take into consideration the same factors as a conventional bank when determining the rental payments and residual value. These would include the rate of inflation, the creditworthiness of the Jesse, the opportunity cost value of the money (as reflected by market interest rates) and so on. An implicit ‘interest rate’ can trivially be calculated from the price, residual value, term of the lease and the lease payment. This fact is not hidden. Indeed Muslim customers are encouraged to ‘shop around’ and ensure that the Islamic financial institution is not implicitly charging an interest rate, which is in line with the conventional market. In the final analysis, however, the difference is in the form of the contract. If the lease is structured in accordance with the various conditions within Islamic Jurisprudence, t will contract no rib and ensure that it cannot contain such forbidden rib in the future (e. G. In terms of late payment fees, etc. ). 1 . 3. 4 What is the Difference between a Conventional Lease and an Islamic Lease? The most important financial difference between Islamic leasing and conventional leasing is that, with Islamic leasing, the leasing agency must own the leased object for the duration of the lease. Therefore, although leasing a car from a car manufacturer or car dealership may in principle be permitted for Muslims (if the contract satisfies the other conditions), Muslims should investigate further. In many cases, the car dealership may in fact use a bank or other financial intermediary to provide a loan for the present value of lease payments, and charge the customer interest on this loan. This would constitute the forbidden rib. Scrupulous Islamic financial institutions ensure that the contract abides by all the restrictions set out in the Shari’s (e. G. , subleasing requires the permission of the lesson; late payment penalties must be handled very carefully to avoid rib, etc. ). The differences between conventional and Islamic financing schemes are described in he sections below. 1. 3. 4. Leasing versus Conventional Financing Conventional Financing The conventional financing schemes provide financing for purchasing a car; that is, in essence the financier is giving a loan and charging interest. 4 Islamic Financing The Islamic car financing – ‘Jar – is based on a lease contract. It is not a financing scheme; rather it is a lease contract. As mentione d earlier leasing is a contract whereby suffuses rights to an asset are transferred by the owner, known as the lesson, to another person, known as the lessee, at an agreed-upon price, called the .NET, and for an agreed-upon period of time, called the term of lease. . 3. 4. 2 Rentals versus Installments A conventional car financing scheme is actually an interest-based loan given by the financial institution, with interest being charged on the loan. Islamic car financing is based on pure rentals. In Car ‘Jar the asset remains at the ownership and risk of the bank and the customer only pays the rental for use of the asset, Just like the rent for a house. 1. 3. 4. 3 Ownership In conventional car financing, the car is purchased in the name of the buyer from the dealer. Islamic Financing Under ‘Jar the ownership remains with the bank; that is, the car is purchased from the dealer in the name of the bank. This is because it is one of the foremost conditions of the Islamic mode of leasing that an object cannot be leased out unless it is in the possession of the lesson. 1. 3. 4. 4 Risk/loss Since the car is bought in the name of the buyer in the traditional mode of car financing, the risk is immediately transferred to the buyer, whereas in the case of Islamic financing, this is not so. The car is purchased in the name of the bank from the dealer and so the risk mains entirely with the bank. As the corpus of the leased property remains in the ownership of the lesson, all the liabilities and risks emerging from the ownership are borne by the lesson. The lessee is responsible for any loss caused to the asset by misuse or negligence. The lessee can also be made liable for the wear and tear, which normally occurs during its use. But the lessee cannot be made liable for a loss caused by factors beyond his control. (The agreements CIO 5 with traditional car financing generally do not differentiate between these two situations. In a lease based on Islamic principles, both situations should be dealt with separately. 1. 3. 4. 5 Down-payment versus Security Deposit Both the down-payment and the security deposit are one-time payments. The major difference occurs because the buyer can buy back the car against the security deposit in the case of Ajar, whereas in conventional banking the down-payment remains with the bank, and no buy-back of the car can occur against the down- payment. With ‘Jar the buyer is required to keep a security deposit at the bank. There is a minimum and a maximum requirement for the security deposit. The requirement is efferent in the case of conventional car financing, where a down-payment is made by the buyer of the car. 1. 3. 4. 6 Return of the Car In a traditional car financing scheme, the customer takes out a loan to purchase the car, which he cannot return under any circumstances whatsoever, unless he pays off the loan. Islamic Financing In the Islamic mode of financing, the buyer has the right to return the car anytime during or at the end of the lease period. Since this is a lease agreement, and the lessee has been paying rentals, he can return the car to the bank and take back the security deposit any time he wishes. . 3. 4. 7 Termination of Contract The buyer of the car has the option and right to terminate the contract and return the car before the contract reaches its maturity in both the conventional and Islamic mode of car financing. The difference lies in the post-termination phase. In the conventional car financing scheme, if the customer wants to terminate the contract the only option he has is to buy the car by paying the rest of the installments. In the Islamic car financing scheme, the customer has two options: either return the car and get back the security deposit or buy the car from the bank at the market alee plus a certain percentage of spread for the bank. 6 1. 3. 4. 8 Documentation Differences Sequence/process Islam considers the procedure in which any transaction takes place as a significant factor in all modes of financing. The underlying difference between the Islamic and conventional modes of financing is that of the process. To Muslims, not only the end result but also the means to it are important. If the result is correct and the steps are wrong, or vice versa, the entire process is deemed invalid, from a Shari’s perspective. According to Shari’s principles, lawful steps to lawful results are very important. The most important financial difference between Islamic permitted leasing and conventional financial leasing is that the leasing agency must own the leased object for the duration of the lease. Ownership of the asset is the prerequisite for leasing out its suffuses. As mentioned, Islam places great emphasis on the sequencing. 1 . 3. The Means Bank Car ‘Jar Scheme Means Banks Car ‘Jar has been designed according to the principles of Islam and is completely interest-free. Moreover the ‘Jar contract and other documentation also comply with Shari’s requirements. In contrast, a conventional car-financing scheme s actually an interest-based loan given by the financial institution with interest being charged on the loan. Also, in conventiona l car-leasing schemes, the lease contract is not in compliance with Shari’s law and has rib and other UN-lilacs elements in it. 1. 3. 5. What Makes Car ‘Jar Unique? Some of the key characteristics of the Means Car ‘Jar are described in the following sections. Rights and Liabilities of Owner Versus User ‘Jar is an asset-based contract, that is, the lesson should have ownership of the asset during the life of the contract. Under Shari’s law all ownership-related rights and abilities should lie with the owners while all usage-related rights and liabilities should lie with the user. A conventional lease contract does not distinguish between the nature of these liabilities and dumps all liabilities on the user. This is not permitted under the Shari’s. Under ‘Jar all ownership-related risks lie with the bank and all usage related links lie with the user, thus making the lesson the true owner of the asset and making the income generated through the contract permissible (hall) for the Islamic bank. Continuation of Lease Rentals in the Case of Total Loss or Theft of Vehicle If the eased vehicle is stolen or completely destroyed the conventional leasing company would continue charging the lease holder rent until the settlement of the insurance claim. Under the Islamic system, however, rent is consideration for usage of the leased asset and, if the asset has been stolen or destroyed, the concept of rental becomes void. As such, in the above-mentioned eventualities, Means Bank does not charge the lease rental. Is there a Penalty for Late Payment of Rent? If so How is This Permissible Under the Shari’s? In most conventional financial leases an extra monetary amount is charged if rent is to paid on time. This extra amount is considered as rib under the Shari’s and is distinctly forbidden 7 (harm). The lessee may be asked to undertake that if he fails to pay rent on its due date, he will pay a certain amount to a charity that will be administered through the bank. For this purpose Means Bank maintains a charity fund where such amounts may be credited and disbursed for charitable purposes. What is the Insurance Arrangement under Car Ajar? Being the owner of the car, the bank will be responsible for insurance of the car and for paying the insurance premium. If Tactful (Islamic insurance) is not available, the insurance is done under the conventional system. Can the User Buy the Car Prior to the Termination of Rental Agreement? Yes. The rental agreement contains the purchase price schedule. Is the Product Approved by Means Banks Shari’s Board Yes. Car ‘Jar is designed under the supervision of Means Banks Shari’s Supervisory Board and is approved by the Board. In order for any Islamic financing technique to be acceptable to the Islamic community it has to be endorsed by the appropriate Shari’s Board who will provide a Fatwa (a religious ruling). The appendix to this case illustrates the Fatwa applicable to the Means Bank Car ‘Jar agreement. How to cite V xcvbxcv, Papers

Ryan Todrank14 September 2017CHDV 131Reading Respo Essays

Ryan Todrank14 September 2017CHDV 131Reading Response 2After reading the article, one the most interesting thing I read was "If Research shows that four month old babies vocalize more when an adult is present, what is the crucial factor that stimulates this vocalization? Eye gaze!" p.220. I find this quote very interesting because I think it is so true! A baby can learn language from you with talking to them but eye contact is the most important thing. Not only is it the voice, but your expressions and your voice tone are what really help and baby learn. This is what makes eye contact so important.I work at a daycare and many of the kids have baby brothers and sisters. I will walk up to them and at first they will not notice that I am even there. I can tell because when I start talking they are just looking away or eating their toes. But if I make a small gesture like touch there nose or grab their finger, there stare right at me. I will say things like "how are you today?" And they will just stare right at me and go "babababa" not only do I know that they are focused on me, but I know that they are learning language development.French scientists did a study to see if they could if a baby was French just by the babbling, and they say that they were able to identify it. They were able to do this by the sounds that the babies used. English reared babies babble mostly with a falling intonation while French babies end with a rising intonation.There are many people that I work with that come from many different backgrounds, I see babies from Italian backgrounds, Mexican backgrounds, and an Australian background. From my experience, of all of the babies that I work with, I can tell that they are not American just from the babbling. With the Australian child for example, He still is learning English, but the tone is so much different that it makes it obvious that it is not American English just from his "babababa". For children that are bilingual, I think that it just depends on what the native language is. Whatever language is stronger will be the deciding factor.

How to Pay for College Complete Guide

How to Pay for College Complete Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You did all the work of getting into your dream schools - researching the colleges, visiting campuses, getting great test scores, putting together a polished application - and still have to deal with one major obstacle: paying for college. Few students canpay for a full year at college without some assistance, but almost 2 million students graduate with a bachelor’s degree each year in the US - they must be paying for school somehow, right? Whether you’re a high school student or a current undergraduate, it’s never too early (or too late) to think about minimizing your college costs to make school more affordable. In this post, I’ll go through everything you need to know about how to pay for college. I’ll start off by talking about what college actually costs before moving into application strategies, figuring out how much money you need, how much aid you can get, and how much you should actually be paying. We'll cover all the major ways to pay for college that families usually use. At the end, I’ll offer some more creative options for closing the gap between your financial need and your actual cost. First, How Much Does College Cost? The first step in understanding how to pay for collegeis having a good understanding of what your expenses will be. For the 2014-2015 academic year, the average cost of tuition and fees for one year was: $31,231 at private colleges $9,139 for state residents at public colleges $22,958 for out-of-state residents at public colleges This is the cost that people typically consider when they think of college expenses. Unfortunately, there’s a lot more to the picture than just tuition costs - there are also hidden or implicit expenses associated with spending a year at college. These other annual expenses include: Room and board - averages $,188 at private colleges, $8,804 at public colleges College textbooks - average cost is about $1,200 Travel costs - these will vary widely based on the student Lab fees and supplies - these will come to about $50 per class if they're not already rolled into fees Personal expenses - most students budget about $2,000/year to cover personal costs like toiletries and entertainment Lumping together all of these expenses (if you can estimate travel and personal expenses) will give you a school’s real sticker price - the Cost of Attendance. It’s pretty easy to get an estimate of a school’s CoA- just google â€Å"[school name] cost of attendance.† While it's important to know a school's CoA, perhaps a more important figure to know is your "net price" -it’s what you pay after all financial aid is taken into account. This is what you actually owe, out of pocket, for a year at school. Want to estimate your net price at a particular school? Just google â€Å"[school name] net price calculator† - many schools have tools that will give you an estimate of how much you’ll pay out of pocket. These calculators take financial need and sometimes merit-based factors into account. Minimizing Costs With Your College Applications Cutting costs can be as simple as applying to the right schools - make paying for college easier from the beginning. If you’re applying to collegeswith price in mind, your strategy should focus on lowest net price, not necessarily lowest sticker price. Apply broadly so that you can consider as many options as possible. You have nothing to lose by applying to a wide range of schools, aside from application fees. If these fees are an issue, ask your guidance counselor about fee waivers. Once you've been accepted to schools,you’ll receive official financial aid packages. You can then determine which packages you’re most comfortable with (I'll go through some example financial aid packages at the end of the post). Once you start looking over different financial aid offers, you might notice that not all types of aid are created equal. Just because a financial aid package will cover all your â€Å"unmet need† doesn’t mean that it will do so in a way that you’ll find helpful (for example, an aid offer might offer large high-interest loans). Look over each package carefully to determine how much money you’ll actually pay, both now and in the future. Example: Aschool that offers you 5k in grants and 40k in high-interest loans (45k total) will have you paying much more in the long run than a school that offers you 25k in grants, 10k in low-interest loans, and 5k in high-interest loans (40k total). In general,grants and scholarships tend to be better aid options than low-interest loans or federal work-study. High-interest loans are the least desirable forms of aid. You don't have to pay back grant or scholarship money, but you do have to pay back your school loans (and high-interest loans cost you more in the long run than low-interest ones). How Do You Figure Out How Much You Need to Pay for College? Now may be a good time to whip out your trusty TI-84. There are a few different steps to figuring out how much aid you’ll need in order to afford college: 1. How Much Will School Cost? Your total expenses will depend on where you decide to go to school, whether you're living in a dorm, and what sort of travel and personal expenses you'll need to account for. Use the info aboveand this guide to get a good estimate of what your sticker price will be. 2. What Can You Afford? Your family’s idea of what you can afford may differ from what schools and the Department of Education think you can afford. To address this discrepancy, I have two strategies to figuring out what your family can contribute to college costs: an "unofficial" (perhaps more realistic) one, and an official one. Theunofficialstrategy will tell you what your family can reasonably contribute, whereas the official strategy tells you what you may beexpected to contribute. The "Unofficial" Strategy Sit down with your parents/guardians and crunch some numbers. Schools often expect families to contribute at least 10% of annual income to college costs, even if schools themselves can’t offer enough aid to cover the difference. What would it mean for your family if they had to contribute 10% to your college expenses for four years? What if they were asked to contribute more than 10%? The "Official" Strategy Use the FAFSA4caster to estimate your federal aid eligibility. The tool will spit out a number called an EFC, or Expected Family Contribution - this is the figure that the FAFSA4caster has determined your family can afford to pay. The more accurate the info you enter into the FAFSA4caster, the more accurate your EFC will be. When you submit the real FAFSA, the federal government will use the application to determine aid eligibility. Many schools also use the FAFSA to award their own need-based aid. 3. What's the Difference Between What You Can Afford and What You Owe? The final step in determining how much aid you need is figuring out the difference between your CoA (cost of attendance) and the amount you can comfortably afford. The difference will be the amount that (ideally) you can get covered with financial aid, including grants, loans, and scholarships. Anything that remains â€Å"uncovered† is your responsibility to pay. For example, if a school’s CoA is 50k and you get 20k in grants and 20k in federal subsidized loans, 10k will be your responsibility. You can pay the amount that year, take out private loans or PLuS loans, or a combination thereof. How Much Financial Aid Can You Get? Let's figure out how much money you can get your hands on. Unfortunately, just because you have demonstrated financial need doesn’t mean you can get that need covered at any school you wish to go to. Most college students in the US get some help paying for college, but the amount of money you can get will depend on quite a few different factors. In this section, I'll talk about the main variables that affect how much aid you can get and the different ways to pay for college. Financial Need The greater your demonstrated financial need, the more aid you're likely to get. Students with exceptional financial need may beeligiblefor federal programs like the Pell Grant or Perkins loan. Need-based scholarships, like the Gates Millennium Scholarship program, are also viable funding options. Finally, schools that offer need-based aid will award more funds to students with greater need. Your Choice of School Put simply; top-rated schools tend to have more money, which means they can offer more generous financial aid packages. Some schools even claim to cover all unmet financial need. Whether you attend a public or private college will also affect your net costs. Private schools tend to cost more than public in terms of sticker price, but they tend to have better financial aid programs. Public schools are relatively inexpensive for state residents, but can be very pricey for out-of-state applicants. Merit The greater your strengths, the more opportunities you'll have for educational funding. Merit-based institutional aid is often offered in the form of sports scholarships or academic scholarships (for students with high grades or SAT/ACT scores). Not all schools offer merit-based aid, but some do in order to attract high-caliber applicants. Merit-based scholarships are also good funding options for ambitious students. Many private scholarships give out awards based on GPA, test scores, community service, and leadership experience. Being a high performer in any of these areas will help your college applications, but they’ll also help your scholarship applications. Initiative Ultimately, access to many of these financial opportunities comes down to initiative and personal organization. One of the most important ways initiative comes into play is when it comes to keeping track of (and meeting) deadlines - you won't be able to get any forms of financial aid if you don't have an organized timeline. To give you a bit of a head start, I've compiled important deadlines so that you can maximize your aid opportunities: Federal FAFSA deadline -For the 2015-2016 academic year, the federal FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2016. The earlier you apply, the better - you don't want funds for certain programs to run out. For the 2016-2017 academic year, the FAFSA will open January 1, 2016. State FAFSA deadline - These deadlines vary be state. If you're interested in qualifying for state funding (you should be interested), check the FAFSA deadline for your state. CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE deadline - The PROFILE is an aid applications that some schools use in lieu of (or in addition to) the FAFSA. Deadlines vary by school, so check with the colleges you're applying to if you know you'll have to submit a PROFILE. Check this list of participating schools and programs for more info. Scholarship deadlines -Deadlines for different scholarship programs vary widely. If you do plan on applying for scholarships, you may as well go all out and apply to as many as possible. Many scholarships ask for similar things from applicants: a personal statement, transcripts, ACT/SAT scores, letters of rec., etc. Check out our list of top scholarships to get an idea of typical scholarship deadlines. For more information on applying for financial aid, check out our step-by-step guide. How Much Should You Pay for College Out-of-Pocket? How much is too much to pay in cash and loans? So we've gone through strategies for minimizing costs, determining need, and calculating likely aid. What we haven't covered yet is perhaps the most important question you should ask yourself before committing to a particular school: how much should you pay, both in cash up front and in loans after graduation, for your education?If you have the opportunity to attend one of your target schools or even reach schools, but the financial aid package isn’t as great as you expected, what do you do? Is it worth it to pay more than you can afford to attend that college? I can't give you a clear answer to these questions,but I can give you some information that will help you figure them out for yourself: 1. Attending a Better School Leads to Better Networking and Career Opportunities More prestigious or better-ranked schools often have stronger alumni networks andrecruitingevents. A diploma from a better school is also a better "signal" to future employers or graduate schools. Ultimately, you may earnmore money in the long run if you attend a high-ranking college. There are a few caveats to keep in mind, however. First, you may not equate a higher salary with success, especially if you don't plan on pursuing a high-earning career. Second, a college degree on its own (regardless of where you go to school) is correlated with higher earnings. Finally, income is probably more strongly associated with your choice of career than it is with your choice of college. For example, students who graduate in math/science fields tend to earn more than other students. 2. Student Loan Debt Can Limit Your Future Choices Loans often have a grace period (a period of time after graduation where you don’t yet have to make payments), but after this grace period, looming student debt can limit your career options. Things like travel, unpaid internships, or volunteer work may be out of the question if you have to make hefty monthly loan payments. If you have severe financial problems later in life and declare bankruptcy (where all your debts are forgiven - you start with a clean slate, but your credit is destroyed), student loans are essentiallynon-dischargeable. Even if you face extreme financial hardships through no fault of your own, student debt is notoriously sticky, and usually, won’t be canceled by bankruptcy. In sum, student debt is a commitment. The more loans you take out, the more your debt will affect the rest of your life choices. 3. Student Loan Debt Can Be Flexible, and Even Forgivable There are different repayment plan options for recent grads who aren’t making much money, including income-based and graduated repayment plans. You pay more in the long run, but monthly payments are smaller when you’re younger and aren’t making as much money. This affords you a degree of flexibility. Additionally,you usually don’t have to make payments on your loans if you are in graduate school. Finally,some student loans can be forgiven or canceled if you work in certain public service careers. This means you can pursue a (relatively) low-paying career option without worrying about paying back student debt. How Do You Determine Your Willingness to Pay? The right amount to pay out-of-pocket for college will depend on what you’re ultimately comfortable with. Some questions to consider before deciding what you’re okay paying for school, both now (in cash) and in the future (with student loan payments) include: Will this school offer you unparalleled networking/professional opportunities, or can you get similar opportunities somewhere less expensive? Does this school offer an especially strong program in a field I want to pursue? How much do you (realistically) anticipate earning in the 5-10 years after you graduate? Based on your career path, what will you be able to afford in terms of monthly student loan payments? Are there ways to cut down personal costs/expenses to lower your cost of attendance? What sacrifices are you willing to make, and what sacrifices are out of the question? Can you get a student job to mitigate some of your costs? Would getting a student job negatively impact your studies? Last, but not least: how does this amount of debt or expense make you feel? If you anticipate burdened or overwhelmed to the extent that your quality of life is negatively affected, is the expense worth it? Only you know the answers to these questions. I encourage you to be thoughtful and honest with yourself - the costs and benefits of attending a particular school are long-lasting and far-reaching. Paying for college is an investment in yourself and in your future, but you want the investment to be premeditated and purposeful. If you’re dead-set on attending a particular school that’s a little pricier than you’d like, read on for tips on making college a bit more affordable. Creative Ways to Pay for School Let's get the creative juices flowing. There are other ways to get money for college besides federal and institutional financial aid. If you have a bit of time on your hands, these next options could help you make college more affordable. Scholarships You can start applying for scholarships any time - you don’t even have to be in high school! Many of the bigger scholarships, though, are targeted towards graduating high school seniors. Before you even apply to colleges, start checking out scholarship options, ideally sometime during your junior year. There are so many scholarship options out there - big and small - that could make a world of a difference. To start your scholarship search, check out our guides to the top awards for high school juniors and high school seniors. Student Jobs This won’t be right for everyone, but a student job can be a practical (and sometimes even fun) way to cover some of your expenses. Students with federal work study awards, in particular, will have plenty of on-campus job options. Ideally, you can get both professional career experience AND some extra cash. Paying for College: Reals Now that we've gone through everything you need to know about paying for college, from cost-minimization strategies to creative cost solutions, we can put everything together to see examples in action. I'll present two different examples to reflect two different, but realistic, situations. For each example, I'll walk through different payment options for each (hypothetical) student. Example 1 In this example, a high-achieving Arizona student from a relatively wealthy family has received a financial aid offer from Arizona State University. Remember when we went over factors that affect aid? We know that she's applied to an in-state public school, she's high-merit, and she has relatively low financial need. The first two factors will positively affect the amount of aid she receives, whereas the last factor will negatively impact her aid. Here's an idea of what her aid offer would look like: Her net price - what her family would have to pay out-of-pocket for all expenses - comes to $14,260 for the year. She's responsible for paying this entire amount if she wants to register for classes at ASU. She has a few options when it comes to tackling this expense: If her family can afford to do so, they could pay the entire $14,260 for the year. This would be less expensive than taking out loans in the long run because the student wouldn't be responsible for accruing interest charges. The student could take out the entire amount in loans. If she did this for all 4 years of college, her debt would come to about $60,000 - more than twice the average amount of US student debt. She may be able to take out some low-interest federal loans to mitigate these costs. The student's family could pay some amount in cash, and the student could take out the remaining balance in loans. The student could apply for merit-based scholarships, and get part or all of her net price covered. If a balance remains after winning scholarships, the student could pay with cash; she could take out loans, or she could cover the balance with some combination of cash and loans. The student could get a student job and pay down some of her net balance while she's in school. It would be very difficult, however, to earn almost 15k/year while shes's also a full-time student - 2-3k would be a reasonable goal. Keep in mind that if this student were not high-achieving, she likely wouldn't have earned the ASU scholarship. Her net price would have been $27,260 instead of $14,260 - her good grades and ACT/SAT scores saved her $13,000 in her first year of college. Example 2 In this example, a high-achieving California student from a relatively low-income family has received a financial aid offer from Stanford University. We know that he's applied to a top private school with a high sticker price but a generous financial aid program, he's high-merit, and he has high financial need. All three factors will positively impact the amount of aid he receives. Here's an idea of what his aid offer would look like: His net price comes to $5,000 a year, even though the total cost of attendance is a staggering $64,900. He has a few options when it comes to paying this annual expense: His family may pay part or all of his net cost. Given that he comes from a lower-income family, however, they may not be able to afford this. He could apply for need-based or merit-based scholarships. Even if he got several smaller scholarships, he could cover a significant part (or even all) of this annual cost. He could get a student job to cover these expenses. If he got paid work during the summer and the school year, it wouldn't be unmanageable to pay 5k per year. He could take out student loans to cover part or all of his expenses. Given that his family is low-income, he would likely qualify for low-interest federal loans. Even if he took out 5k loans for 4 years of college, his student debt at graduation would be lower than that of the average US graduate. What's Next? Excited to start budgeting for college? Of course, you're not - it's like the least fun part. Even though it's not exactly thrilling, it doesn't have to be painful. Your first stop should be our clear guide to what college actually costs. Your next stop should be prepping for financial aid applications. Read our guides to applying for financial aid and submitting a FAFSA. Ready for something a little more fun? Check out our guides to the top scholarship programs for high school juniors and seniors. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

GDI Graphics in Visual Basic .NET Tutorial

GDI Graphics in Visual Basic .NET Tutorial GDI is the way to draw shapes, fonts, images or generally anything graphic in Visual Basic .NET. This article is the first part of a complete introduction to using GDI in Visual Basic .NET. GDI is an unusual part of .NET. It was here before .NET (GDI was released with Windows XP) and it doesnt share the same update cycles as the .NET Framework. Microsofts documentation usually states that Microsoft Windows GDI is an API for C/C programmers into the Windows OS. But GDI also includes the namespaces used in VB.NET for software-based graphics programming. WPF But its not the only graphics software provided by Microsoft, especially since Framework 3.0. When Vista and 3.0 were introduced, the totally new WPF was introduced with it. WPF is a high-level, hardware accelerated approach to graphics. As Tim Cahill, Microsoft WPF software team member, puts it, with WPF you describe your scene using high-level constructs, and we’ll worry about the rest. And the fact that its hardware accelerated means that you dont have to drag down the operation of your PC processor drawing shapes on the screen. Much of the real work is done by your graphics card. Weve been here before, however. Every great leap forward is usually accompanied by a few stumbles backward, and besides, it will take years for WPF to work its way through the zillions of bytes of GDI code. Thats especially true since WPF just about assumes that youre working with a high-powered system with lots of memory and a hot graphics card. Thats why many PCs couldnt run Vista (or at least, use the Vista Aero graphics) when it was first introduced. So this series continues to be available on the site for any and all who continue to need to use it. Good Ol Code GDI isnt something that you can drag onto a form like other components in VB.NET. Instead, GDI objects generally have to be added the old way by coding them from scratch! (Although, VB .NET does include a number of very handy code snippets that can really help you.) To code GDI, you use objects and their members from a number of .NET namespaces. (At the present time, these are actually just wrapper code for Windows OS objects which actually do the work.) Namespaces The namespaces in GDI are: System.Drawing This is the core GDI namespace. It defines objects for basic rendering (fonts, pens, basic brushes, etc.) and the most important object: Graphics. Well see more of this in just a few paragraphs. System.Drawing.Drawing2D This gives you objects for more advanced two-dimensional vector graphics. Some of them are gradient brushes, pen caps, and geometric transforms. System.Drawing.Imaging If you want to change graphical images - that is, change the palette, extract image metadata, manipulate metafiles, and so forth - this is the one you need. System.Drawing.Printing To render images to the printed page, interact with the printer itself, and format the overall appearance of a print job, use the objects here. System.Drawing.Text You can use collections of fonts with this namespace. Graphics Object The place to start with GDI is the  Graphics  object. Although the things you draw show up on your monitor or a printer, the Graphics object is the canvas that you draw on. But the Graphics object is also one of the first sources of confusion when using GDI. The Graphics object is always associated with a particular  device context. So the first problem that virtually every new student of GDI confronts is, How do I  get a Graphics object? There are basically two ways: You can use the  e  event parameter that is passed to the  OnPaint  event with the  PaintEventArgs  object. Several events pass the  PaintEventArgs  and you can use the to refer to the Graphics object that is already being used by the device context.You can use the  CreateGraphics  method for a device context to create a Graphics object. Heres an example of the first method: Protected Overrides Sub OnPaint( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim g As Graphics e.Graphics   Ã‚  Ã‚  g.DrawString(About Visual Basic vbCrLf _   Ã‚  Ã‚   and GDI vbCrLf A Great Team, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  New Font(Times New Roman, 20), _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Brushes.Firebrick, 0, 0)   Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.OnPaint(e) End Sub Click Here to display the illustration Add this into the Form1 class for a standard Windows Application to code it yourself. In this example, a Graphics object is already created for the form  Form1. All your code has to do is create a local instance of that object and use it to draw on the same form. Notice that your code  Overrides  the  OnPaint  method. Thats why  MyBase.OnPaint(e)  is executed at the end. You need to make sure that if the base object (the one youre overriding) is doing something else, it gets a chance to do it. Often, your code works without this, but its a good idea. PaintEventArgs You can also get a Graphics object using the  PaintEventArgs  object handed to your code in the  OnPaint  and  OnPaintBackground methods  of a Form. The  PrintPageEventArgs  passed in a  PrintPage  event will contain a Graphics object for printing. Its even possible to get a Graphics object for some images. This can let you paint right on the image the same way you would paint on a Form or component. Event Handler Another variation of method one is to add an event handler for the  Paint  event for the form. Heres what that code looks like: Private Sub Form1_Paint( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal sender As Object, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs) _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Handles Me.Paint   Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim g As Graphics e.Graphics   Ã‚  Ã‚  g.DrawString(About Visual Basic vbCrLf _   Ã‚  Ã‚   and GDI vbCrLf A Great Team, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  New Font(Times New Roman, 20), _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Brushes.Firebrick, 0, 0) End Sub CreateGraphics The second method to get a Graphics object for your code uses a  CreateGraphics  method that is available with many components. The code looks like this: Private Sub Button1_Click( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal sender As System.Object, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Handles Button1.Click   Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim g Me.CreateGraphics   Ã‚  Ã‚  g.DrawString(About Visual Basic vbCrLf _   Ã‚  Ã‚   and GDI vbCrLf A Great Team, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  New Font(Times New Roman, 20), _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Brushes.Firebrick, 0, 0) End Sub There are a couple of differences here. This is in the  Button1.Click  event because when  Form1  repaints itself in the  Load  event, our graphics are lost. So we have to add them in a later event. If you code this, youll notice that the graphics are lost when  Form1  has to be redrawn. (Mimimize and maximize again to see this.) Thats a big advantage to using the first method. Most references recommend using the first method since your graphics will be repainted automatically. GDI can be tricky!

H.R.111 Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2011 Research Paper

H.R.111 Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2011 - Research Paper Example The bill aims to ensure that insurance coverage be provided for the inpatient hospital stay for a minimum period post mastectomy and for outpatient stay in lumpectomy. Conflicting arguments prevent a consensus on the bill. On one hand it is claimed that post breast surgery the patient need physical care, guidance as well as psychological counseling. On the other hand researchers provide evidence in favor of ambulatory breast surgery. The current paper presents a comprehensive view of the various aspects of H. R. 111 bill and its impact on nurse’s role if enacted. H.R.111 BREAST CANCER PATIENT PROTECTION ACT OF 2009 BACKGROUND BREAST CANCER Cancer involves formation of lump or ‘tumor’ within a specific organ due to uncontrolled division of cells. Breast cancers effects lobules in breasts and have been defined as â€Å"the cancer of tissues of the breast, usually the ducts and lobules. It occurs in both male and female breast; although male breast cancer is rareâ⠂¬ . (National Cancer Institute, 2011) Breasts are modified skin glands located between the clavicles and sixth to eighth rib on the chest wall, and develop from the mammary ridge in the embryo. The gland tissue or lobules in the breast are responsible for milk production and are connected by ducts to the nipples. Besides the lobules and the ducts, breast also comprises of fatty, connective and lymphatic tissue. Recent studies provide evidence for the presence of more than 20 lobes or segments comprising of major lactiferous ducts involved in conducting milk to the nipples from the lobules. Each lobule, also known as the terminal portion of the duct system; comprises of multiple ductules that form its glandular acini, and the specialized connective tissue enveloping it. The rest of the breast comprises of stromal connective tissues that are histologically distinct. The terminal duct along with its lobular unit; is termed as terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU), and is usually the poin ts of origin of lung cancer. It has been hypothesized that this area possesses stem cells which are responsible for the tumor formation (Kopans, 2007). In situ breast cancer includes cancers restricted to ducts (ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS), and lobules (lobular carcinoma in situ or LCIS); i.e. the tumor remains within its place of origin. In contrast invasive cancer refers to tumor spread beyond the place of origin, the severity of which is determined by the level of invasiveness. The cancers are diagnosed through needle or surgical biopsy. INCIDENCES OF BREAST CANCER Breasts cancers are the second most prevalent form of cancer next to skin cancer affecting women in US. During the year 2008, 40,480 women and 450 men were reported to have died from breast cancer. In the same year 182,460 and 1990 new cases of invasive breast cancer were reported for women and men respectively. With changes in life style patterns, and reproductive behavior the risks for occurrence of breast canc er are expected to rise. On the basis of data for the occurrence of breast cancer in the period spanning 1995-2007, it has been estimated that during the year 2011 a total of 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 75,650 additional cases of in situ breast cancer will be diagnosed. Further 39,520 women are expected to suffer death due to breast cancer making it the second major cancer in terms of mortality (next to lung cancer). Women become more vulnerable to breast cancer with advancing age; the threat rising sharply

Kant and Mill Ideologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kant and Mill Ideologies - Essay Example Indeed, Mill claims that people should value the principle of utility as a tool that derives secondary moral principles, which promote general happiness. The fundamental principle of morality means that happiness is intended pleasure and absence of pain where right actions promote happiness while wrong actions produce the reverse of happiness, which is unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure. As such, we can judge people’s actions based on the secondary principles, which promote general happiness. On the other hand, Immanuel Kant defines the fundamental principle of morality as the Categorical Imperative which basis moral requirements on a standard of rationality. He refers to the fundamental principle of morality as the law of an autonomous will where moral reasons are supreme to any other reason. Ideally, one formulation of Kant’s Categorical Imperative encourages individuals to act on a motivational thought that one can consistently urge the society to adopt as a universal law as it will derive equal worth and equal respect. Notably, the Mill and Kant's fundamental principle of morality differ. Indeed, Mill abhors the utilitarian, which defines general happiness as a secondary moral principle that refers to happiness as intended pleasure and absence of pain, while Kant defines moral requirements and moral worthiness as acts of good will.... Indeed, Will objects to the idea that pleasure is the only good, it is the highest good, and it is universal (Booher 1). He claims that there are things that people consider and that there are differences in quantity and qualities of pleasure where certain pleasures are more desirable and valuable than others in relation to moral deliberations (Booher 1). Notably, Mill’s objection to the argument against utilitarianism should reckon the distinct value that pleasures attract with higher pleasures having more value than lower pleasures. It should also distinguish between the quantity and quality of pleasure as well as favor some activities as being better than others are. More so, his argument should address the problems that relate to differentiating quantities and qualities of pleasure. Ideally, Mill's account of higher pleasures answers the objection by demonstrating that certain pleasures are better and valuable than others (Booher 1). It also negates the idea that pleasure is highest natural good and confirms that higher pleasure is the basic principle of ethics, and the foundation of morality. According to Mill, human beings are different from non-human animals in a morally interesting way. Ideally, Mil noted that animals are irrational and are not self-aware or did not have cognitive capabilities as human beings. As such, he established that human beings are different from animals because human beings can experience mental pleasures and interestingly prefer mental pleasure to body pleasures (â€Å"John Start Mill† 1). He supports this by asserting that individuals who enjoy all pleasures qualify as the only judges who equally crave for mental pleasures.