YOUTH

The 2022 National Youth Poet Laureate Alyssa Gaines visited Holyoke, Massachusetts, this week for a reading of her work with students close to her own age, some who had dropped out of high school and are now working toward graduation.

Although the overall number of youth arrests has gone down in the state, the rate remains disproportionately high for youth of color — especially when they first encounter the police.

LaMar Cook, a community leader in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Clarence Smith, owner of The Final Touch barbershop, organized the event at the Rebecca Johnson school gym and provided free backpacks and school supplies for kids.

The new Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System(MCAS) requirements will apply to students graduating in the class of 2026 to 2029.

Dr. Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker, has written a new book called "First Phone: A Child's Guide To Digital Responsibility And Safety.”

With more flexible hours and self-paced learning, some alternative schools are seeing new interest from students coping with financial and emotional impacts of the pandemic.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has partnered with 25 communities across the state to offer free activities for kids and teens in urban areas throughout the summer.

Following a CDC recommendation, Massachusetts is now allowing children ages 6 months to 4 years to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Unlike earlier rollouts, vaccines for the youngest kids in Massachusetts will happen more in doctors offices and less in retail pharmacies.

Educators and others who work with children are continuing to grapple with the shooting last week in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 elementary school students and two teachers dead.