AMERICAN PARENTS, ADULTS CONTINUE TO SQUEAK BY WITH PASSING GRADES IN ANNUAL TEEN REPORT CARD

CHICAGO, (June 26, 2008) – The grades are in and American parents and adults continue to nearly fail when it comes to understanding why teens leave home (D+) and stopping teens from feeling the need to run away (C–), according to the 10th annual UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network) Teen Report Card, co-sponsored by the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS).

“This is a call for help,” said Maureen Blaha, executive director of NRS, which operates the free and anonymous 1-800-RUNAWAY hotline for runaway and at-risk youth and their families. “The runaway issue in this country has been a silent crisis too long and my hope is that these poor grades draw further attention among parents and adults, government officials, and educators that more needs to be done to keep runaway and at-risk youth safe and off the streets.”

The UCAN Teen Report Card asked 900 young people nationwide to grade adults on a series of topics and issues. The following chart outlines some of the poor scores the teens gave adults in the survey that specifically address the runaway issue and problems that may lead to a runaway episode.

About the UCAN Teen Report Card
Created and sponsored by the Chicago-based UCAN, the UCAN Teen Report Card is an annual measure of adult progress on issues affecting teens, as graded by teens themselves. Conducted in January and February of 2008, the survey is a representative sampling of teens across the country. Teens received the questions via an e-mail survey, with the results weighted to reflect regional, ethnic and gender distribution across the United States.

The survey was conducted for UCAN by the nation’s premier research organization on teenage attitudes and trends, Teenage Research Unlimited, in Northbrook, Ill. The survey carries a +/- 3 percent margin of sampling error. A full copy of the UCAN Teen Report Card, including all grades and ancillary materials and a teen/adult discussion guide, as well as additional information on UCAN and its programs can be found at www.ucanchicago.org.

About the National Runaway Switchboard
Established in 1971, NRS serves as the federally-designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth. Recognized as the oldest hotline of its kind in the world, NRS, with the support of more than 150 volunteers, handles an average of 100,000 calls annually – more than 3 million calls since the organization’s inception. NRS provides crisis intervention, referrals to local resources, and education and prevention services to youth, families and community members throughout the country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Over 10,000 youth have been reunited with their families through the NRS Home Free program done in collaboration with Greyhound Lines, Inc. The NRS crisis hotline is 1-800-RUNAWAY. For more information, visit www.1800RUNAWAY.org.

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