More from Karen Brown
Living with Hypochondria: The Real Costs of Imagined Illness
(00:28:56)
From: Karen Brown
Woody Allen made hypochondria famous as a source of self-deprecating humor, but this clinical condition can be seriously debilitating for individuals and their families -- ...
Surrogacy Among Friends
(00:06:58)
From: Karen Brown
A woman carries a baby to term for her best friend, whose chronic disease would make pregnancy hazardous.
Child Obesity - Part Three - Spreading the Lifestyle
(00:05:17)
From: Karen Brown
Families in the low-income community of Holyoke, MA -- who successfully lost weight through a community clinic program -- are trying to share their newfound lifestyle with ...
Child Obesity - Part Two - Kihuanna's Story
(00:05:17)
From: Karen Brown
This feature profiles a 9-year-old girl named Kihuanna who, at 4 foot one and 139 pounds, has a body mass index twice what it should be. With the help of her family and ...
Child Obesity - Part One -- The Clinical Approach
(00:05:05)
From: Karen Brown
One health center in Holyoke, MA addresses the 50 percent rate of overweight and obese children in this predominantly low-income, Puerto Rican community.
Women's College Cheerleaders Challenge Stereotype
(00:05:02)
From: Karen Brown
A new cheerleading squad at one of the country's pre-eminent women's colleges -- alma mater of Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan -- is raising eyebrows with its short skirts ...
Urgent Care Clinics -- Taking on the Primary Care Overflow in Health Care
(00:05:21)
From: Karen Brown
Urgent Care clinics are doing brisk business as the primary care shortage sends patients their way.
Veterans on Campus - A Challenge to Adjust
(00:05:03)
From: Karen Brown
Veterans are entering college in droves thanks to the new GI bill -- but they often need help adjusting to campus life, and not all colleges are prepared for that.
Health Reform Part 3 - Who Benefits from Massachusetts Public Programs
(00:05:28)
From: Karen Brown
Who benefits from the greatly expanded public health programs, and who doesn't.
Health Reform Part 2 - The Individual Mandate in Massachusetts
(00:05:35)
From: Karen Brown
How the Massachusetts public is responding to the law that requires them to buy health insurance
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Families are moving into a new intentional community in Western massachusetts that aims to go beyond the bonds of communal living. It's trying to create a social and support network for families adopting children from the state foster care system -- and recruiting low-income senior citizens to live there as "foster grandparents." But the road to foster care utopia has been bumpy.
Broadcast History
This aired on WFCR, Amherst in September, 2006. A shorter version ran on NPR in October, 2006.
Transcript
FAMILIES ARE MOVING INTO A NEW INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS THAT AIMS TO GO BEYOND THE BONDS OF COMMUNAL LIVING. IT'S TRYING TO CREATE A SOCIAL AND SUPPORT NETWORK FOR FAMILIES ADOPTING CHILDREN FROM THE STATE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. KAREN BROWN REPORTS.
Ambi?i don't like that kind -- ....
[Cart No:
Time: 54s
Title: treehouse amb - snacktime
Description: treehouse amb - snacktime
Out-cue: ]
CHRISTINE FLANNERY IS DOLING OUT ICE CREAM AND YOGURT TO HER CHILDREN BEFORE THEY RUN OUT TO PLAY IN THEIR NEW NEIGHBORHOOD.... SHE AND HER HUSBAND ADOPTED THESE FOUR SIBLINGS SEVEN YEARS AGO FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AFTER THEY'D BEEN TAKEN FROM THEIR BIOLOGICAL PARENTS AND SHUTTLED AMONG FOSTER HOMES. AT THE TIME SHE CRAVED A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO HELP THEM GET SETTLED IN HER HOME, AND TO COPE WITH TH...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
7:46 -- plus host intro:
FAMILIES ARE MOVING INTO A NEW INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS THAT AIMS TO GO BEYOND THE BONDS OF COMMUNAL LIVING. IT'S TRYING TO CREATE A SOCIAL AND SUPPORT NETWORK FOR FAMILIES ADOPTING CHILDREN FROM THE STATE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. KAREN BROWN REPORTS.
John Hingsbergen
Posted on November 08, 2006 at 04:46 PM | Permalink
Review of Foster Care Utopia
A good sound rich, NPR-style piece. Well written and edited with plenty of good quality interview bites.
Reporter Karen Brown does a good job convincingly narrating with the public radio style we have come to expect. I really like her vocal quality and delivery. She's rock solid and mature with the energy of some of NPR's younger and most-promising talent. I'm thinking Andrea Seabrook.
How to use this? This story is specific to western Massachusetts, so consider using it as a talk show setup for a discussion of foster care options, children or family issues. This could also be integretated into a local documentary or segmented show on an appropriate topic.
This is a well done network-quality piece.