Marika N RipkeMarika N. Ripke is the Director of Hawaii Kids Count and an affiliate faculty member of the Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Her research specializes on the effects of poverty on children and the impact of out-of-school activiies on child and youth development. As director of Hawaii Kids Count, she assesses (and advocates for) the well-being of Hawaii's children and families by monitoring various health, economic and educational indicators over time. She directs the data collection and analysis of a study examining the quality and availability of education and health supports for Native Hawaiian families and their young children. She holds a governmental position as a voting member of the State of Hawaii's Commission on Fatherhood. Her publications have appeared in the Handbook of Child Psychology and in such scholarly journals as Developmental Psychology, the Review of Research in Education and New Directions in Youth Development. Read More Read Less