Call for parent input

Action: Parents are invited to give input on a new early care and education quality rating system.

Background: The Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee wants your ideas on how to provide the information you need to make informed decisions about providers and programs. The committee is asking that you attend public meetings in various locations around the state.

The next meetings will be held on October 29 & December 2, 2009. In 2010, meetings are scheduled in March, May, August, & November. For more info, contact Margot Hunkins (mhunkins@cde.ca.gov) or Carolyn Loveridge (cloveridge@cde.ca.gov), 916-322-4269 or visit www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/engagementsubc.asp

Childhood Matters returns to KISS 98.1fm

Childhood Matters, a weekly call-in radio show for families on raising children, returns Sunday mornings to KISS FM. Recent shows have discussed work and family, asthma, and resources for tough times.

• Childhood Matters now airs 7am Sundays on KISS 98.1fm,  KBBF 89.1fm, and KOCN 105.1fm—and 10am on KGOE 1480am. Download shows at www.childhoodmatters.org
  
  
• Nuestros Niños, a sister parenting radio show in Spanish, airs 8am Sundays on La Kalle 100.7/105.7fm, KBBF 89.1fm, KLOK 99.5fm, KSES 107.1fm, KMBX 700am—and 11am on KWMR 90.5fm and 89.7fm. Download shows at www.nuestrosninos.com
  
  

Food stamps and nutrition: New Laws

New state laws and policies went into effect July 1:

• Food stamps eligibility change—families with children that receive food stamps no longer have to meet the “asset test” (which limits most households to $2000 in savings and other assets) to qualify for benefits
  
  
• School trans-fat ban—schools can no longer sell foods outside the federal school meal program with trans fat to students
  
  
• Menu labeling—large chain restaurants are required to disclose nutrition information to consumers and post this information by Jan 2011.
  
  

Health care reform

Action: Tell Congress your views about health care reform.

Background: In September, Congress will debate health reform legislation. There are a number of health care proposals in the House and Senate. Advocates are calling for reform that would:

• Cover everyone, regardless of “pre-existing conditions”
  
  
• Be affordable
  
  
• Provide all necessary health care
  
  
• Have strong consumer protections
  
  
• Include a realistic plan for limiting overall health care costs
  
  
• Some advocates are calling for health care that wouldn’t be tied to a job, others want to expand and improve job-related coverage.
  
  

For more info, visit Kaiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm
or Commonwealth Fund, www.commonwealthfund.org

State budget cuts services for families

Services for children and families took a big hit in California’s budget—despite activism by people who care about children. The state’s $23 billion shortfall was mostly closed with $16 billion in cuts. The governor also used the line-item veto to cut an additional $500 million (legislators are protesting these cuts). He called on First 5 to fill the gap—and First 5 promised to help with funding. The budget will:

CalWORKs (effective 2011)

• Limit adults to 48 months of cash assistance in any 60-month period
• Require “self-sufficiency reviews” for adults without enough welfare-to-work activity hours. Cash assistance would be cut in half if adults didn’t attend without good cause.
• Cut children’s grants up to 50% if adults do not meet work requirements
• Count the time during which an adult is sanctioned toward the 60-month lifetime limit.

Additional changes

• End COLAs for CalWORKs grants, starting 2010-11
• Cut $375 million from county funding
• Exempt primary caregivers of young children from work requirements until July 2011
• Stop the 60-month time clock when an adult has been excused from participation, until July 2011.

Health

• Cut $323 million from Medi-Cal—plus $60 million from county funds
• Cut $174 million from Healthy Families. Healthy Families stopped enrolling children in July.  First 5 promised to contribute $81 million—but without additional funding, Healthy Families will begin disenrolling children children this fall. The California Budget Project estimates that up to 800,000 children could lose coverage.
• Cut $234 million from Department of Developmental Services programs, including regional centers for people with developmental disabilities ($100 million was cut in Feb. and $50 million more was cut from young children’s services in line-item vetoes)
• Cut state funds for several community clinic programs and also Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health programs; eliminate state funds for the Immunization Program and the Black Infant Health Program
• Create a plan to centralize (and likely privatize) eligibility and enrollment for Medi-Cal, food stamps, and CalWORKs.

Child care and development

• Eliminate the school-age community child care program (latchkey)
• Increase Community Care Licensing fees by 10%
• Train former CalWORKs recipients as child care teachers ($4 million)
• Train license-exempt child care providers ($2.5 million).

Child welfare

• Cut some foster care provider rates by 10%
• Cut $80 million from child welfare services.

Schools

• Fund K-14 spending at the minimum Prop-98 level ($1.4 billion less for 2008-09 and $4.5 billion less for 2009-10 compared with Feb. budget levels)—but eventually restore 2008-09 reductions
• Count $402 million from funds for districts with the lowest academic achievement levels toward Prop 98 funding
• Allow districts to reduce the school year by up to five days through 2012-13
• Allow districts to sell surplus property to pay for General Fund purposes through 2011.

Sources: California Budget Project, Child Care Law Center, Child Development Policy Institute, Health Access

Take action this fall

Oct 5-9:

Step up for kids day: advocates will call on elected officials to make children's issues a top priority. Events will take place in state capitols around the country.

For more info, contact Every Child Matters, 202-223-8177, www.everychildmatters.org/

Oct 22:

Lights on afterschool: advocates will celebrate afterschool programs and call for additional support to ensure that programs thrive. Event planning kit is online.

For more info, contact the Afterschool Alliance, (866) KIDS-TODAY, www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm