This article originally appeared in the January-February 2005 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Children's Advocates Roundtable

Preschool for all

Creating a system of preschools available to all California children is back on the agenda this year. Rob Reiner, chair of the state Children and Families Commission, has been meeting with a diverse group of early childhood professionals, school district representatives, business people, unions, and others to draft a proposal that could become a bill or ballot measure.

The idea, says Michael Trujillo, of Reiner's office, is to create a statewide system that would provide funds and general guidance, while leaving details up to local programs. Reiner's goal is to create a system that is

• universally available

• fully funded

• diverse-including a variety of types of programs

• high quality.
  

For information, contact Trujillo, 310-786-7462, mike@preschool4all.com

Opposition developing

Meanwhile Focus on the Family, a national conservative religious organization, has created a year-old spin-off called the California Family Council, which brought supporters to Sacramento last year to "monitor and oppose an education bill that would create state-sponsored universal day care," says their web site. For information, call 951-354-8362.

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Welfare and Head Start: Federal decisions

Action: It's time to tell your Congressperson and senators your views on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF-CalWORKs in California) and Head Start.

Background: Both these programs have to be renewed ("reauthorized") by Congress this year and President Bush has proposed big changes in both.

Head Start: The most controversial proposal is to turn Head Start over to state governments. Backers say this would help integrate Head Start with other early childhood programs. Head Start advocates fear it would end the current federal quality requirements including the requirements for health and social services and parent involvement. For information, contact California Head Start Association, 916-444-7760, www.caheadstart.org

Welfare: Proposed new rules would require parents to work more hours a week--40--and stop allowing parents of kids under six to work less. Other issues: How much money will go to job training? Will job training can count as "core work participation?" Must states end all welfare payments to a family when a parent violates a rule? (now California continues the grant but cuts the parent's share). For information, California Partnership, 415-826-7017 or 562-862-2070, ext 34.

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Statewide health Initiatives

The California Small Business Association, the PTA, Pacific Institute for Community Organization (PICO), and the 100% Campaign are leading a broad-based campaign to make affordable health insurance available to all children in California. The coalition says we're almost there:

• 9 million of California's 10 million children have health insurance, and two-thirds of the rest are eligible for existing programs
  

• Local coalitions in nine counties already have initiatives to provide insurance for all kids and 18 more are in the planning stages.
  

That means most of the cost of covering all kids can be paid by enrolling all eligible kids in existing programs, encouraging employers to insure employees' kids, drawing down more federal funds, and tapping new sources of revenue. Money from the state budget would only have to fill in the gaps.

This year the coalition will develop legislation and possibly a ballot initiative. For information, contact Karina Moreno, 100% Campaign, 510-663-1294, kmareno@cdfca.org.

California Coalition for Childhood Immunization (CCCI)

CCCI will push for enough funding to complete an immunization registry for all kids in California.

The coalition says "today, kids need as many as 20 separate shots to be protected" but only about one-quarter of two-year-olds are up to date with immunizations. A statewide computer database of all kids' immunization information would reduce kids' illness and parents' time away from work--and save the state money now spent pulling records by hand. That adds up to $32.5 million a year, CCCI estimates.

A Statewide Immunization Information System (SIIS) already exists, but its funding is $3.1 million short of the $7.8 million it needs to include all kids.

CCCI--which includes the California Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, First Five California, the California State PTA, and more--will introduce legislation and work through the budget process for full funding for the immunization registry. For information, contact Norene DeBruycker, CCCI, 916-447-7063, ext. 333,
ndebruycker@shots4tots.org.

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Tools for healthy communities

Making Families Healthy, A Training Manual on Health Care Organizing, a new bilingual report by Pacific Institute for Community Organization (PICO), outlines steps in organizing around health issues and tells the stories of eight successful state and local campaigns in California. For information, 916-447-7959, ext. 11, www.picocalifornia.org.

Healthy Kids Make Better Learners: A Step-by-Step Manual for School-Based Enrollment in Children's Health Insurance Programs, a new guidebook from Consumers Union's Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools project, gives step-by-step strategies for getting kids enrolled in health insurance through their schools., including suggestions for building partnerships and getting funding. For information, 415-431-6747

Walkable Community Workshops, offered across California by the Prevention Institute, teach local activists and officials how to change their communities to promote fitness by improving pedestrian safety, access to transit, bicycle paths, and more. For information, 510-444-7738, prevent@preventioninstitute.org.

Breakfast First: Healthy Food for Hungry Minds is a California Food Policy Advocates campaign to ensure that every California public school offers a healthy and appealing school breakfast to all students. The campaign includes technical assistance to schools; resource materials for parents, schools, and community leaders; and advocacy for local, state, and federal policy changes. For information, 415-777-4422, www.breakfastfirst.org.

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Low-performing schools: Kids' and parents' rights

Action: Parents of kids in low-performing schools can make sure their kids have more of the resources they need.

Background: Low-performing schools now must make sure that every kid has a textbook they can take home, safe school facilities, and teachers who are qualified for the classes they're teaching. Those rights are spelled out in the last fall's settlement of a lawsuit, Williams vs. California.

The deal also said school districts have to post information about these rights, and about how to file a complaint under the Williams settlement, in every classroom. The school has to act on the complaints within 30 working days. If parents aren't satisfied, they can take the complaint to their school board, which has to hold public meetings to hear Williams complaints four times a year.

"Communities, parents, and students must monitor and take action to make sure the Williams case leads to real change," says Liz Guillen of Public Advocates, but the Williams settlement gives communities "tools for organizing."

For more information, contact Liz Guillen at 916-442-3385, lizguillen@sbcglobal.net.

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Education for CalWORKs parents

Action: Parents on CalWORKs may now be able to spend more than two years in education or job training--find out how.

Background: There used to be a two-year limit on the amount of education or training a parent could receive while on CalWORKs. A new law ends this limit but imposes other restrictions. See details in three brochures from Legal Services of Northern California: Getting to Education and Training, Welfare-to-Work Plans, and SIPs: Getting Education Through CalWORKs. Download at www.lsnc.net (which also has other info resources on CalWORKs) or call your county legal services office.

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Planning for new mental health services

Action: You can advocate for increased children's mental health services in your county.

Background: County mental health services will receive an estimated $680 million more this year, thanks to last fall's Proposition 63, which increased income taxes on incomes of over $1 million to fund expanded mental health programs. Each county will develop a process for deciding how to spend this money. Advocates for children can find out how to have a say by contacting their county department of mental health (in the blue pages of your phone book).

For more information, see www.dmh.cahwnet.gov/

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2005 policy agenda

Prevent Child Abuse California is now developing its 2005 policy agenda. It's distilling the results of its two November policy conferences, then conducting public opinion surveys to find out which ideas are most meaningful to ordinary Californians. The goal is to create an agenda that's brief, strategic, and impactful. For more information, contact director Scott Moak , 916-244-1945, smoak@capcsac.org

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Tools for healthy
communities

Action Alliance
for Children
e-mail aac@4children.org
1201 Martin Luther
King Jr. Way
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-7136