This article originally appeared in the July-August 2007 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

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Children's Advocates Roundtable

Bills in the legislature: Poverty and family income

Action: Advocates are backing bills to reduce poverty and increase family income.

Background: According to the Children Now California Report Card, California’s rate of child poverty is one of the highest in the nation: one in five children lives in a family whose income is below the official poverty level, but as many as 30% of families have incomes too low to meet their basic needs. Current bills include:

• State tax credit: AB 21 (Jones) would provide a state Earned Income Tax Credit, which would be a percentage of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. The EITC has lifted more families out of poverty than any other federal program.

• CalWORKs asset limits: AB 167 (Bass) would end “asset limits” for CalWORKs—so that a family could own assets such as a house and still be eligible for CalWORKS.

• Study time for CalWORKs: AB 314 (Soto) would allow parents on CalWORKS to count structured study time in an approved educational program as a work activity.

• Food stamp eligibility: AB 508 (Swanson) would allow people who have been convicted of a drug felony to receive food stamps.

• Tax credit notification: AB 650 (Lieu) would create a program to mail notices to taxpayers who are eligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.

• Housing assistance: AB 1062 (Ma) would create a pilot program that would provide rent subsidies to some families on CalWORKs to prevent housing instability and homelessness.

• Childhood poverty: AB 1118 (Jones) would create the California Child Poverty Council, an advisory body that would make and monitor a plan to cut California child poverty in half by 2017 and eliminate it by 2027.

• KIDS savings account: SB 752 (Steinberg) would create an investment account for every child born in California starting in 2008. The state would deposit $500 when the child was born, exempt any earnings from income tax, and allow others to add to the account. At age 18 the child could use the funds for education, buying a home, or starting a retirement account.

More info: Western Center on Law and Poverty, 916-442-0753, www.wclp.org, Children Now, 510-763-2444, http://publications.childrennow.org/
publications/invest/reportcard_2005.cfm

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Foster family crisis

Action: Advocates call for increases in payments and other supports for foster care families

Background: The number of licensed foster families in California has dropped by 30% in the last six years—as much as 50% in some counties—according to two reports issued May 22. The reports are “No Family, No Future,” by the County Welfare Directors Association and Legal Advocates for Permanent Parenting, and “They Deserve a Family,” by the Children’s Advocacy Institute.

The reports point out that families who care for foster children have not received a rate increase since 2000, so their real rate, adjusted for inflation, has fallen by 23%. Foster families receive $425 to $597 a month per child, depending on age, or more for children with special needs.

The Children’s Advocacy Institute report calls for increasing foster family payments by 25%. More than money is needed, adds the “No Family, No Future” report: “Foster families need access to a support network of experienced foster/adoptive parents, caseworkers, and professionals (as well as) regular planned respite opportunities and mentoring.”

As a result of the shortage of foster families, more children are being placed in more expensive foster family agencies and group homes. The cost of care in a group home is $1,454 to $6,371 a month.

The three agencies are supporting AB 324 (Beall), which would increase foster care payments by 5 percent and require annual cost-of-living increases.

More info: California Welfare Directors Association, 916-443-1749, www.cwda.org, Children’s Advocacy Institute, 916-444-3875, www.caichildlaw.org

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National family child care conference

California will host this year's annual conference of the National Association for Family Child Care, August 16-18 at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel in Anaheim. For information about workshops, rates, discounts for volunteers, special events, and more, go to www.nafcc.org or call 800-359-3817

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More bills of interest

(to see bills described in our last issue, go to www.4children.org/news/507care.htm)

• Equality for caregivers: SB 836 (Kuehl) would outlaw employment discrimination based on “family status,” barring discrimination against employees with responsibilities for caring for children or sick or elderly family members.

• Preschool for all low-income kids: AB 571 (Jones) would require the state to provide places in the state preschool program for all three- and four-year-old children from low-income families by 2011-12. It would also create quality standards and a professional development program for state preschool teachers.

• Grassroots participation for healthier communities: AB 1472 (Leno) would provide assistance and grants to community organizations and local health agencies to do “health impact assessments” on proposed developments, so they could promote community health by taking a stronger role in planning.

• Required physical education: SB 602 (Torlakson) would require that every school report on whether it’s providing the required amount of physical education and testing kids on physical fitness.

• Child welfare caseload: AB 190 (Bass) would require the state to budget enough money for child welfare services to reduce each social worker’s caseload to the level recommended by professional standards.

• Parenting education in divorce: (AB 1007 (Maze) would require all parents getting a divorce or legal separation to attend a four-hour parent education program.

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Family child care organizing

Action: Two unions are promoting a bill that would allow family child care providers to organize.

Background: AB 1164 (DeLeon) would allow family child care providers statewide to choose to be represented by an organization that could:

• operate substitute provider pools in areas that don’t have them

• create family child care marketing programs

• offer business development programs

• meet with Community Care Licensing to discuss ways to improve enforcement of regulations

• negotiate with agencies that administer state child care subsidies

• negotiate with the California Department of Education over subsidy rates—but not rates charged to families

• meet with other agencies about other matters “within their authority”

The bill spells out a process of petitions and elections that family child care providers could use to decide whether they wanted an organization to represent them.

Even if family child care providers choose one organization to bargain for them, other unions, associations, or individuals would still have the right to express their views, give testimony, and meet with policymakers or regulators.

The provider organizations could not call a strike.

Alexa Frankenberg of the Service Employees International Union, one of the two unions sponsoring the bill, says in some California counties, groups of family child care providers are already meeting regularly with licensing and subsidized care agencies.

The other union sponsoring the bill is the United Child Care Union (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees).

More info: Alexa Frankenberg, SEIU, 510-568-2500

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Call for changes in Preschool Foundations

Action: A growing coalition of early childhood educators is concerned about the Department of Education's proposed expectations for preschoolers—and suggesting changes.

Background: The California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC) had joined the Campaign for High Quality Learning Stand-ards in California and the English Language Learners Preschool Coalition in calling for changes to the CDE's draft Preschool Foun-dations. The coalition lists nine goals, including:

• Be presented on a continuum and...not be age specific.

• Illustrate the overall concept of child development as a whole...

• Provide emphasis on learning through play, including the influence of constructivist theories.

• Be reduced in number and place less emphasis on research and more on their use in the classroom.

• Ensure the family-child relationship is not diminished as social-emotional behaviors typical of "school" are introduced or reinforced.

For info: CAEYC, 916-486-7750, SCAEYC, www.scaeyc.net

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