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Get Ready for Action with Our Updated Federal Advocacy Tools!
There are a variety of federal programs which address the needs of young children and their families. Government programs can be complex, however, and it can be difficult to keep track of how the programs operate, as well as the roles of the Congressional committees and federal agencies that have jurisdiction over the programs.
To help you in your advocacy for infants and toddlers, we've updated the federal advocacy tools below to include new information from Congress and the Administration. Download them now and get prepared to welcome Congress back to session in September!
Reminder: Download August's Developmental Milestone Calendar!
Organize a Site Visit During the Congressional Recess
One of the most effective ways to Be a Big Voice for Little Kids™ is to invite policymakers to experience your work with infants and toddlers for themselves. A site visit gives policymakers the opportunity to connect the decisions they make to the faces of young children in their community. With many policymakers on recess in August, we challenge you to invite them to your program, center, or agency to see firsthand how your work impacts infants and toddlers in their districts. Download the August calendar now!
Federal Policy Update
Prior to adjourning for the August Congressional recess, the House completed the last of its 12 appropriations bills for FY 2010, which begins October 1, 2009. The bill establishing programmatic funding levels for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies included $567 billion in mandatory funding and $163 billion in discretionary funding. Most programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant, were funded at the same level as their Fiscal Year 2009 appropriated levels. Several others, including Head Start/Early Head Start, received modest increases. To find federal appropriation levels for programs impacting infants, toddlers and their families, please see the federal policy section of our website. The Senate will continue work on their appropriations bills after the August recess.
On Friday, July 31, Senator Tom Harkin (IA) with co-sponsors Al Franken (MN), John Kerry (MA), Charles Schumer (NY), and Mary Landrieu (LA), introduced the Safe Babies Act of 2009 (S. 1554) while Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Raul Grijalva (AZ), and Bobby Scott (VA) introduced the companion measure in the House (H.R. 3474). The legislation would create community Court Teams, led by juvenile court judges and child development specialists, to address the needs of infants and toddlers in foster care in order to ensure their well-being and promote timely permanency decisions. S. 1554 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee while H.R. 3474 goes before the House Education and Labor Committee for further consideration.
State Policy Update
Wyoming Prioritizes Plans to Take Action for Infants and Toddlers
Throughout the spring and summer, the Wyoming Early Childhood Development Council engaged in a collaborative process to both assess how the state is meeting the needs of its infants and toddlers, and identify priorities for action. Bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from child care, Head Start/Early Head Start, higher education, children's advocacy organizations, and all state agencies serving very young children, the Council formed an Infant Toddler Assessment Workgroup to conduct a review of current supports for young children and facilitate cross-agency planning. The data collected for the assessment was then used to spur discussion among the workgroup to identify three priorities for change over the next three years. Read the full state policy update and learn more about Wyoming's assessment process and their new priorities for infants and toddlers!
Publications & Resources
The 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently published the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book, detailing the most recent findings on the well-being of American children and families at the national and state level. The data book also provides profiles and rankings for individual states based on 10 key measures, as well as a new feature that allows you to add KIDS COUNT data to your website, desktop, or blog.
The Business Case for Early Childhood Investments
Investing in America's Children: The Business Case is a new tool from the Partnership for America's Success that provides an overview of the business case for investing in young children. Research has shown that children entering kindergarten ready to succeed generally become book-smart, team-capable, job-ready workers who help businesses and communities flourish. This tool also offers information about how to build a network of business champions.
Child Health Associated with Affordability and Quality of Parental Health
Affordable Health Care Keeps Children and Families Healthy, a new brief from Children's HealthWatch, shows that affordability of healthcare for adults has an impact on child health, even in homes where the children are insured. In addition, when basic household expenses are neglected in order to pay for health care, child and family health is often compromised. Research finds that families who struggle to pay for quality health care are at increased risk for health problems, developmental delays and food insecurity.
New Findings on Disparities in Child Outcomes
Disparities in Early Learning and Development: Lessons from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, a recent Child Trends study commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers, finds that disparities in child outcomes can be detected between poor, at-risk, and more advantaged children as early as 9 months. These disparities can include cognitive, social, behavioral, and health outcomes. The study also finds low-income and low-maternal education to be the most impactful risk factors linked with poorer outcomes for very young children.
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