Despite extensive research documenting the benefits of investing in young children, infants and toddlers are underrepresented in the federal budget, a new study from the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution found.

The nation’s 12.5 million children under age 3 are 4.2 percent of the population, but they received just 2.1 percent—$44.1 billion—of federal domestic spending in 2007. Domestic outlays, which exclude defense, homeland security, and international affairs, totaled $2.1 trillion.

Every parent recognizes the inextricable connections between where we live and the quality of our children's education. Although public policies have historically contributed to disparities in both neighborhood affordability and school quality, federal programs focused on affordable housing rarely take public schools into account and school officials typically assume that they have no influence over housing patterns. This paper focuses on four principles regarding the vitality and performance of schools and communities, discussing opportunities for constructive policy interventions, summarizing what we know about their likely effectiveness, and recommending next steps for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Education.

After weeks of debate, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee just passed legislation to transform our broken health care system. And the House of Representatives recently introduced a similar bill which will be debated in three key committees.

These are major steps forward for health care reform.

Both the Senate HELP Committee and House bills propose significant health care advances that would:

(1) End discriminatory practices by insurance companies that deny coverage to people based on pre-existing conditions, or charge higher rates because of gender or health status;
(2) Help make coverage more affordable by capping families' out-of-pocket costs and providing subsidies for low-income families; and
(3) Keep costs under control by getting more for our health care dollars, for example by rewarding doctors for quality (not quantity) of services provided.

We applaud this progress, but the fight continues. There is still a long way to go in both the Senate and the House!

The House is preparing to mark-up health reform legislation in all three committees with oversight over the issue and the Senate Finance Committee is releasing their draft this week or next. We are very concerned about the possibility of children being left worse off in the legislation and need to keep raising awareness about the important issues for children in health reform. We have drafted the following sign-on letter to the House and Senate.

If your organization would like to sign-on to this letter to the House and Senate, please reply to signon@firstfocus.net or contact Cate Hodgetts at catherineh@firstfocus.net if you have any questions or need additional information. Thanks so much for your consideration!!!

By providing state Medicaid programs with $87 billion in fiscal relief, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is likely to be effective in preventing many large Medicaid cutbacks. Targeting 35% of assistance to states with particularly high unemployment rates, ARRA will provide more "bang for the buck" in preventing state cutbacks and stimulating the economy than did fiscal relief legislation in 2004, which gave all states the same level of help.

A bill introduced by Representative John M. McHugh would suspend taxes on unemployment benefits for two years. This legislation would amend the Internal Revenue Code to suspend the taxation of unemployment benefits for the 2009 and 2010 tax years.

The vast majority of the Federal government’s hundreds of programs serving children and youth spread are essential and effective, but they are not part of an integrated, strategic plan. State and national organizations can join the Ready by 21 National Partnership campaign urging the Obama administration to establish a White Office on Children and Youth to provide young people a voice and provide coordinated leadership across 12 federal departments and agencies.

Latest news (3/31/2009): Senator Reid Urges Obama to Create White House Office.

Why a White House Office?
Far too few of our nation’s young people are ready for college, work and life. Just 4 in 10 youth are in school or working, healthy, and connected to their community.

Approximately 30 percent of high school students do not graduate on time. For African American and Hispanic students, on-time graduation is a 50-50 proposition. Employers report that 4 in 10 high school students lack the skills needed for work.

The Federal government runs hundreds of programs to serve children and youth ages 0-24, spread across 12 departments and agencies.

The vast majority of these efforts are essential and effective; however, they are not part of an integrated, strategic plan to help at-risk populations achieve successful adulthood.

Furthermore, few of the efforts designed to help young people have been designed with clear input from the young people the programs serve.

To transcend silos, amplify the voices of young people themselves and define a clear vision for success for all federal efforts, we need a White House Office on Children and Youth.

Join the 400 organizations and more than 1,000 individuals who are part of the campaign for a White House Office on Children and Youth.

 

The National Partnership has an inspirational new video highlighting victories such as the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. "We're making more progress all the time, including the first-ever expansion of the FMLA; paid family leave for New Jersey workers; paid sick days for those in the District of Columbia and more," said the National Partnership.

STATEMENTS REGARDING CENSUS BUREAU REPORT ON POVERTY

It was news of a monstrous phone bill ? over $7,000, racked up by a homesick soldier in Iraq ? that prompted two Massachusetts children to launch Cell Phones for Soldiers. Lisa M. Cataldo reports on an idea that just keeps growing.