Education

Ways and Means Committee Hearing on Supporting Older Youth

On June 12, 2025, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare held a hearing, “Aging Out is Not a Plan: Reimagining Futures for Foster Youth,” which explored recommendations to reform and improve the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (the Chafee program). The purpose of Chafee is

Senate Starts Releasing Reconciliation Text

The Senate Committees began releasing their reconciliation bills over the past two weeks as Congress barrels toward the July 4th deadline that leadership has imposed upon itself. Below is an overview of changes and provisions in the Senate committee texts that CWLA is following; at the time of this writing, the Senate Finance Committee, which

House Marks up Education and Judiciary Reconciliation Bills

Congress continues to move forward with the budget reconciliation process, with multiple House committees marking up their versions of the bill last week. As a reminder, both the House and the Senate have passed identical budget resolutions, but the instructions for the House and the Senate are very different, with the House receiving instructions to

Leaked: Administration Plans to Request Massive Cuts to HHS

On April 16th, 2025, the press reported that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is planning to propose massive cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget in the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request, according to a leaked draft. The document, called a “passback,” has not been finalized and

Biden Administration: Final Publications

In the last weeks of the Biden Administration, Executive offices pushed out numerous new rules, policies, and information memoranda. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released the following: Best Practices for Serving Young People Transitioning From Foster Care This Information Memorandum (IM) provides information on best practices for providing quality programs and services to

Intersection of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

Evident Change and the Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab at Drexel University are proud to share “At the Intersection of Child Welfare and Juvenile Legal System Involvement: Research Strategies for Policy and Practice Change.” This paper outlines a research agenda to address needs and challenges faced by dual-system youth, or those who are involved

Senate HELP Hearing on Workforce Reauthorization

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hosted a hearing on June 12, 2024, titled “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting Efforts to Meet the Needs of Youth, Workers, and Employers” to discuss the reauthorization of The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The opening statement provided by Chair Bernie Sanders

State Fact Sheets on Child Care Funding Released

The First Five Year Fund (FFYF) released a new collection of fact sheets that showcase how the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) positively affects families and children in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. CCDBG provides federal funding to states for child care subsidies to low-income families with children under the age of

CWLA Endorses: Higher Education for Youth in Foster Care

On May 7, 2024, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), and Representative Erin Houchin (R-IN) reintroduced the Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act to remove barriers to higher education for homeless and foster youth and help ensure they can pursue a higher education and

Joint Economic Committee Hearing on Early Childhood Education

The Joint Economic Committee held a hearing on Wednesday April 10, 2024 entitled, Building Blocks for Success: Investing in Early Childhood Education. The goal of this hearing was to address the need for funding in the world of early childhood education and those families who need child care. Four witnesses came to testify before the

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