After more than a decade of efforts by activists, New Mexico became the first state to create a permanent fund for child care on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022. The ballot initiative was approved by more than 70% of voters and amends the state constitution, spending nearly $150 million a year on early learning. The fund
On November 2nd, 2022, Generations United released its 2022 State of Grandfamilies Report, titled, “Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies.” Created in collaboration with the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), this year’s report takes a deeper look at food insecurity and the lack of supports among intergenerational kinship
The Administration for Children and Families released new data on October 21, 2022, showing that child care stabilization funds provided in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) have served more than 200,000 child care providers, impacting as many as 9.5 million children. The new state-by-state profiles include the total number of child care providers assisted in
On October 4, 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Commissioner Jess Dannhauser announced “College Choice,” a program that will provide college students in foster care with greater support systems, including financial support. ACS will help pay remaining costs of college tuition— up to $15,000 each
In a blog post published on August 31, 2022, the American Federation for State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) noted that the White House's announcement "that it will hold the first conference on hunger, nutrition and health in more than half a century on Sept. 28 shines a light on another glaring issue – Congress
On Thursday, July 28th, 2022, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released the twelve Senate Appropriations bills. These bills spend nearly $1.7 trillion for fiscal year 2023 and represent the priorities and stances of the Senate Democrats; appropriators still have not reached an agreement on top-line spending numbers, and Republican leaders have indicated that
First Focus on Children and The Education Trust cohosted a background briefing on child nutrition policy on July 26, 2022, titled, “A 101 Briefing on Child Nutrition Policy.” Commonly children of color and from low-income backgrounds suffer from high rates of food and nutrition insecurity. Furthermore, dietary diseases continue to rise among children. We heard
On Wednesday, July 26, 2022, the House Committee on Education and Labor held a markup on H.R. 8450, Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. The Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 27 to 20, with no Republicans in favor. This act would update and reauthorize child nutrition programs which include the school and summer
The Senate continues to work on a slimmed-down budget reconciliation package that would extend ACA subsidies for two years and allow Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug costs on certain drugs. Senate leadership expects to vote on the package before the August recess.
On July 20, 2022, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-CA) released the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, his Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and other anti-hunger advocates have hailed the legislation, calling it a "comprehensive plan that will increase access to school meals, summer meals, and
