On June 22, 2022, HuffPost published an article detailing the need for attention to the child care crisis happening in our country. Detailing the history of the movement to federally fund child care as well as the opportunities and barriers that exist today, the article makes a compelling case for additional advocacy on this issue.
On Saturday, June 25th, 2022, President Biden signed the bipartisan gun safety package into law, the first major gun violence legislation passed in decades. The bill, titled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was released by Republican Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Fifteen
On Friday, June 24th, 2022, Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, which would extend some of the pandemic-era nutrition waivers that allowed schools and other child-serving programs to provide free meals, which were set to expire on June 30th. Although this legislation will provide needed funding and support for child nutrition, it does not
By Christine James-Brown, CWLA President and CEO The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is pleased to support the recently released Murray-Kaine Revised Child Care and Preschool Reconciliation Proposal and strongly advocates for its inclusion in the forthcoming reconciliation package. Child care and early childhood education are critical to the future well-being of all children
On Wednesday, June 15th, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a discussion draft for youth mental health care policies. This discussion draft follows a Request for Information (RFI) in the fall of 2021 and four subsequent committee hearings. The
On Thursday, June 9th, 2022, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) held a press conference with other Members of Congress, families, providers and advocates to discuss the urgent need and widespread support for investing in childcare and early childhood education, and their proposal to invest significant resources in early care and education within
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has released resources developed to help children, families, educators, and communities come together and process these recent mass shootings. Resources are available in English and Spanish and include: Talking to Children about the Shooting Talking to Teens about Violence (En Español) Helping School-age Children with Traumatic Grief (En
On May 11th, 2022, a briefing titled “Supporting Higher Education Success for Youth With Experience in Foster Care and Homelessness: A Briefing on Four Legislative Proposals that Can Make A Difference,” was hosted by Schoolhouse Connection, John Burton Advocates for Youth and the Youth Law Center, in collaboration with the offices of Representative Danny Davis
On Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing entitled ‘Child Care and Preschool: Cutting Costs for Working Families.’ The hearing centered around how to provide affordable childcare to families. Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Democrats advocated for the proposal included in President Biden’s Build Back Better package, which would expand the
On Tuesday, March 15th, 2022, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) rolled out a new website of resources for the upcoming launch of the 988 hotline in July. This new website includes a partner toolkit to help SAMHSA’s 988 implementation partners (crisis call centers, state mental health programs, substance use treatment providers,
