On February 7, 2023, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) held a rally to shed light on the child care crisis. Along with several other senators, representatives, and guest speakers, Murray highlighted the importance of rebuilding the infrastructure of our child care system, and the steps President Biden should take in order to mitigate and solve this
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) recently released a fact sheet that estimates the increased funding that each state will receive in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in 2023. CCDBG received a $1.9B increase in the 2023 Consolidated Appropriation Act, a 30% increase to its total funding. CCDBG is a
Last Thursday, February 2, 2023, the Council for a Strong America hosted a briefing on childcare and presented findings from a study conducted by ReadyNation, a coalition advocating for public investment in early childhood. The event opened with a statement from Rep. Jeff VanDrew (R-NJ), who emphasized the importance of ReadyNation’s work and the findings
On February 1, 2023, Democratic lawmakers marked the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) with a press conference announcing a new legislative package to establish a paid family and medical leave program and to expand and modernize FMLA. The FMLA program has successfully allowed employees to take reasonable time off to
On Tuesday, December 6, 2022 the National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council released a priority statement entitled Supporting Immigrant Children and Youth in Foster Care. Council members consulted with experts in immigration and foster care and polled current and youth formerly in foster care for their insight. The Council has forwarded three priorities:
In a research article recently published in JAMA, the United States’ racial disparities in maternal morbidity are discussed. The study defines a pregnant woman to be either pregnant during the time of death or is within a one year distance from the end of her last pregnancy. The study confirms fears that maternal mortality rates
On February 1, 2023, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (CCFY) co-hosted with the National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI), Youth Villages, and iFoster a “Learn, Listen, Lead” event at the U.S. Capital. The program included introductions and remarks from caucus chairs and a panel discussion on priorities and legislative agendas for the 118th Congress. Representative
House and Senate Leaders have made clear their intention to complete committee assignments for the 118th Congress before the end of January. By the end of next week, we should know who will serve on each of the House and Senate Committees. Several key committees are already taking shape, particularly in the House of Representatives.
On January 26th, 2023, Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) and his colleagues Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Joaquin Castro, Andy Kim, Jamaal Bowman, Rob Menendez, Dan Goldman, Joe Neguse, launched the Congressional Dads Caucus to bring attention to and build support for policies that benefit working families. According to the National Women’s Law Center’s (NWLC) press release, “the
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) recently released a report, “Substance Use Disorder in Pregnancy: Improving Outcomes for Families,” which details the Administration’s plan to improve access to effective treatment for people who are pregnant and have substance use disorders, support families and prevent unnecessary foster care placements, and make better use of