This past week Montana Governor Steve Bullock announced a plan to improve child protection and child welfare services. The announcement comes against a backdrop of increasing state foster care numbers and a threat by HHS to cut-off CAPTA funds if the state does not come into compliance with that law’s federal requirements on disclosure of
The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities has been holding a series of deliberation calls to settle on recommendations that have the potential to be wide ranging in their impact on state child protective services and child welfare systems. The Commission established by Congress at the end of 2012 (Protect Our Kids Act
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) scheduled for a debate and vote to reauthorize the program on September 17 has been delayed by two weeks. The CACFP is an important support and nutrition program for many child care programs. The program has to subsidize the coast of need meals in a child care
Once Congress gets beyond appropriations this month they have a number of other areas that either must be addressed or could receive action: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). TANF must be reauthorized or at least extended beyond September 30. Earlier this summer there were some positive bipartisan developments regarding a five year extension.
One of the issues for the fall session is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) or (since the last reauthorization in 2002) more commonly referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act. Both the Senate and House have passed very different versions. In negotiating their differences during a Conference Committee,
On Thursday, July 16, the Senate approved a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secretary Education Act, S 1177 (ESEA/No Child Left behind Act) by a vote of 81 to 17 sending it on to the next phase of the process and maybe the most difficult phase. The House passed their education bill, HR 5, and
While much of children’s and child welfare programs were level in funding there were some key targets and cuts. This included the Senate elimination of the Abandoned Infants funding (zeroed out all $11 million) and both the House and Senate made severe cuts to teen pregnancy prevention. See budget chart here. The Administration in their
The debate on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secretary Education Act, S 1177 (ESEA/No Child Left behind Act) began last Tuesday. At the same time the House leadership narrowly passed their education bill, HR 5, and approved it by a narrow Republican majority of 218 to 213. The final vote came after House leadership
On Thursday, June 18 the Supreme Court upheld the use of a child’s comments to a mandatory child abuse reporter (a teacher) in the trial of his abuser. The ruling Ohio V Clark was 9 to 0 with Justice Alito writing the main opinion with a separate opinion by Thomas and a third opinion by
Research, by the Foundation for Child Development, indicates that 3 and 4 year old children are being expelled from preschool at a rate higher than school children in grades K through 12. The research was a focus of a briefing on Capitol Hill briefing on Thursday, June 12. The event was hosted by Zero to