In this edition:

National News

 

--Efforts to delay SCHIP directive stall in Senate

-- Funding for community health centers clears the Senate

- -Update on Senate Adoption Incentives Act

-- Report finds child care costs rising faster than inflation

-- Poll shows Americans support increased funding for Pre-K

MISSOURI NEWS

 

-- Pre-K Panel meets for second time

-- Gubernatorial candidates discuss health care expansions

-- $680 million state budget shortfall predicted in 2 years

IN THE NEWS: Media Coverage of Children’s Issues

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 

This week's issue, in brief: As the clock ticks down to the Congressional summer recess (Aug 9-Sept 7),  child advocates continue to push for immediate action on key health and child welfare bills, anticipating that it will be difficult to pass major initiatives while legislators’ sights are set on the November election. While efforts to combat a harmful restriction to state children’s health programs appear to have stalled, the Senate is acting on funding for community health centers and reauthorization of the Adoption Incentives program. On the early care & education front, a new report examines the rising costs of child care, new polling finds that 7 in 10 voters support more federal funding for pre-k, and a Missouri Panel recently met to discuss pre-k expansion in the state. Missouri’s gubernatorial candidates haven’t responded to the pre-k polling, but they have debated the issue of state health care coverage, which may be difficult to finance given predictions of a $680 million budget shortfall in Fiscal Year 2011. And finally, check out PFC’s “In the News” section for the latest media coverage of children’s issues.

NATIONAL NEWS

Efforts to Delay SCHIP Directive Stall in Senate

In August of 2007, the Bush Administration issued a restrictive policy directive, issued in the form of a letter to state health officials, that makes it next to impossible for states that are already covering or desire to cover children in families who earn over 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL). 

Last week, PFC launched an action alert asking advocates to take action to delay the implementation of the SCHIP directive.  However, shortly after launching this alert, PFC learned that efforts to address the SCHIP directive before the August recess stalled in the Senate. PFC would like to thank those of you who took the time to reach out to Senator Bond’s office and ask you to continue maintaining the pressure to address the directive through the August recess.  As many of you remember, there were two potential vehicles, a resolution and an emergency supplemental bill.  Unfortunately, it was all about timing for both measures.   The resolution was submitted too late to be considered and Sen. Obey, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, decided to push back the markup for the 2nd supplemental bill until September due to the Senate’s schedule in the coming days. 

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Funding for Community Health Centers Clears the Senate

On July 21st, the Senate gave unanimous consent to a bill (S 901) that would reauthorize three federal programs that provide services to rural and underserved areas through 2012.   The legislation, proposed by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy, would provide $12.9 billion over five years to community health centers and other similar rural health care services. The bill also allocates a portion of the money to the National Health Service Corps, which assigns physicians and nurses to serve residents living in rural and underserved areas.

 

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a co-sponsor of the legislation, said that since 2001, additional funding provided under the bill has allowed health centers in more than 750 communities nationwide to provide care to about four million new patients. Hatch said, "These centers provide affordable and quality care to at-risk Americans who otherwise might have to do without" (Salt Lake City Desert News, 7/22). Committee ranking member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said that community health centers "ensure that people can get the primary health care services they need and cut down on costs for everyone by reducing the need for expensive emergency room care."

 

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 Senate Adoption Incentives Update

Child advocates have been pushing the Senate Finance Committee to take up legislation reauthorizing the Adoption Incentives program and expanding supports for several key child welfare initiatives before Congress breaks for their August recess. After similar legislation, called the Fostering Connections to Success Act, passed the House over a month ago, the Senate Finance Committee has finally scheduled their version of the bill, sponsored by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), to be marked up this Friday.

 

The Senate bill, like the bipartisan Fostering Connections to Success Act in the House, is expected to include several key provisions on kinship care, direct access to federal funds by tribal governments, expanded access to training funds for child welfare workers, and extended supports to foster youth and adoptive families.

 

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Report Finds Child Care Costs Rising Faster than Inflation

A report released on July 17th by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) finds that the price of child care increased an average of 6.5% for infants in the past year and 5.2% for 4-yr-olds, nearly twice the rate of inflation.

In Kansas, the cost of center-based infant care rose an astonishing 51.8%, from $5,873 a year to $8,917.  Prices for preschool aged care rose 41.5% to $6,292 a year.

 

Meanwhile in Missouri, center-based infant care costs rose 6% to $6,539 and 4-yr-old care rose 4.9% to $4,836 a year. The average cost of infant care for Missouri families is nearly equivalent to the average cost of tuition at a public four-year university in Missouri at $6,845. While parents have 18 years to put aside savings for college tuition, many families only have 9 months to prepare for the high costs of early childhood care and education.

 

Decades of research reveal that learning and development in the first years of life has a critical impact on a child’s educational success over a lifetime. Children with high quality early learning experiences are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, and earn higher wages as adults -- yet the high price of this early education is out of reach for many families.


The full report can be found online by clicking here 

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National Poll: Nearly 7 in 10 Voters Want More Federal Support for State Pre-K

A bipartisan poll of 800 registered voters across the country in May found that seven in ten voters agree that more federal support is needed to finance high-quality, state-funded pre-k. By nearly 3 to 1, voters are more likely to support a Congressional candidate who backs increased funding for pre-k. 72% of voters thought that pre-k should be an opportunity for all children, including those from middle-class families and 56% said that federal, state, & local governments are doing too little to make sure that all children have access to affordable pre-k programs.

 

For more information about this national pre-k polling, click here.

 

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MISSOURI NEWS

 MO Pre-K Panel Meets for Second Time

 A statewide panel of more than 30 educators, community & business leaders, state department directors, legislators, and family service providers held their second meeting (of three total) last week  in Jefferson City on Tuesday, July 22nd. The focus of the second Pre-K Panel meeting was on discussing and drafting the content of the recommendations they will make to the MO Coordinating Board for Early Childhood. Panelists discussed details relating to access, accountability, and delivery for state-funded pre-k programs.

 

Though the panel won’t publish its final recommendations until November, the following is a list of some draft proposals from the group:

  • Pre-K should be voluntary and financed through a collaboration of public & private funds
  • If a phase-in plan is necessary, immediate funding should go to family support services for at-risk families with children ages 0-3. 4-yr-olds should first have access to pre-k, then access should be expanded to 3-yr-olds
  • A cabinet-level Department of Early Childhood should be established
  • All state-funded pre-k programs should meet similar standards and should be licensed by the MO Department of Health & Senior Services
  • MO should implement a standardized kindergarten readiness entry tool
  • Pre-K should be provided in a mixed delivery system, through school districts and community providers, and programs in each community should be based on local needs
  • Pre-K should be full day and full year to meet the needs of working parents and to provide children with continuous care

The final meeting of the MO Pre-K Panel will be held on October 7th in Jefferson City. Materials and information about this meeting are available on the MO Child Care Resource & Referral Network website at http://www.moccrrn.org/. Click on the heading “MO Panel on School Readiness: Focus on Pre-K Education.”

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Missouri Gubernatorial Candidates Discuss Health Care

Last week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Nixon announced his plans to expand health care coverage if elected in November.  In addition to restoring cuts to the Medicaid program in 2005, Nixon also wants to expand coverage to all Missouri children.  His plan would include, working to recruit lower-income families to sign up for free coverage and stopping moderate income families from having to pay a premium for their children to participate.  He also would allow upper income families to buy into the program if they make over $63,600, the current limit for a family of four. 

 

Republican candidates were critical of the plan citing fiscal concerns, however, Republican candidate Kenny Hulshof announced this week that he would be looking at ways to expand eligibility to Medicaid and would be coming out with a position paper after the August 5th primary. 

 

Partnership for Children wrote a letter to the editor last week highlighting the importance of health care coverage for children.   We also stated that, “health-care coverage for children isn’t a Democratic issue or Republican issue. We all have an interest in ensuring that our children grow up educated and healthy. We call on Missouri gubernatorial candidates Kenny Hulshof and Sarah Steelman to adopt platforms that ensure that Missouri is a great place to be a child and to raise a child by providing all Missouri children the health-care coverage they need and deserve.”

 

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MO Budget Project Estimates Huge State Budget Shortfall Next Year

While Governor Blunt recently announced that Missouri’s state budget wrapped up Fiscal Year 2008 with an ending balance of $833 million, the Missouri Budget Project finds that over $500 million of this surplus is unspent funds carried over from Fiscal Year 2006, when Medicaid and several state social service programs were dramatically cut. Over the past three fiscal years, Missouri has spent more than it actually takes in through general revenue growth, using these “carry over” funds from FY 2006 to meet ongoing spending obligations. When these unspent funds run out in Fiscal Year 2011 (two years away), Missouri will face a budget shortfall of nearly $680 million.

 

To read more about this new report from the MO Budget Project, visit: http://www.mobudget.org/

 

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IN THE NEWS: Media Coverage of Children's Issues

 

Medicare & Leftovers – 7/20/08 – St. Louis Post Dispatch

Congress did the right thing last week by overriding a presidential veto of some modest Medicare reforms. But as welcome as it was, the quick and decisive response highlights a long-standing inequity in federal spending. Read more >> 

 

Nixon’s $1 billion plan would boost coverage – 7/22/08 – Kansas City  Star

Jay Nixon unveiled a nearly $1 billion plan Tuesday to expand health care for low-income Missourians and make low-cost health insurance available for every child in the state.

Read more >> 

 

Community can play a key role in helping abused children–7/26/08–Kansas City Star

“Jessica’s Story” of sexual abuse and neglect, as told by Eric Adler in The Star’s recent four-part series, is an all-too-familiar story at the Child Protection Center: Absent, addicted parents. Poverty. Neglect. Mistreatment. Rape. Betrayal. Read more >>

 

Health care coverage for kids - 7/28/08 – Kansas City Star

Partnership for Children would like to thank Jay Nixon for his plan to provide health care coverage to all children. More than 127,000 Missouri children are currently uninsured. Since 2005, nearly 70,000 children have lost state health coverage. Read More >>

 

Mapitorial:  Hungry, Sick & Vulnerable – 07/29/08 – St. Louis Post Dispatch

Missouri Children shouldn't have to grow up hungry. They shouldn't have to grow up without health insurance, so the only time they see a doctor is in an emergency room or after being admitted to a hospital. Too many of them do. Read more >> 

 

Wednesday Editorial: Fudging Figures – 7/30/08 – St. Louis Post Dispatch

With less than six months remaining in office, Gov. Matt Blunt and his administration are hard at work framing and burnishing their legacy. Read more >> 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Emily Smith & Carrie Shapton

Partnership for Children

infopfc@pfc.org

816-531-9200

 

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