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This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court ruling, a statute that embodies our belief as Americans that all children should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. The ruling established that every child, regardless of their immigration status, is entitled to a public K-12 education. Specifically, the ruling deemed it unconstitutional to discriminate against children “on the basis of a legal characteristic over which children have little control”—namely their immigration status—and also observed that restrictive education policies would ultimately lead to “the creation and perpetuation of a subclass” within our society. In...

High quality child care is an essential resource for working families. It allows parents to go to work or school and provides children with a safe place to spend the day while contributing to their healthy development. But with the price of center-based child care outpacing the price of in-state tuition in many states and rising poverty levels for children and families, fewer and fewer working families can afford adequate child care. To make matters worse, without an adequate funding increase for 2013 the largest federal resource for working families who need help paying for child care, the Child Care...

It was one of the president’s most repeated selling points for health care reform: “If you like your health plan, you can keep it.” A selling point that acknowledged more than anything the 150 million American employees, 58% of the entire workforce, who have access to employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) for themselves and their families and aren’t sure they want to mess with it. This type of private coverage has become so much the foundation of the health care system, many reform drafters thought it too ingrained to significantly change. The law instead sought to protect and bolster ESI with...

First Focus Campaign for Children is partnering with several organizations working to address the growing number of homeless children in our country. Together these organizations have supported the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2011 (H.R. 32), which was introduced by Congresswoman Judy Biggert. The coalition has created a new website where you can learn more about the bill and take action.The Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2011 would align the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of “homeless” children with the definition used by the U.S. Department of Education. Enactment of this legislation would...

Educators, school districts, governors, parents and other stakeholders have waited since 2007 for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently called No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions passed an ESEA reauthorization bill last October, and the U.S. House of Representatives will move their reauthorization bills toward a mark-up this week. In the meantime, the Obama Administration has issued ESEA waivers to 11 states, with more states applying this week.Both House ESEA bills were introduced by Representative John Kline (R-MN), Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee....

If you caught Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl commercial, perhaps you got shivers going up your spine as Eastwood spoke about tough economic times and American perseverance: “Its half time in America too, people are out of work and they’re hurting…and they’re wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback.”It's a sentiment that resonates with a lot of Americans, but perhaps especially with young people who are not connected to education, training programs or the workforce.In response to the current economic crisis and growing need to connect youth to employment opportunities, the Obama Administration recently launched their Summer Jobs+...

As we enter the new year, we have looked back to review the issues or topics that captured our website vistors’ attention throughout the year. Below we have identified the 15 most popular resources on the First Focus Campaign for Children website in 2011. Here they are: The State Flexibility Act Harms Children, Disrupts Coverage, and Ends CHIP as We Know It by Lisa Shapiro (June 1, 2011 - fact sheet) Cutting Health Care for Kids is Like Stealing Candy from a Baby (June 23, 2011 - advertisement) Debt Ceiling Deal Leaves Education Programs Vulnerable, Protects Medicaid and...

As we wait for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to make it out of Congress in 2012 (don’t hold your breath), the First Focus Campaign for Children is advocating to keep the current definition of Highly Qualified Teachers (fully-certified, fully-prepared) in ESEA. In doing so, we will provide diverse learners and our most deserving students with educators that are both fully prepared and highly effective. Research indicates that teacher quality is the most important school based factor impacting student achievement. Yet, students in low-income and minority schools are far less likely to have access to fully-prepared and effective teachers,...

The challenge of educating our students must not fall on schools alone; the whole community must be engaged.First Focus Campaign for Children works to create policy incentives for closer and strategic collaboration between schools and community entities. First Focus Campaign for Children believes that Federal policy, such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, should continue to prioritize connections between schools and community organizations (non-profits, local government agencies, businesses, health centers, human service centers, youth development programs) that can play a strategic role in fostering academic success. These partnerships will effectively leverage community resources and coordinate support services to meet...

On December 8th, 2011, Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) in partnership with the Coalition for Teaching Quality (which the First Focus Campaign for Children belongs to) sponsored a briefing on Capitol Hill titled:STUDENT ACCESS TO PREPARED & EFFECTIVE TEACHERS: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF FEDERAL POLICYThe briefing stressed the educational equity issue of creating greater access to fully-prepared, highly qualified teachers for our most deserving students and schools – The following topics were addressed: Why teacher qualifications and effectiveness matter and how they can be measured The importance of “Equitable Distribution” in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act The impact of policies...