Washington – The House’s version of a bill that funds children’s food programs – both in and out of school – puts kids’ access to food programs at risk and weakens nutrition standards that help children thrive.

In a letter to House Education and the Workforce Committee Members last week, First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, strongly stated its opposition to the Improving Child Nutrition Education Act of 2016 (H.R. 5003) introduced by Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind.

“Contrary to its title, the House’s nutrition bill detracts, rather than improves, child nutrition standards and access to healthy foods across the country,” said Bruce Lesley, Campaign for Children president. “It’s troubling that with 20 percent of American children living in poverty, lawmakers would try to make it harder for kids to access healthy, nutritious school meals.”

Several provisions included in the bill fall short of common-sense priorities needed to maintain strong nutrition standards and to expand access to healthy meals for students. Under the House’s bill:

• More than 7,000 schools serving 3.4 million students would no longer qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision
• More than 11,000 schools not using the Community Eligibility Provision would also lose eligibility
• Administrative changes to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food program place additional burdens on families and providers
• The qualifying threshold to students certified through federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would be significantly raised
• Scientists and public health officials would be shut out from nutrition standards review
• Fundraisers, family meal days, and a la carte items would be exempt from nutrition standards

“This bill is clearly bad for America’s children,” Lesley said. “Children cannot learn and thrive when it becomes increasingly more difficult for them to access healthy foods. Congress should focus on expanding access and nutrition standards rather than continue to put up barriers for kids. It’s not right.”

Children are increasingly vulnerable to economic challenges facing their families. It’s estimated that more than 15.3 million children live in food insecure households today. To read the Campaign for Children’s letter to Congress, click here.

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.campaignforchildren.org.

On April 22, 2016, the First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to members of the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee strongly stating its opposition of the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016.

We believe healthy nutrition is an essential building block of a healthy childhood and that no child in America should ever go hungry. Students who have access to healthy and nutritious food perform better in school. Twenty percent of American children live in poverty and more than 15 million children live in food-insecure households. Child nutrition programs play an essential role in providing healthy meals to kids both in and out of school.

As introduced, the House Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016 (H.R. 5003) would put access to many essential children's food programs at risk. The bill also weakens nutrition standards that help children thrive academically and developmentally. Specifically, the provisions to increase both verification requirements and community eligibility thresholds will undoubtedly result in children losing free and reduced price meals during the school day.

We must continue to improve access to healthy and nutritious foods for all kids, rather than create additional barriers for the families who need it most.

.@EdWorkforce We should improve access to healthy food. Children can't learn if they're hungry! http://bit.ly/23OzwF0 v/ @Campaign4Kids
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On April 15, 2016, the First Focus Campaign for Children submitted a Statement for the Record to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and related agencies.

There are more than 200 distinct child and family programs and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services and Education has jurisdiction over many. Every year for the last ten years, First Focus has published an annual Children’s Budget book that offers a detailed analysis and guide to federal spending levels and priorities on children and families.

Last year’s Children’s Budget 2015 showed that the share of federal spending dedicated to children fell to just 7.89 percent, down from its highest level of 8.5 percent in 2010. Consequently, the federal share of discretionary spending dedicated to children has dropped by 7.2 percent over the last five years.

In its April 15 Statement for the Record, the Campaign for Children asked Congress to increase funding for several critical programs that directly impact children and their families.

Washington – The end-of-year spending bill and tax package released by Congress today calls for permanently extending the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), effectively helping millions of America’s children and families from falling deeper into poverty.

Studies have showed that combined, the EITC and CTC expand children’s opportunities to be healthier, perform better in school, and have higher earnings in adulthood. The credits are a critical support to help families offset the cost of raising children.

“We applaud Congress for coming together in the best interest of children and making the EITC and CTC permanent,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Campaign for Children. “Working families need and deserve opportunities to succeed, and today Congress and the White House came together to agree to extend these important federal family tax provisions.”

While the family tax credits benefit the majority of working families, proposed eligibility changes in the new package are concerning, specifically because they prevent some individuals who are issued new Social Security numbers from being able to make retroactive EITC claims. Also troubling is a provision that would make it more difficult for immigrant parents to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to pay their taxes, an additional barrier that singles out working immigrant families.

“Children of immigrants comprise more than 30 percent of all children in low-income families in America, and it’s critical that Congress makes decisions based on the best interest of all of America’s children,” Lesley said.

Studying the Cost of Child Poverty

Included in the omnibus spending bill is a provision that requests the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to provide an evidence-based, non-partisan holistic analysis of the cost of child poverty, and make recommendations to Congress to reduce the number of children living in poverty by half in 10 years.

First Focus Campaign for Children has worked diligently with lawmakers in both chambers in support of the NAS study. The study is also a critical component of the Child Poverty Reduction Act, which would establish a national goal of eradicating child poverty in 20 years.

“We’re pleased to see that policymakers on both sides of the aisle are supportive of this practical, first step toward ending child poverty for our children and families,” Lesley said. “We’re especially thankful of the leadership of Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard and Barbara Lee, who championed this effort.”

Strengthening the Pillars of Education

Today’s spending package increases discretionary spending in education by $1.171 billion, including a $500 million increase in Title I allocations and a $4.958 million increase for programs targeting the education of homeless children and youth. The increase in spending still falls under the provisions of No Child Left Behind, as new education provisions under the new Every Student Succeeds Act are not scheduled to take effect until the 2017-18 school year.

“There are more than 1.3 million homeless children and youth in America’s schools today,” Lesley said. “Homeless children and youth face unique barriers to academic success, and we’re grateful that this funding will help the kids who need it most. For many children without homes, school is their life.”

Additional spending provisions that strengthen children’s education include an important funding increase for Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grants – by $570 million and $326 million, respectively – and reauthorized funding for Preschool Development Grants. These bipartisan investments are an important commitment to early childhood programs that support and nurture the youngest children during their most important stages of development.

“These programs yield short- and long-term benefits to children’s health, educational achievement, and future success, all to the benefit of our national prosperity,” Lesley said.

Protecting Family Health Plans

The tax extenders package places a two-year hold on the “Cadillac Tax,” a provision of the Affordable Care Act that was intended to rein in high-priced employee-offered policies but instead, disproportionately harms kids’ coverage. The tax incents employers to begin increasing health care costs to families who are already struggling.

The two-year delay will allow working families to avoid higher costs and reduced benefits when it comes to employee-sponsored healthcare.

“Although this is a well-intended effort on the part of the Administration and lawmakers, the reality is that the Cadillac Tax disproportionately harms dependent coverage for children, and we’re pleased to see there is broad, bipartisan support to delay or repeal it,” Lesley said.

Keeping Tobacco out of the Hands of Children

Lawmakers protected the health of children and teenagers by rejecting a proposed policy rider that would have shielded electronic cigarette manufacturers from the standard FDA approval process.

A new generation of smokers is becoming addicted to nicotine. The Centers for Disease and Control Prevention reported that e-cigarette use among middle- and high-school students tripled in one year, and a recent Harvard study has linked the flavoring contained in e-cigarette vapor to a condition called “Popcorn Lung.”

Moreover, e-cigarette retailers have aggressively marketed their products to children, by naming and branding e-cigarettes as popular children’s candy and cereal brands.

“We’re optimistic that Congress will do even more to protect children from these dangerous and deceitful marketing practices,” Lesley said. “For example, the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act would require child safety packaging for all liquid nicotine containers.”

Better Nutrition for Kids

Child nutrition standards prevailed in the omnibus package by excluding riders that would have undermined them, as previously proposed.

The spending bill also provides $6.35 billion for WIC to fully fund participation of low-income pregnant, breast feeding, and postpartum women as well as infants and children up to age five, and summer Electronic Benefit Demonstration grants will receive $23 million to provide families of low-income children access to food during the summer months when school is out.

“This compromise isn’t perfect, but it’s good for children, good for families, and offers a hopeful glimpse into a more cooperative environment in Congress where America’s children have a better seat at the negotiating table,” Lesley said.

Download the First Focus Omnibus and Tax Agreement Fact Sheet. 

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.campaignforchildren.org.

Washington – First Focus Campaign for Children (FFCC) today welcomed Congressional approval of a major re-write of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that includes key provisions to boost educational outcomes for low-income students and improves early childhood education initiatives across the country.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), approved today in the Senate, is a refreshing example of how strong bipartisan efforts can lead to improved outcomes for children. ESSA puts an end to the patchwork federal waiver system and allows states to develop more tailored accountability measures and interventions that are more reflective of their student populations.

“When Congress works together, good things happen for kids,” said Bruce Lesley, President of the First Focus Campaign for Children. “While ESSA takes great strides toward improving the outcome of the nation’s most vulnerable students, there is much more that can be done to strengthen our obligation to provide a high-quality public education to all children in this country.”

Included in the ESSA is the Community Support for Schools Success Program, which provides grants to community schools that offer more holistic approaches to children’s education by pairing classroom curriculum with social services. Full-Service Community Schools provide students in-house services such as primary health and dental care; mental health and counseling; nutrition services; mentoring; and adult education and job training for parents.

“Providing educational spaces where children’s academic, health, and mentoring needs are met benefits the students, their families, and the schools,” Lesley said. “With this program, we move closer to eliminating a blind-spot in federal policy, recognizing that what happens outside the classroom affects what happens inside the classroom.”

ESSA also provides additional support for foster children and homeless youth, children with disabilities, and neglected children. It also allows states to redirect resources to under-performing schools, high schools with high drop-out rates, and schools with achievement gaps.

On Dec. 8, 2015, FFCC sent a letter to members of Congress praising their support of ESSA and thanked them for taking a strong bi-partisan approach to its major overhaul of No Child Left Behind.

ESSA will “allow states to develop their own accountability measures and interventions to ensure every student is thriving in the classroom,” the letter reads.

FFCC will continue to advocate for improved educational initiatives, including a need for better funding equity and an end to the over-reliance on testing – areas where ESSA falls short. Education funding remains highly inequitable and statewide assessments in reading, math, and science are still required under the new law, as well as a 95 percent participation requirement.

“This Administration and Congress have begun to recognize the extent to which America’s schools are over-testing their students. I’m confident that lawmakers can work together on common-sense approaches to learning evaluation in the future,” Lesley said.

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

While the final bill is not perfect, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a prime example of how strong bipartisan efforts can lead to improved outcomes for children. Under No Child Left Behind, students and teachers were left with constant instability as a result of waivers granted by the Department of Education. The ESSA will put an end to this patchwork approach and allow states to develop their own accountability measures and interventions to ensure every student is thriving in the classroom.

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