Washington – The First Focus Campaign for Children today applauded U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) for filing an amendment to strengthen the DREAM Act provisions of the Senate “Gang of 8” comprehensive immigration reform bill. The senator’s “Little Dreamers” amendment would eliminate obstacles that deny younger children a five-year path to citizenship available through the underlying bill to older children and young adults.

“The littlest kids have the biggest dreams, and Senator Blumenthal’s amendment would make those dreams come true much sooner,” said Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

The base bill (S. 744) provides a five-year path to citizenship for youth who entered the U.S. prior to age 16, graduated from high school or earned a GED, and earned a college diploma, attended two years of college, or spent four years in the military. The high-school graduation requirement, however, makes that path to citizenship unavailable to young children who will not graduate high school or complete a GED before reaching age 18. Instead, those children must follow the path to citizenship established by the bill for adults, which could mean a delay of up to thirteen years.

The amendment enjoys widespread support. The First Focus Campaign for Children coordinated endorsements of the Little Dreamers Amendment by more than 180 child advocacy, faith-based, education, labor, and immigrant rights groups.

“Thirteen years is a lifetime for a child,” said Lesley. “The Senate Judiciary Committee should adopt this common-sense amendment.”

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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 www.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington – A new analysis released today by the bipartisan children’s advocacy organization First Focus shows that immigration reform legislation sponsored by a “Gang of 8” U.S. senators offers important improvements for children over current law.

“The status quo devalues kids and tears families apart, so the ‘Gang of 8’ proposal is an important step forward,” said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

Compared to current law, the Gang proposal makes several significant gains for children, including:

• An exceptionally strong version of the DREAM Act, offering eligible persons who entered the United States as children an expedited roadmap to citizenship and eliminating arbitrary age caps that had constrained prior versions of the legislation;

• A mechanism for people who entered the United States as children and later left the U.S. or were deported, but who meet some or all of the DREAM Act criteria, to be re-admitted, if they meet Homeland Security waiver criteria, and earn citizenship;

• Eliminates a double-standard in current law that disregards harm or hardship to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident child, when making removal or admissibility decisions;

• An opportunity for children to earn citizenship, even if their parents do not become citizens, and exemptions from fees and penalties for children under age 16;

• A mechanism for children to reunite with parents who left the U.S. or were deported, if parents meet Homeland Security waiver criteria, and earn citizenship;

• Improvements that help children placed in state child welfare systems to reunite with parents who have been detained or deported;

• Accelerates family immigration backlog elimination;

• Ensures that “unaccompanied minor” children are represented by counsel and improves training for Customs and Border Patrol agents.

The Campaign for Children analysis also noted opportunities to improve the legislation’s alignment with principles for child-friendly immigration reform endorsed by more than 200 organizations representing children, immigrants, academia, faith communities, and civil rights:

• Eliminate unnecessary delays on the roadmap to citizenship for children under age 16 who are too young to qualify for the bill’s DREAM Act citizenship roadmap;

• Eliminate delays that deny children federally-funded health care, nutrition, and other assistance with basic needs;

“In America, every child should get the health care, food, and other basics they need to grow up strong and reach their full potential,” said Lesley. “Under this bill, kids would still have to wait up to 15 years for health coverage – that’s a lifetime for a child.”

The U.S. House of Representatives is reportedly preparing to consider immigration reform legislation. Proposals are expected in the coming weeks from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA-6) and a bipartisan ‘gang’ of House members.

“We look forward to working with lawmakers in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle to build an immigration plan that works for children and families.”

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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 www.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington – A bipartisan “Gang of 8” U.S. senators today released immigration reform legislation. An initial review by the bipartisan children’s advocacy organization First Focus Campaign for Children confirms that the proposal includes components aligned with principles for immigration reform critical to advancing children’s interests and protecting their basic rights. Specifically, the legislation creates a roadmap to citizenship for aspiring citizens, including a more streamlined and inclusive version of the DREAM Act for undocumented youth, appointment of counsel for unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings, and reforms to help children in foster care reunite with parents who have been detained or deported.

The principles for immigration reform that meets children’s needs have been endorsed by more than 200 organizations representing children, immigrants, academia, faith traditions, and civil rights. While the new legislation incorporates components of the children’s principles, other reforms that protect children and families’ basic rights, such as access to healthcare and other lifelines, were not addressed in the legislation.

In the coming days, the Campaign for Children will release a thorough analysis of the bill’s potential impact on children and families. In response to the legislation’s release, Bruce Lesley, president of the Campaign for Children, made the following statement:

“The status quo devalues kids and tears families apart, so real progress on reform is an important step forward. The ‘Gang of 8’ bill is a promising starting point for immigration reform that delivers for kids. We look forward to working with lawmakers in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle to build an immigration plan that works for children and families.”

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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 www.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington — The bipartisan First Focus Campaign for Children and more than 90 partner organizations Thursday released a letter endorsing legislation to help school districts serving a high proportion of children of color, children who are English language learners, and children in families with low incomes hire and retain highly qualified teachers. The Equal Access to Quality Education Act (H.R. 1334), sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.-27) and Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas-15) seeks to ensure the equitable distribution of fully prepared and effective teachers to all students.

“Nearly 60 years after Brown vs. Board of Education, separate and unequal is still a reality when it comes to teacher qualifications – real change is decades overdue,” said Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

Independent analyses found significant teacher quality disparities in K-12 education today:

• Schools with a majority of African American students are twice as likely to have teachers with only one or two years of experience than schools in the same district with a majority of white students, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

• Research has concluded that some schools serving large populations of minority and low-income students are more likely to have less experienced teachers on the job, because of a cycle of hiring less-experienced teachers and high teacher turnover rates.

• Teachers are at least twice as likely to teach a subject in which they do not have a major or certification in schools with higher population of students of color or low-income students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Chu’s legislation would establish competitive grants for local schools to partner with institutions of higher education to develop locally-focused teacher recruitment, training, and retention initiatives. Qualifying proposals would provide for professional development, mentoring, and training to meet the needs of diverse students, as well as a roadmap to leadership roles and other retention incentives for highly qualified teachers, to provide a stable and collaborative learning environment for educators and students. Grantees could also offer tuition assistance, scholarship and loan repayments for teachers, and proposals that employ a reliable teacher performance assessment system would be given funding priority. These objectives are intended to promote an approach to teacher recruitment, training, and retention that is both financially and culturally sustainable.

The Campaign for Children was one of more than 90 organizations to sign the letter, as part of the Coalition for Teaching Quality. This coalition is dedicated to ensuring that all students have access to highly qualified teachers.

“CEOs attract high-quality professionals every day by offering training, a peer support system, opportunities for advancement, and financial incentives. Congresswoman Chu’s bill uses the same tools to attract high-quality teachers to schools that need them most,” said Lesley.

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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.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington — The bipartisan children’s advocacy organization First Focus Campaign for Children today thanked Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and more than 50 other representatives for signing a letter challenging congressional leadership and President Barack Obama to find budget solutions that protect critical investments in children.

“Every parent should thank Congressman Davis and his colleagues for their leadership in defense of children. The cynics say it’s all politics in Washington, but this important public commitment by more than 50 members of Congress shows that lawmakers are willing to put kids first,” said Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

The letter, originated by Rep. Davis’ office, underscores the value federal investments like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) in mitigating childhood hunger and Medicaid in covering uninsured children. It also describes the consequences of federal budget “sequestration” cuts for children, ranging from cuts that increase the out-of-pocket cost of child care to cuts that make early education less available and deny housing assistance to children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. It urges the President and congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to hold children harmless in upcoming debates over sequestration, the federal budget, and the national debt limit.

The budget passed this week by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Budget Committee would make deep cuts in critical children’s initiatives, like SNAP and Medicaid, as well as a wide range of “non-defense domestic discretionary” budget initiatives serving children, including education, housing, and child abuse and neglect prevention and response. By contrast, the budget passed by the Senate Budget Committee this week would protect critical children’s initiatives.

“The threats are real and urgent, but Congressman Davis and his colleagues are right. We can’t build a stronger tomorrow for children by denying them the things they need to succeed today,” said Lesley.

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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.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington — The First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, Tuesday sent a letter urging members of the United States Senate to reject legislation (S. 458) sponsored by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), to cut federal funding for child nutrition. The proposal would cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) funding by more than $36 billion over ten years. An analysis by the Campaign for Children’s partner organization, First Focus, confirms that 47 percent of SNAP funding goes to feed children.

“One in five children will go to bed tonight not knowing if their family will have enough to eat tomorrow, and this misguided proposal makes that problem worse,” said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

The bill would end SNAP eligibility for children and others who qualify for similar income-based federal initiatives, like the National School Lunch Program. The Campaign for Children estimates that this change will deny nutrition assistance to hundreds of thousands of children. The proposal would also end a related initiative that provides information and education to help families served by SNAP make healthy nutrition choices on a limited budget, so SNAP dollars can go further.

“Yes, the federal government has serious budget problems, but sending more children to bed hungry is the wrong way to solve them,” said Lesley.

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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.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington — The bipartisan First Focus Campaign for Children released a letter today endorsing legislation to make high-quality pre-kindergarten (pre-K) available to more children. The Prepare All Kids Act (S. 502), introduced by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), would establish a federal-state partnership to improve access and promote quality early education.

“Pre-k can provide a solid foundation for lifelong learning, if we ensure that it’s high-quality, and that it’s widely available– Senator Casey’s bill delivers on both counts,” said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

Children who attend high-quality pre-K programs show improved academic achievement throughout school and are less likely to drop out of school, become teen parents, or be convicted of a crime. But pre-K initiatives vary considerably in quality, and there are not enough high-quality pre-K providers to serve all age-eligible children. The Prepare All Kids Act addresses both problems.

The legislation includes a set of specific quality promotion policies. It requires research-based pre-K curricula that adapts to individual children’s learning styles and promotes the development of “soft skills” that help children learn how to learn, such as focus, persistence and critical thinking. The also bill sets maximum class sizes and student-teacher ratios, requires that teachers work toward and obtain bachelor’s degrees over time, and requires progress monitoring that does not depend on testing young children.

“It isn’t just about ‘checking the pre-K box’ – it’s about building on what works, so high quality is both expected and attained,” said Lesley.

To promote access, the bill creates a federal-state funding partnership, like the highly successful Children’s Health Insurance Program. To lower cost barriers, the legislation focuses on providing pre-K for children in families earning up to twice the poverty level (about $47,000 for a family of four in 2013, less for smaller families). The objective of this investment is to ensure that all four-year-olds have access to at least one year of high-quality pre-K, while maintaining funding commitments to initiatives serving children from birth through age three. The legislation will require participating states to prioritize access for children with special needs, such as children with disabilities and English language learners.

“High quality pre-K does no good if kids can’t get in the door, and by making high-quality pre-K more available to families who cannot afford it, this bill will help millions of kids get a strong start in school and life,” said Lesley.

President Barack Obama made universal access to high-quality pre-K a focus of his 2013 State of the Union address. The Casey proposal embodies the federal-state partnership outlined by the President. It also includes other critical elements of the White House proposal, like maintaining investments in Head Start and child care.

“President Obama offered a bold vision, and Senator Casey has responded with a plan to make that vision a reality,” said Lesley.

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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.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington — First Focus Campaign for Children president Bruce Lesley released the following statement today on lawmakers’ failure to reach a deal to avert the sequester by the end of the day:

“It’s a bad day for children in America. The clock has run out on our kids, and billions are at stake for children in every state, city, community, and neighborhood.

“Not all cuts are created equal, and children are hit especially hard by the discretionary cuts in the sequester. Sequester cuts seriously threaten many aspects of children’s lives - the safe roof over their heads, the education that promises an equal opportunity at success, the nutrition and healthcare they need to grow strong, and the safe environment they need to thrive.

“Parents ask themselves every day if their actions are right for their kids, and should expect their leaders in Congress to do the same. But lawmakers failed that simple test, and our children are paying the price. Parents should demand better from Congress and urge lawmakers to act quickly to mitigate the harm to our children.”

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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.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington — The First Focus Campaign for Children today commended Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and her Senate Appropriations Committee colleagues for holding a hearing on the impact of federal budget sequestration. The bipartisan children’s advocacy organization cited a recent First Focus analysis finding that sequestration would result in immediate cuts of more than $4 billion to federal investments in children.

“Chairwoman Mikulski and the Senate Appropriations Committee understand that sequestration isn’t just about numbers in a ledger – it’s about real children and families,” said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

Unless Congress acts before March 1st, cuts of $4.2 billion to 2013 funding will take effect immediately. These sequestration cuts will affect funding for early education, K-12 education, housing assistance for children, child nutrition, child abuse and neglect prevention, and other critical priorities. However, as First Focus has observed, fiscal proposals passed by the House of Representatives in 2012 would replace the sequester with deep and dangerous cuts to children’s health care, child nutrition, and other investments in children.

“We can’t let Congress stand by as sequestration undermines America’s future, but we need real budget solutions that don’t trade one attack on children for another,” said Lesley.

Polling conducted by the Campaign for Children confirmed that presidential general election voters overwhelmingly support maintaining and strengthening critical investments in children. Specifically, 81 percent of voters backed protecting family tax credits that together lift more than five million children out of poverty, and 83 percent of voters supported protecting the Children’s Health Insurance Program. And by a three-to-one margin (66 to 22 percent), voters support creating an official “children’s budget,” to provide a detailed accounting of federal investments in children.

“The Senate Appropriations Committee is responding to voters’ priorities, by connecting the dots between federal budget choices and real consequences for kids and families. Congress should create an official ‘children’s budget’ to provide a comprehensive look at the impact of budget choices on America’s children,” said Lesley.

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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.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

Washington — Más de 200 organizaciones que representan a los niños, inmigrantes, académicos, tradiciones de fe y derechos civiles publicaron este martes pasado un conjunto de principios para la legislación de una reforma de inmigración que cumpla las necesidades de los niños. La organización bipartidaria de defensa de los niños First Focus y la Women’s Refugee Commission lideraron los esfuerzos para desarrollar estos principios, que también han sido apoyados por el National Latino Children’s Institute, Southern Poverty Law Center, la Conferencia Católica de Obispos de los EE.UU., MomsRising, el Centro de Leyes Nacionales de Inmigración y un total de 205 organizaciones. La Campaña por los Niños de First Focus instó a los miembros del Comité Judicial de la Casa de Representantes de los EE.UU. a tomar estas consideraciones en cuenta durante la audiencia sobre la política de inmigración del día de martes el 6 de febrero.

“Los hijos de inmigrantes representan un cuarto de los niños en América, así que completar una reforma significa hacerlo bien por los niños”, dijo el Presidente de First Focus Bruce Lesley.

“Las prioridades de los niños deben ser incluidas en la reforma de inmigración – no podemos, una vez más, comprometer sus derechos básicos al proceso debido y protección,” dijo Michelle Brané, Director del Programa de Justicia y Derechos de los Migrantes en la Women’s Refugee Commission.

Los principios para la reforma de inmigración del grupo incluyen:

1. Un camino a la ciudadanía que sea directo, claro, alcanzable y razonable;

2. Protecciones para los derechos básicos de los niños, incluyendo el acceso a los servicios públicos para los niños y las familias;

3. Reformas en el cumplimiento que protejan la seguridad y bienestar de los niños; y,

4. Un compromiso de mantener a las familias juntas, a través de una reforma de las políticas de inmigración para las familias y su cumplimiento.

La ley actual de inmigración ignora y frecuentemente descarta de manera explícita los intereses de los niños. Por ejemplo, los inmigrantes que busquen exenciones de penas sobre las restricciones de admisibilidad pueden buscar ayuda con base en el daño a un ciudadano americano cercano, hijo o hija, pero no si estos hijos son menores de 21 años. Y mientras que los gobiernos estatales reconocen las diferencias fundamentales entre los niños y los adultos en materia de cumplimiento de la ley, los niños no acompañados que son puestos bajo custodia por las Aduanas federales y los oficiales de Protección de Fronteras son tratados en la misma forma que los adultos. Décadas de dichas elecciones de política han producido un sistema de inmigración que sujeta rutinariamente a los niños a daños y penas. Por ejemplo:

• 5.5 millones de niños en familias con estatus mixto están en riesgo de ser separados de alguno de sus padres en cualquier momento;

• 1 millón de niños indocumentados que no tienen una forma práctica de obtener una educación y contribuir en sus comunidades

• Más de 200,000 padres de niños con ciudadanía americana fueron deportados entre julio de 2010 y septiembre de 2012;

• Hay un estimado de 5,100 niños en los sistemas estatales de bienestar infantil debido a que las autoridades de federales de inmigración han deportado a sus padres; y

• Los niños extranjeros no acompañados y los niños aprehendidos internamente aun no obtuvieron las protecciones del debido proceso básico que le proporcionamos a otros en riesgo de perder un derecho fundamental.

“Nuestros valores nacionales reconocen las necesidades únicas de los niños, y muchas de nuestras leyes le dan a los niños protecciones especiales”, dijo Lesley, “es hora de que nuestra política de inmigración se ponga al día y trabaje en el mejor interés de los niños.”

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First Focus Campaign for Children es una organización 501(c)(4), sin fines de lucro afiliada con First Focus, una organización bipartidista que promueve la defensa de los niños. Campaign for Children aboga directamente por el cambio legislativo en el Congreso para asegurar que los niños y las familias sean una prioridad en la política federal y las decisiones presupuestarias. Para obtener más información, visite www.ffcampaignforchildren.org.

La Women's Refugee Commission trabaja para mejorar las vidas y proteger los derechos de mujeres, niños y jóvenes desplazados por conflictos y crisis. Está afiliada con y es legalmente parte del Comité Internacional de Rescate, una organización sin fines de lucro 501(c)(3). Para más información, visite www.womensrefugeecommission.org.