Washington – By voice vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted today to pass the Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456), a bipartisan bill to improve prevention and support services for children at risk of being placed in foster care.

The Campaign for Children strongly supports the Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456/S.3065 in the Senate), the result of more than a year of bipartisan discussion in the House and Senate that will allow states to be reimbursed for providing preventive mental health, substance abuse, and in-home counseling services to children who are candidates for foster care, as well as their parents or caregivers, among several other important provisions. The legislation also extends the Title IV-E program to provide support services for foster youth transitioning to adulthood.

“We commend the House for supporting evidence-based prevention programs that help keep kids at home in family settings, where studies show that children have a greater chance of short- and long-term success at home and in school,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. “For the first time, significant federal dollars will be available to states to address the root causes that are putting children in foster care.”

The Family First Act also addresses the over-reliance of placing children in group care or congregate care homes. Studies have shown that children living in such facilities have poorer outcomes than their peers in family-based foster homes. The bill requires states that are using federal dollars for foster care programs to conduct an assessment of the child by a qualified individual to determine whether a residential treatment setting is needed for the child. Court reviews are also required to ensure that children are not unnecessarily placed in a group care setting.

A number of other provisions aimed at reforming and strengthening the child welfare system include the extension of the Title IV-B program, improving supports for youth transitioning to adulthood, establishing model foster care licensing standards, and calling for a GAO review to examine compliance of states in reinvesting savings from the federal adoption assistance reimbursement for special needs kids.

This legislation has the potential to have a far-reaching impact in the lives of foster youth and their families and is an important step towards reforming federal child welfare financing.

Last week, the First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees expressing its strong support for the bill. A diverse coalition of more than 50 state and national child welfare and advocacy organizations have also expressed their support for the legislation.

###

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 – The First Focus Campaign for Children welcomes the proposed one-year extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, approved in the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote today as part of H.R. 5170, the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act.

TANF provides critical support to children of poor and low-income working class families in the United States. TANF provides cash assistance to families, funding for child welfare programs, aid to children at risk of abuse, and child care assistance. However, increased resources for TANF are needed in order to increase the program’s effectiveness in helping families achieve economic mobility and improve child wellbeing. TANF has fallen in value by 32 percent due to inflation since 1996, and caseloads have decreased significantly since 1996. In addition, while children make up a majority of the recipients of TANF, child poverty reduction is not an explicit goal of the program.

“We’re pleased to see the House’s approval of a one-year extension of TANF and encourage lawmakers to continue seeking long-term and economically realistic funding solutions to this critical funding source for programs that benefit children,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. “The reality is that TANF positively impacts the lives of millions of children, but funding levels have remained flat since 1996 and don’t reflect the hardships of the economic crisis that many families face today with 21 percent of the nation’s children living in poverty.”

House Members voted for the one-year extension of TANF as part of the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act, legislation that calls for public-private social impact partnerships, or “Social Impact Bonds,” that fund evidence-based projects designed to improve broadly-defined “social outcomes.” The First Focus Campaign for Children applauds the inclusion of an amendment offered by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, that directs at least 50 percent of “social impact partnerships” be used for programs that directly benefit children.

“We applaud Representative Doggett for going to bat to protect funding that directly benefits kids,” Lesley said. “And we continue to urge Congress to move in the direction of strengthening its support and funding for programs that benefit children – children after all, are the future of this country and their wellbeing is critical.”

• Read the First Focus 2015 Statement for the Record to Reauthorize TANF
• Read the First Focus Report: “Speaker Ryan’s Poverty Agenda: Not the Better Way for Children”

###

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 – The First Focus Campaign for Children applauds the introduction of the Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456/S.3065), a bipartisan, bicameral commitment to investing in and improving prevention and support services for children at risk of entering the foster care system.

The Family First Prevention Services Act (HR.5456/S.3065), which is expected to be voted on in the House this week, is the result of more than a year of bipartisan discussions and proposals led by the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. Among other provisions, the bill allows states to be reimbursed for providing preventive mental health, substance abuse, and in-home counseling services to children who are candidates for foster care, as well as their parents or caregivers. The legislation also addresses the over-reliance of placing children in group care or congregate care homes and extends the Title IV-B program to provide support services for foster youth transitioning to adulthood.

“The Family First Prevention Services Act has the potential to have a far-reaching impact in the lives of foster children and youth and their families,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. “We commend Senators Wyden and Hatch and Representatives Buchanan, Brady, and Levin, as well as the bill co-sponsors and committee members, for promoting evidence-based prevention services to keep children in family settings and out of foster care. We strongly encourage the House and Senate to pass this legislation. Research shows that children at risk of entering the foster care system who stay in family settings have a better chance to succeed at home and at school.”

Last week, the First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees expressing its strong support for the bill. A diverse coalition of more than 50 state and national child welfare and advocacy organizations have also expressed their support for the legislation.

Click here for a summary draft of the bill.

###

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 – A provision added to a new mental health reform bill provides easier access to comprehensive health services for children who receive care at in-patient psychiatric and mental health centers, creating better continuity of care for those children.

The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act  (H.R. 2646) was first drafted in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Long stalled in Congress, today it passed unanimously with modest revisions.

In a notable step forward, Section 206 of the bill allows children receiving Medicaid-covered inpatient psychiatric hospital services to be eligible for the full range of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment – so-called EPSDT – services from the provider of their choice effective January 1, 2019.

“I am pleased to see bipartisan support for the provision in Section 206 of this bill,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. “This provision ensures that children who are receiving inpatient psychiatric care, can continue to receive care from their medical home while they are hospitalized. Not only does this provide continuity of care while they are in placement, it also assures that same continuity of care when they return to their home and community. I commend policymakers for joining together to address this long-overdue inequity in comprehensive benefits for children. Our kids deserve better, and I hope Congress continues to do right by them.”

###

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 – 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.

###

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 – The Hygiene Assistance for Families of Infants and Toddlers Act (HR. 4055) received a boost of support today as more than 300 national and state organizations expressed their strong approval of the legislation.

Introduced by U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the “DIAPER” bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to states to create demonstration projects to make diapers more affordable to low-income families. It also amends Title XI of the Social Security Act to exempt diaper benefits from the territorial payment ceiling.

“This legislation puts the developmental needs of young children first, and we commend Representatives Ellison and DeLauro for thinking of this as a children’s issue,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Campaign for Children. “Being able to afford diapers, food, healthcare, and other necessities are struggles that low-income families have to face every day.”

The diverse coalition of national organizations who support the law – from the National Women’s Law Center to the Augusta Food Bank in Maine – understand the importance of making diapers affordable and available to all families. The current lack of a formal support system to ensure the hygiene needs of more than 5 million children living in low-income families makes diaper affordability one of the biggest economic challenges for families today.

Diapers can cost a family more than $100 per month, disproportionately affecting the poor. According to a 2014 Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) report, the poorest 20 percent of families spent 14 percent of their income on diapers. Because so many parents lack the diapers they need, hundreds of diaper banks have popped up around the country in the last decade. The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) estimates that one in three families struggle with the cost of diapers today.

“All babies deserve access to clean diapers,” said Joanne Goldblum, NDBN executive director. “The legislation introduced by Representatives Ellison and DeLauro demonstrates Congressional leadership and readiness to improve the well-being of all U.S. families, especially those experiencing diaper need – a hidden consequence of poverty. Because of the bill, more Americans are learning about diaper need, supporting the growing diaper bank movement, and working to improve all of our communities by getting clean diapers to babies in need.”

A lack of diapers can affect the physical wellbeing of millions of infants and toddlers and prohibit parents from accessing child care, as well as cause considerable stress for struggling families. According to a Yale School of Medicine study, diaper need is a stronger predictor of depression and anxiety among mothers than food insecurity.

“Living in poverty undermines babies’ brain development in key areas that are critical for school success,” said Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE. “Too many parents are forced to make dangerous choices between basic needs, such as providing diapers, buying food or heating their home. The Hygiene Assistance Act helps families meet those needs – a crucial step in ensuring their children get off to a strong start.”

To learn more about the Hygiene Assistance Act, click here. For a full list of organizations that support the Hygiene Assistance Act, click here.

###

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.

The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to eliminating diaper need in America, by leading a national movement to help meet the basic needs of all babies and their families…including access to clean, dry diapers and other material goods. Founded in 2011 with the support of Huggies^®, the network raises national awareness of diaper need (#DiaperNeed) and supports the development and expansion of diaper banks in communities throughout the country. Its active membership includes more than 280 diaper banks, diaper pantries, and food banks located in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. More information on NDBN and diaper need is available at www.nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org, and on Twitter (@DiaperNetwork) and Facebook (facebook.com/NationalDiaperBankNetwork).

ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture development. Founded in 1977, ZERO TO THREE is a leader in the field of infants, toddlers and families – reaching more than 2 million parents each year. The organization brings together experts on parenting, child behavior and development, care and education, and public policymakers to help ensure every child from birth to three years old gets a strong start in life. For more information, please visit zerotothree.org or follow us on Twitter at @ZEROTOTHREE.

Washington – Access to legal counsel dramatically improves the outcomes of Central American refugee children seeking asylum in the United States and new legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would guarantee that no immigrant child would ever have to face the court system alone.

The First Focus Campaign for Children (FFCC) applauds the introduction of the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act, introduced today by U.S. Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV), Dick Durbin, (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Al Franken (D-MN), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

“Leaders in the U.S. Senate today took an important first step to acknowledge that this is a refugee crisis, not a border security issue, and that children and families coming to the U.S. from Central America deserve a fair shot at asylum,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Campaign for Children.

In January, FFCC and more than 50 national and state children and families’ advocacy organizations sent a letter to President Obama urging his administration to stop prioritizing the removal of children and families and instead focus on ensuring that children and families seeking asylum have appropriate legal representation and access to legal services.

“This is an important shift away from deportation and enforcement to a more humanitarian response that ensures children and families with valid asylum claims are properly screened, get their day in court and are represented equally and fairly,” Lesley said. “We commend Senators Reid, Durbin, Leahy, Murray and Menendez for not turning their back on children fleeing the unconscionable levels of violence and abuse in Central America.”

Today, FFCC Vice President of Immigration and Child Rights Wendy Cervantes delivered the following remarks during a joint press conference with Sen. Menendez and representatives from the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Kids in Need of Defense:

“The First Focus Campaign for Children applauds Senators Reid, Durbin, Leahy, Menendez, Franken, Murray, and Hirono for introducing the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016.

In America, no child should be forced to face a courtroom alone, especially when the outcome may be a matter of life or death. Children are not little adults. This bill would ensure that children seeking protection in the United States are guaranteed legal counsel in their immigration proceedings.

As advocates for children, we’ve been urging the Administration, as well as Congress, to put the best interest of children first, ever since the beginning of the Central American refugee crisis. Children fleeing Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador do so because they have no other choice.

These are children who deserve the very best protection our country can provide, yet many continue to go without a fair day in court, and others are returned to the very danger they were trying to flee without adequate assessment.

As advocates for children, we’ve also been gravely concerned with the Administration’s enforcement-heavy response to this crisis because it puts children in harm’s way. We have seen kids go through expedited removal proceedings—often without counsel; children and mothers locked up for months in detention facilities; and communities terrorized by ICE raids in the middle of the night.

We’ve also seen increased enforcement efforts to stop children and families who are seeking help from ever reaching the United States. We agree with Senator Menendez that a deterrence is a flawed and dangerous strategy, and that no family or child should be returned to their death.

Instead of showing children compassion, these misguided policies have caused them further trauma.  We as a country can and must do better than this.

We believe that this bill is an important first step to fulfill our moral and legal obligation to do right by vulnerable children who urgently need our help.

In addition to ensuring that all children and mothers have a lawyer, the bill ensures that all individuals in detention, including families with children, receive legal orientation programs so that they understand their rights.

We’re also pleased that this bill creates a pilot program to help unaccompanied children better access legal counsel and get connected to the basic services every healthy child needs, such as enrolling in school.

As a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, our interest lies in the welfare of kids. We’re interested in seeing our legal system, hailed by many as the greatest in the world, do right by kids who come to our country looking for help. Every child, no matter where they come from, deserves a fair shot at safety and prosperity. While this bill won’t fix the conditions that are driving thousands of unaccompanied minors to seek refuge in our country, it will address a major flaw in our legal system that continues to put the lives of innocent kids in peril. ”

Learn more about the First Focus Center for the Children of Immigrants.

###

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 – Working families seeking relief from growing childcare costs could have greater access to low-cost, high-quality child care under new legislation introduced today by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), U.S. Reps Joseph Crowley (D-NY), and Lois Frankel (D-FL).

The Child Care Access to Resources for Early-learning Act (Child C.A.R.E. Act) takes important steps to address a national crisis, the exponentially growing lack of affordable childcare. In the last 30 years, average weekly childcare expenses have grown by more than 70 percent and federal support has almost nothing to offset the increase in costs.

By 2021, the C.A.R.E Act seeks to guarantee access to child care for every parent that earns up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level and has an infant and/or a toddler by increasing mandatory funding for the Child Care and Development Fund, the federal program responsible for child care funding, services, and quality control.

“Working families can longer afford child care, with the average cost of child care rivaling the cost of college tuition in many states,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Campaign for Children. “This legislation rightfully invests in children and working families, and gives parents the resources they need to ensure that infants and toddlers get high-quality care that gives them a strong start in life.”

The proposed bill also makes improvement to the quality of child care by:

• Providing parents and child care providers with adequate resources to support high quality early care and learning for children under age 4.
• Ensuring that child care provider payment rates are set at a level that supports quality child care for children under age 4;
• Assisting child care providers in strengthening their competencies and skills in accordance with the National Academies of Sciences Report, Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8;
• Ensuring that there is a continuum of quality early learning within states and tribes, starting with prenatal care and continuing into the early years of school.

The lack of affordable childcare for low-income families means that many parents have to juggle parenting and a career, don’t get to fully participate in the U.S. economy, and many others never reach their educational goals. Many women are forced to leave work to take care of their children, and employee absenteeism from lack of child care comes at a price of $3 billion per year to U.S. businesses.

“We commend Senator Casey and Representatives Crowley and Frankel for making the needs of children and their families a priority,” Lesley said. “And we strongly urge Members of Congress from both parties to work together to enact this legislation into law. Our nation cannot afford to exclude working families from full participation in our economic recovery and children from early learning opportunities by failing to provide access to high-quality child care.”

Read the complete First Focus analysis of the legislation.

###

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 – 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. 

###

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.

###

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.