State of the Children

The Costs of Child Abuse, Plus News of the Week

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:13:30 GMT

Failing to address child abuse could cost Texas much more than it would save in budget cuts, our policy director testified at a Legislative Budget Board hearing this week. Below are some highlights from that testimony, and our round-up of news on children and policy issues this week.

From Our Clarity in Choices Department

Christine Sinatra — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:05:32 GMT

"From Our Clarity in Choices Department" will be a new recurring feature on our blog. We'll use it to highlight some of the tradeoffsTexas faces as decision-makers cope with a financial crisis. Our goal is to move from the fuzzy jargon of politics (like "10% budget reduction") to something a little easier to understand (like "vaccines for 112,000 children"). In these posts, we'll also puzzle through the costs for Texas in a way seems warranted (for example: "If it costs more in unnecessary health spending due to sicknesses and hospitalizations, does eliminating vaccines for kids to save money really make sense?")

First up are two issues our policy staff members have recently testified about at the Capitol: early childhood services and childhood obesity prevention.

Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge, Plus News of the Week

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:47:16 GMT

A national health-care-for-children challenge kicked off today with this message: If you work with children, you can help uninsured kids get the health coverage they need. Some new research suggests Texas has a big role to play in achieving this U.S. goal--our kids are disproportionately more likely to go without coverage, even when their families' earnings make them eligible for health care. We highlight what you can do to participate in the new challenge, and share our usual round-up of news about children.

How to Put Kids 1st Without Putting Another Texan Last, Plus News of the Week

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:18:16 GMT

Proposed family prevention service cuts in Texas, a new challenge at TYC, and research about depression in preschoolers are in our highlights of the news this week. We also celebrate the appropriate use of our catch phrase "put kids first" by a prominent national writer . . . and take a moment to clarify what that phrase doesn't mean to us.

Back to School, Back to Court, or Back to the Streets for Texas Kids? Plus News for the Week

Nicole Trinh and Christine Sinatra — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:11:39 GMT

Ticketing children and addressing the dropout problem are interconnected issues in Texas, and they have a lot to do with the school-to-prison pipeline. We explain the situation more in our latest post and offer our weekly round-up of the news on children and policy in Texas.

Bittersweet Victory for Children and News of the Week

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:07:04 GMT

"Bittersweet victory: FMAP passes" was the message in my inbox this week, after U.S. lawmakers passed legislation that benefits children in the Medicaid program, even as another program that helps feed hungry children was slated for cuts. We have more on this and news of the week in our round-up.

Preventing the Decimation of Services for Children, plus News for the Week

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:24:33 GMT

Progress on child nutrition and state fiscal relief in Washington, a challenge for the food stamp program, what works in home-visiting, and new scientific findings about the values of breastfeeding all made our news round-up this week. Texas state agencies also announced their plans for meeting an unthinkable directive from top elected leaders to reduce spending by 10percent, even as the needs families face in our shaky economy climb ever higher.

How Does Texas Rank for Child Wellbeing, Plus News for the Week

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:10:54 GMT

If you have followed the news on kids this week, you might have heard by now that the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its annual rankings of child wellbeing in the states, The 2010 KIDS COUNT Data Book. Once again, Texas performed worse than most other states. Our partners and friends at the Center for Public Policy Priorities coordinate the data for Texas, and I got to attend the release event Tuesday. Some important lessons lie in both Dr. Frances Deviney's presentation and the larger report.

More Tips from LWV of Texas, Plus News for July 17-23

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:55:29 GMT

Closing a Texas predatory-lender loophole, ideas to reduce the C-section rate, new Fostering Connections guidelines from the federal government, and an important upcoming KIDS COUNT event are all featured in our new edition of the round-up.Congress also is running out of time to act on a number of important priorities, national advocates say. Below, we share links to their reports about why it is important to extend Medicaid funding to help states like Texas fill their budget holes and to fully fund a plan to bring Promise Neighborhoods, based on the successful Harlem Children's Zone model, to communities nationwide. We also share tips from a well-known Texans Care for Children member.

Seeking Your Thoughts on the Round-Up, Plus News for July 10-16

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:38:26 GMT

Are doctors overprescribing psychotropic drugs to kids on Medicaid? Are children getting a fair share of the federal budget? After making it over one hurdle this week, will Child Nutrition reauthorization continue to advance in Congress? These are just a few of the questions our report and research round-up this week examines. Also, we step back to get your input on how this blog works for you.

Texas Children Sandwiched Between Hunger and Obesity

Christine Sinatra & Eileen Garcia — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:59:52 GMT

Are hunger and obesity two sides of the same coin? An op-ed by our CEO Eileen Garcia that ran into today's Austin American Statesman argues as much:

Two recent reports relayed bad and seemingly paradoxical news for Texas children. According to the latest research, our Texas kids, more than almost any in the country, face threats from both hunger and obesity.

Nearly one out of four Texas children is "food insecure," meaning they might not know where their next meal will come from, says a July 1 report from Feeding America, which ranked Texas 49th in the country for providing reliable food access for children under 18. The same week, however, the Trust for America's Health announced Texas children suffer disproportionately from obesity. More than 20 percent of kids here are obese, and Texas had the seventh-highest child obesity ranking.

Underlying these statistics is a sad reality: Too many children get poorly nourished because their environment--at school, in the neighborhood and their community--proves inhospitable to healthy eating.

Graduating Kids as Economic Stimulus, plus News for July 3-9

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:30:05 GMT

Important news out this week includes coverage of still more proposed budget cuts, which would fall disproportionately on mental health programs around the state. There is also emerging research that finds more children socially and emotionally unprepared for school, poor rankings for Texas in both child food security and child obesity, and ongoing opportunity gaps for kids of color. In each disheartening piece of news, though, you also will find promising nuggets about how policy improvements can help turn poor conditions around.

The Fourth and the Future, plus News for June 29-July 2

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:09:32 GMT

A state hearing on foster kids, poverty's lasting power, an upcoming call-in day for juvenile justice reform, and a proposed ban on corporal punishment in schools are among the features in our round-up of news and reports on children. Also, if you missed our last round-up, you may not have seen an important report on the future of Texas.

Putting Children First During Hard Times and News for June 20-28

Christine Sinatra — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:36:45 GMT

Imagine if a new terrorist plot were revealed, with widespread implications for our economy, its supply chains, and many civic institutions. Let's say the scheme has the potential to set our nation back by a generation, but that, fortunately, some of the country's top scientists have determined a way to subvert the plot before it occurs. In that case, we would expect our elected leaders to come together in a nonpartisan way and act to protect our common interests for safety and economic stability. Now, if the preventable scenario that would damage our communities for decades turned out not to come from off-shore terrorists, but from our own ill-conceived policies, isn't that all the more reason to come together and address a key threat we face?

This was the question on my mind during last week's Voices for America's Children Forum in California. This post features our weekly round-up of all the latest news and reports on children and policy, along with thoughts on the national threat that involves our children.

Payday Lending and a 2011 Agenda Sneak Peak and News for the Week of June 11-18

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:20:56 GMT

Cuts that cost in juvenile justice, the rising cost of raising a child, more families facing homelessness, and a new funding opportunity for home visitation programs are among the features in our round-up this week of the latest news and reports on children and policy in Texas. We also put a spotlight on one item in our agenda for the upcoming Texas Legislative session in 2011: closing a loophole in the law that today disproportionately hurts vulnerable families with young children.

A New Model to Help Troubled Kids and News for the Week of June 5-11

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:00:58 GMT

A new model center for youth in transition opened this week in San Antonio, with implications for all Texans. In this Friday blog post, we explain why this new center matters, and offer the latest round-up of the news, including the annual Child and Youth Well-being Index report from the Foundation for Child Development, an investigative report into child maltreatment in residential treatment facilities, an exploration of what children in military families face, and more about connecting needy children with food programs during the tough summer months.

Is that Where the Waste Is? What Would You Cut Instead?

Christine Sinatra & Eileen Garcia — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:41:30 GMT

What do proposed cuts to health and human services really mean for Texans? That was the subject of a great Austin American Statesman report, which explained that programs slated to receive fewer dollars in the latest round of budget cuts include one that connects children with special health care needs such as cystic fibrosis with life-saving medical assistance, inspection programs that prevent child abuse and food contamination, and payments to medical providers who serve low-income children (thereby reducing kids' access to health care). A Twitter post from the news website the day the front-page article appeared asked, "Is that where the waste is? What would you cut instead?" No one from the feed's tens of thousands of followers responded with any suggestions other than that these cuts were a bad idea and the state needs more revenue. . .

Children and Texas Policy News for the Week of May 29-June 4

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:47:26 GMT

Texas-grown ideas for improving kids' fitness, nutrition, and graduation rates are among the positive highlights in this week's news and reports round-up. We also feature news about the effect of toxins on pregnant mothers, the growing trend toward criminalizing classroom misbehavior even for elementary students, and more about the effects of state budget decisions on Texas families and children--stories we hope you will join us in following closely, and taking action to address.

A Truly New Approach for Texas and News for the Week of May 23-28

Christine Sinatra & Eileen Garcia — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:45:10 GMT

Can Texas get by with 10 percent less? Our thoughts on that proposal--the latest from state leadership, who have asked all agencies, with limited exception, to plan for operating with much less, even as the need for services reaches an all-time high--appear in this Friday blog post, along with our usual round-up of news and reports about children that you need to read.

How the Latest Budget Cuts Impact Kids and News for the Week of May 15-21

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:28:32 GMT

The $1.2 billion in state budget cuts announced this week are bad news for the wellbeing of Texas children and families, and states throughout the country are taking actions that, advocates fear, will set back child wellbeing for years to come, our latest round-up reports. In the good news department, though, a win from last session for children who need an alternative to foster care goes into effect, the Supreme Court followed a Texas lead by barring life sentences for minors (at least in most instances), and Big Food declares a plan to get Americans to consume 1.5 trillion fewer calories....

A Packed Week of News for May 8-14

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:51:10 GMT

A new plan to address child obesity, a burgeoning foster care population in Texas, several pieces of new research about how the right environments early in life affect kids years down the road, and more about how to keep children out of the juvenile justice system are among the highlights from a week packed with news and new reports about children's issues.

Texas Ranked Last Again: Girls, Obesity and More News for the Week of May 1-7

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:10:00 GMT

With budget battles looming for Texas as our state copes with the consequences of the recession, news agencies have started to ask how our leaders might handle the more than $11 billion shortfall. Many past proposals haven't actually shrunk the budget, the Austin American Statesman reported. Others have been costly to children, as the Dallas Morning News notes today. Unfortunately, too few leaders are speaking out about the clear need for a balanced approach that not only focuses on getting the books straight in 2011, but also ensures future sustainability for Texas.

Observances for Children, Observances by Children

Christine Sinatra — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:40:02 GMT

May offers a good time to think about what kids need and how those needs overlap. In our office and among our coalitions this month, while we prepare our 2011 legislative agenda, we find that doing the right thing by kids in one area of their lives promotes wellbeing in other ways, too...

Who Speaks for Texas and News for the Week of April 24-30

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:07:25 GMT

Hearings at the Capitol, the toll poverty can take on children, the school-to-prison pipeline, and building a workforce to address mental health in children—all are topics in our Friday round-up of news and reports, along with a lesson from Arizona. Two quick calendar reminders are also in order: next week is Children's Mental Health Awareness, and Wednesday is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. If you have events linked to either of these observances you want us to share on our calendar, please let us know. . .

Agenda Setting for Children in Texas and News for the Week of April 17-23

Christine Sinatra — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:12:03 GMT

Child care standards, federal updates, fighting child obesity together, making Child Protective Services accountable to African-American communities, and lots of mental health news as Children's Mental Health Awareness Week approaches are among the highlights in our latest round-up of news and reports. As we mentioned last week, this was also a busy week for advocates, with partners meeting with us on everything from food policy to the children's mental health workforce, from health coverage for kids to money for the Texas budget, as well as strategies to prevent teen pregnancies, implications of making juvenile offenders register as sex offenders, and ways to support transitions to adulthood for foster youth. Have you ever wondered, though: What's up with all those meetings? We answer in the post this week. . .