| Dates to Watch |
|
|
July 14,
2008
Children & Youth Cabinet
Meeting
Florida Gulf Coast University
Ft.
Myers
August
26, 2008
The Children's Trust
Reauthorization
August 26, 2008
Florida
Primaries
Sept. 23, 2008
Children & Youth Cabinet Meeting
University
of West
Florida
Pensacola
November 4,
2008
General
Election
|
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CSCs strategically invest in primary
prevention and early intervention programs and
services. | | | |
| TOP STORIES |
DCF
to Use FAN Standards in Developing Online Child Care
Training
The Florida Afterschool Network (FAN) will
partner with the Department of Children and Families
(DCF) - the state's child care licensing agency - to
develop online training modules based on two
publications produced by FAN, "Florida's Standards for
Quality Afterschool Programs" and the "Florida Quality
Assessment and Improvement Guide." The development of
the training modules brings the standards authored by
FAN from the bookshelves to real world
practice.
DCF's online training module will be 12
hours, and will be part of the state's required 30 hours
of training for child care personnel. DCF envisions
those completing the training module will have met the
requirements for the introductory training for
school-age personnel. The agency plans to contract with
Florida State University (FSU) to develop the training
modules. FAN will establish a workgroup of training
content experts to work with FSU on the programmatic and
quality aspects of the modules. The development of the
training modules will begin in late summer
2008.
The Network is governed by a broad cross
section of afterschool stakeholders who sit on the Board
of Directors. Funded by the Stewart Mott Foundation, the
program is administered by the Florida
CSC.
Governor
Appoints Interim Director of Agency for Persons With
Disabilities
Gov. Charlie
Crist appointed James DeBeaugrine of Tallahassee to
serve as the interim executive director of the Agency
for Persons with Disabilities, succeeding Jane
Johnson. He has served as the agency's deputy
director since August 2007. DeBeaugrine previously
served as a staff director for the Florida House of
Representatives from 1997 to 2007 and analyst for the
House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee
from 1989 to 1997. He earned a bachelor's degree and
master's degree in public administration from Florida
State
University. |
| LEGISLATIVE
WATCH |
Governor Receives
Bills for Signature, State Budget and Children's
Issues
Below are a
few of the bills Gov. Charlie Crist received on Friday,
May 30. The governor has until June 14, 2008, to act on
these bills.
- Appropriations
(HB 5001)
- Annual state budget for period beginning July 1,
2008, and ending June 30, 2009, to pay salaries and
other expenses, capital outlay, buildings and other
improvements, and for other specified purposes of
various agencies of state government.
- Children's
Zones (HB 3) --
The bill provides $3.6
million in funding for the creation of a pilot program
in Miami-Dade's Liberty City aimed at increasing
graduation rates and decreasing crime among inner city
youths. Effective date: July 1, 2008.
- Independent
Living Transition Services (HB 625)
-- Provides for family
foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, or
other authorized caregivers to be included in the
development of plans for activities for certain
children. It also removes the disability of "non-age"
and allows foster youth, with a court order, to enter
into utility contracts when they rent an apartment
before their 18th birthday. This bill also
expands normalcy programming and transition services
to the young adults in Florida's foster care system
who live in group homes. Effective Date: July
1, 2008.
- Termination
of Parental Rights (HB 663)
-- Intended to provide more
stability to the adoption process, the legislation
revises certain provisions within the Adoption Act. It
requires a petition for adoption to be accompanied by
a statement signed by prospective adoptive parents
acknowledging receipt of all information required to
be disclosed. It also provides for service of process
by publication for termination of parental rights
under the Florida Adoption Act. Effective Date:
July 1, 2008.
Governor Signs Bills into
Law
Gov. Charlie
Crist recently signed bills into law affecting infants
and juvenile offenders. They are:
- Safe Haven
Protection for Surrendered Newborn Infants (HB 7007) - The bill
provides presumption of consent to termination of
parental rights in cases of surrendered infants,
removes a requirement that the child-placing agency
conduct a search to identify the parent of the
surrendered infant, increases the age at which an
infant is considered newborn for purposes of treatment
after surrender, and provides for anonymity of the
infant's parents. Effective Date: July 1, 2008.
- Residential
Facilities for Juvenile Offenders (SB 2820)
- To ensure the
most effective rehabilitation efforts and the most
intensive postrelease supervision and case management,
the
bill expresses legislative intent that juvenile
residential facilities have no more than 165 beds. It
redefines "restrictiveness level" to require that
residential facilities for juvenile offenders in
low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk offender
programs have no more than 165 residential beds each.
Effective Date: July 1, 2008.
Senate Approves Moratorium on Harmful
Medicaid Regulations
On
May 22, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to place a
moratorium on seven Medicaid regulations that would
eliminate Targeted Case
Management and jeopardize vital health services to
millions of children, including children who are
low-income, disabled, those with special health needs,
and foster youth. The measure, approved by a vote of
75-22, was enacted as part of a supplemental war
spending package that will now be sent to the U.S. House for final approval.
On April 23, 2008, House members voted 349-62 on a
similar bill that would impose a moratorium until April
1, 2009. It is expected that the House and the
Senate will reconcile minor differences between the two
bills over the next week or two and send a bill to the
President, which he will likely veto. At this
point, it is unclear as to whether "veto-proof" margins
(two-thirds in both chambers) will be sustained as the
White House and Sec. Leavitt may try to cut deals in
June (particularly with the Republicans who voted with
the majority) and win just enough votes to sustain a
veto. Only 10 Senate Republicans must switch votes in
order to sustain a veto. Now more than ever federal
legislators must hear our voices and understand the
importance of American children having access to the
health care services they need. Contact the U.S. Capitol
Switchboard at (800) 828-0498.
-- Submitted by Public
Consulting Group |
| NET
DATA |
Study Ranks Florida 50th in
Health Care for Children
In a
first-ever state-by-state health system "scorecard" on
children's health care, Florida ranked 50th. Only
Oklahoma fared worse in the state-by-state comparison
that found a wide disparity in the care children receive
nationwide. All 50 states and the District of Columbia
were included. The analysis used 13 indicators of child
health, such as infant-mortality rates and access to
specialty care, from a variety of government-supplied
data. Indicators fall into five categories: access to
health care, quality, costs, equity and factors
contributing to healthy lives. Read the full report at
commonwealthfund.org.
Children's Forum Publication Helps Parents
Prepare Kids for Success
"The Best We
Can Be: Parents and Children Growing Together," is a
resource for parents that demonstrates how they can use
everyday activities and materials for strengthening
their relationships with their children, promoting their
early learning and preparing them for success in school
and in life. The sections are coordinated with the first
14 well-child checkups and provide age-appropriate
advice for enriching the time spent with children to
facilitate their development in all domains. Download The Best We
Can Be (pdf, 5.5M)
Get Connected: Learn About the Value CSCs
Bring to Their Communities
Learn more
about the many programs CSCs across the state are
funding in their communities, as well as the benefits of
those programs. The FCSC web site contains a compilation
of links to CSC 2006-07 Annual Reports available online.
Go to the FCSC Annual
Reports web page.
|
| EVENTS |
|
Tampa Bay Area CSCs Hold Regional
Summit on Human Service
Sustainability
The
Children's Board of Hillsborough County (CBHC), together
with JWB-CSC of Pinellas County, will hold a regional
summit on Monday, June 9, to discuss human service
sustainability strategies within the current fiscal
climate. Local CEOs, CFOs, board chairs of provider
agencies, and public and private funders are invited to
attend. The summit is scheduled from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. at
CBHC. Other summit organizers include the United Way of
Tampa Bay and Hillsborough County Health and Human
Services. For more information, contact CBHC at (813)
229-2884.
Tampa
Bay Celebrates
Faces of Hope
The Tampa
Bay Academy of Hope will celebrate its 12 Annual Harvest
of Hope Awards Banquet on Saturday, June 21. The event
titled, "Celebrating Faces of Hope," will honor the
accomplishments of the students enrolled in the
Leadership Through Education program. These students
work through extreme challenges to stay in school,
complete their high school diplomas and pursue a college
education. For more information, or to register for the
event, visit www.tampahope.com.
Webcast: Early Interventions to Prevent
Abuse, Prepare for School
Success
The Chapin
Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago
will hold a webcast at 10 a.m., June 5, to discuss
school-success initiatives that support newborns,
toddlers, and their parents. Panelists will analyze the
complexities of enacting effective school-readiness
policies and programs. Their observations will address
what's behind the latest interest in such initiatives,
the social and political environments needed for
successful early learning centers and home visitation
efforts, the lessons states can draw from Illinois'
recent experience, and the importance of integrating
home-based and learning-center programs, and providing
consistent training and supervision for providers.
REGISTER.
Speaking the Language of Healthcare
Reform
The AARP of
Florida, Florida CHAIN and the Human Services Coalition
will hold a forum on Tuesday, June 11, to discuss
ways to develop appropriate messaging and use effective
language to increase chances of success for healthcare
reform. The forum is scheduled from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at
the La Quinta Inn, 7160 N. Frontage Road, in Orlando.
RSVPs are recommended by June 4th to lisam@floridachain.org or by calling
954-986-6535. For more information, visit www.herndonalliance.org. | |
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