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Dates
to Watch
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Tallahassee
April 30, 2010
Regular
Legislative Session Ends
Children and Youth Cabinet Meeting
June
17-18, 2010
Early Learning
Advisory Council Meeting
Orlando
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Send Me More
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CSCs
strategically invest in primary prevention and early intervention
programs and services.
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Haiti
Earthquake Relief
We
are all extremely saddened by the effects of the disastrous earthquake
that struck Haiti on January 12. The Florida Philanthropic Network has
organized a list organizations aiding in the relief efforts. To find
out how you can help click here.
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Anna is Here; FCSC Lobbying Team
Expands
 It is only fitting that our top story be about the arrival
of Anna Josephine Vallese, the much anticipated baby of FCSC News
Editor Kriss Vallese and her husband Joe. Anna conveniently
arrived on her due date of December 13 weighing in at a perfect 7 lbs,
1 oz. FCSC now has our very own Capital Hill mascot which can
only make our lobbying efforts easier. Congratulations to the
Vallese family.
Early Childhood Caucus Reviews Key
Issues for Session
Members of the Legislature's Early Childhood Caucus met
today to hear a presentation on Healthy Families Florida (HFF) by
Executive Director Carol McNally and to discuss issues that will be in
play for the upcoming session. McNally talked about the value of
HFF, the risk factors of families served, and the tremendous benefits
of the work of home visitors. She highlighted research on cost
avoidance of HFF and other prevention programs. Rep. Elaine
Schwartz (D-Hollywood), who is on the Appropriations Committee, was
particularly interested in emphasizing research which documents impact
of prevention programs on school drop-out rates.
The members in attendance reviewed a list of early
childhood issues that are in play this session. Rep. Richard
Steinberg discussed the mandatory booster seat bill that he is
co-sponsoring with Sen. Thad Altman (SB316/HB387). This is an
FCSC "must pass" bill for 2010. Making the point that
enhancing state revenue is critical if these important programs are to
be funded adequately, Rep. Michelle Rehwinkle Vasilinda (D-Tallahassee)
urged support for the internet sales tax legislation she is
co-sponsoring with Sen. Evelyn Lynn (R-Daytona Beach). She
emphasized that it is not a new tax but rather a modification that makes
the sales tax more equitable. See here for complete list of issues.
The next meeting
of the Caucus will be Wednesday, February 10. The guest speaker
will be Major General Joseph Perugino (ret.) who will be representing
Mission Readiness, a bipartisan organization of senior retired military
leaders. The group was formed in response to a Dept. of Defense
study which reports that 75% of American young people are ineligible to
serve in the armed services because they fail to graduate, have a
criminal record, or are physically unfit. They are advancing
investments in early childhood as the best approach to this serious
national security issue.
Sam Bell Honored
by USF
Florida CSC Policy
Advisor Sam Bell recently received an Honorary Doctorate of Public
Health conferred by the College of Public Health at the University of
South Florida. Mr. Bell, who has helped shape the advocacy work
of Florida CSC for several years, is well known as a former state
legislator and lifelong advocate for the needs of children and
families.
 In
its statement on the degree, the College states that, "He introduced
and enacted some of the most important pieces of legislation concerning
public health in the state's history. One of those legislative
items was in 1984 and resulted in the creation of the USF College of
Public Health." USF's College of Public Health, Florida's
first college of public health, celebrated its 25th anniversary in
2009.
He has served as
chair of the college's Advisory Board since its inception, advocating
for the college in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., funding a
scholarship for deserving students and serving as a faculty member of
the college's Leadership Institute for 13 years.
Our heartfelt
congratulations to Sam for this wonderful recognition of his devoted
service to USF and the citizens of the state.
Grim News: 200
Florida children died from abuse in 2008
According to an Associated Press story published December
29, 2009, an estimated 200 children were fatally abused in Florida in
2008, a substantial increase from past years as unemployment rates and
drug use also increased in the state. According to a report from
the State Child Abuse Death Review Committee obtained by The Associated
Press, an estimated 465 deaths were reported to the Florida Abuse
Hotline in 2008. Of those, 201 were verified as child abuse or
neglect. For full story see: About 200 Florida children died from child
abuse in 2008
As
Expected: A New Minority Majority
A new report
released by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) finds that public
schools in the American South no longer enroll a majority of white
students for the first time in history and examines both the factors
behind the new trend and its implications. The study documents that
African American, Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, American Indian, and
multi-racial children now constitute slightly more than half of all
students attending public schools in the 15 states of the South. The
report illuminates how this transformation in public school enrollment
requires fundamental changes in the ways public education is financed
and carried out in Southern states. (See here for full report)
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FEDERAL WATCH
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Good News for Afterschool Programs
This from the Afterschool Alliance: Sunday afternoon,
December 13, 2009, the U.S. Senate voted 57 to 35 to approve the FY2010
Consolidated Appropriations Conference Report. President Obama signed
the bill into law on December 16. The legislation includes a $35
million increase for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers
(21stCCLC) initiative, bringing the total funding for 21st CCLCs to
$1.166 billion. Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Cochran, leaders of
the Senate Appropriations Labor, HHS, Education Subcommittee, as well
as the House Appropriations Labor, HHS, Education Subcommittee Chairman
Obey and Ranking Member Tiahrt, are to be commended for their
leadership which will help 35,000 more children access quality
afterschool programs in 2010.
While we (The Afterschool Alliance) are delighted that
more children will be able to benefit from afterschool programs that
enhance learning, keep children safe and help working families, it is
important to remember that more than 18 million children would enroll
in an afterschool program if one were available. We pledge to
work with Congress and the Obama Administration in 2010 to continue to
grow afterschool funding. For additional details visit the
Afterschool Alliance web page Afterschool Alliance: Policy News.
Child Nutrition
Legislation in the House
The Early Care and
Education Consortium (ECEC) released the following action alert on
January 5: Representative Paul Tonko (D, NY-21) has introduced
legislation calling for significant investment in the Child and Adult
Care Food Program (CACFP) to help providers serve more children with nutritious
meals and snacks while in child care. This is the companion legislation
to S. 2749 in the Senate, and includes provisions to address the rising
costs and the significant paperwork burdens of the food program. The
Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act of 2009, H.R.
4402, takes a big step forward in improving and strengthening
CACFP. ECEC is asking advocates to email their members of
Congress to tell them about the benefits of CACFP and the value of the
nutritious meals. To send email, visit Early Care and Education Consortium:
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CSC NEWS
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Hillsborough Priorities for Early
Childhood, Child Safety Help Launch 2010 Legislative Season
The Children's Board of Hillsborough County, the United
Way and Hillsborough County helped usher in the 2010 State Legislative
season when they joined with the community to brief area legislators
and other decision-makers with a list of county-wide priority issues
affecting children, families and communities. Hosted by the
Children's board, the event was held on Jan. 5 in Tampa.
It was the third consecutive year that the community
presented priorities to the Legislative Delegation and other elected
officials, including Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Public
School Board members. Officials were given a "Redbook"
listing the key issues, some of which were discussed at length during
the briefing (see Redbook at the Children's Board web home page at www.dreamsworthgrowing.com.
Twenty two
priorities and 51 issues were presented, from streamlining sales taxes
to passing new legislation without new taxes, including a law that
would require booster seats for children who are ages 4-7 or shorter
than 4'9''. Rich Glorioso (R-Plant City) head of the
Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee, is
sponsoring HB 387 to require child booster seats in order to increase
child safety. Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel) also participated and
emphasized the very difficult budget situation. He encouraged
support for a measure to change the class size mandate to be based on
school-wide averages rather than a specific number, a change that is
designed to ease the budget crisis.
CSC
Broward Receives International Award
The Children's
Services Council of Broward County was recently honored by the
Community Indicators Consortium (CIC), an international organization of
professionals and entities focused on the field of community indicators
and their application. CSCBC was selected as the Second Place
Winner of the Community Indicators-Performance Measurement Integration
Award for 2009. The four finalists, one each from Australia, Victoria
BC, the Commonwealth of Virginia and Broward County, were announced at
the Seventh Annual CIC International Conference held in October 2009 in
Bellevue, WA. The theme of this year's conference was "Community
Indicators as Tools for Social Change: Tracking Change and Increasing
Accountability." Congratulations to CSC Broward's RAP Director Sue
Gallagher and Planner/Research Analyst Gloria Putiak who produced the
work selected for this honor.
2010
FCSC Legislative Program Now Available
 The Florida CSC Board of Directors
has approved its 2010 Legislative Policy Program, which is now
available on the Florida CSC web
site. Florida CSC leadership decided to include in its
legislative agenda many issues that are supported by other
organizations. This collaborative approach serves to help Florida move
toward an integrated early childhood system of care. Among some of the
critical priorities supported by the Florida CSC are: early childhood
funding, streamlining early learning, and continued improvement of
Florida Kidcare. View the complete policy program online at: http://www.floridacsc.org/advocacy/.
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IN OTHER NEWS
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FAN Youth Board Holds
Organizational Meeting
The Florida Afterschool Network now has a Youth Board to
bring forward the views and interests of the youth served in programs
across the state. The Youth Board held it's first event, an organizational
meeting, on December 28, 2009. The group discussed the purpose and
goals of the Youth Board as well as communications venues and criteria
for recruitment of new youth members. The Youth Board coordinator is
Lexi Gonzalez who is a high school senior at Ridgewood High School in
New Port Richey. For more information on the FAN Youth Board
please contact Lexi Gonzales at fanyouthcare@yahoo.com.
Florida Healthy Start Association Has New President
Congratulations to
Jane Murphy who was recently elected President of the Florida
Association of Healthy Start Coalitions. Jane is the Executive
Director of the Hillsborough County Healthy Start Coalition. Over the
past 30 years, she has been involved in the fields of maternal child
health and substance abuse prevention including 22 years as a Medical
Social Worker specializing in perinatal bereavement for both St.
Joseph's Women's Hospital and Tampa General Hospital. Jane's research
and best practices have been published in a variety of national
professional journals and medical textbooks.
The Florida
Association of Healthy Start Coalitions is dedicated to strengthening
maternal and child health by ensuring that all Florida families have
access to affordable and quality health services. It is a strong
voice for improving public policy to enhance services for moms and
their babies.
Congratulations to
Jane and to immediate past president Leslie Spurlock of Indian River
County Healthy Start Coalition who has now completed her very
successful term as the 2009 President.
NACCRRA: State
Budget Cuts: America's Kids Pay the Price
Through December,
42 states cut children's programs, including public health, higher
education, programs for children with disabilities, and K-12 and early
education programs including child care. This according to a new
report by the National Association of Child Care Resource &
Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), Every Child Matters Education Fund, and
Voices for America's Children. The study, State Budget Cuts:
America's Kids Pay the Price. The report provides an illustrative
list of budget cuts in 2009 affecting children and can be found here.
2010 Children's
Week Update:
Local event
coordinators and volunteers are encouraged to check the website at www.childrensweek.org/eventsbycounty. Updated
date/time/location and event descriptions are now posted for all 67
counties.
2010 "Kids
Only" Town Hall Meeting applications are due February 1 and can
be completed online at www.childrensweek.org/townhallmeeting
The event is filmed for broadcast statewide on The Florida Channel and
provides youth an excellent opportunity discuss important issues
with the Florida Children & Youth Cabinet.
2010 Chiles
Advocacy Award nominations are also due February 1 and can be completed
online at www.childrensweek.org/chilesaward The
award is presented annually to a Floridian who has dedicated his or her
life to improving the lives of children and families.
New Director
Announced
The Advocacy
Center for Persons with Disabilities, Inc., recently announced the
appointment of the Center's new executive director, Robert E.
Whitney. Mr. Whitney joined the Advocacy Center in September 2006
as its Director of Finance and Administration. He has decades of work
in the private financial sector complemented by his extensive
experience in nonprofit management. In his previous role with the
Advocacy Center, Whitney was involved in legal, advocacy and
communications issues as well as its financial and administrative
work.
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The Florida Family Child Care Home Association recently announced the
launch of a new website. See Florida Family Child Care Home Association.
FFCCHA is a statewide professional association for regulated
family child care providers, parents, and advocates of quality child
care.
Florida KIDS
COUNT Reports Released
The University of
South Florida, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences,
Department of Child & Family Studies and Florida KIDS COUNT have
released two important reports:
Florida's
Children At A Glance, 2009 - County and statewide
indicator summaries for 2007/08 data on population, birth indicators,
education, child well-being, and youth and the law. http://cscf.fmhi.usf.edu/docs/2009AAGweb.pdf
Child
Maltreatment in Florida, A Data Retrospect
-The brief provides a look at child protection data at the statewide
and county level over eight years, from 1996-2003. http://cscf.fmhi.usf.edu/docs/MaltreatmentReport.pdf
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EVENTS
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National
League of Cities to Host Nation-Wide Conference Call: How Cities can
Coordinate with State Officials to Strengthen Early Care and Education
Programs Thursday, January 28, 2010
The National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices is providing technical assistance to governors' policy
advisors and the directors of state early childhood advisory councils
(ECAC), which may exist in the form of Early Learning Councils, Task
Forces, Children's Cabinets, and Interagency Cabinets. While cities
will not be the direct recipients of federal early childhood funds,
municipal officials have a vested interest in ensuring these funds are
maximized at the local level. A portion of the call will be
dedicated to understanding how city leaders and local governments can
share lessons learned and best practices. To confirm your
participation, please RSVP to Laura McComas at mccomas@nlc.org.
Families
USA to Host Health Action 2010 Conference in Washington
Every January, Families USA, in conjunction with a wide
range of national organizations, organizes a health advocacy conference
in Washington, DC. This year's "Health Action 2010"
conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
in Washington, DC, from Jan. 28-30, 2010. Join hundreds of other advocates to learn more
about health care legislation, share field strategies with others from
across the country, and gear up for the year ahead. Early-bird
registration is $395. After Dec. 31, 2009, registration is $445.
For more information, visit www.familiesusa.org/conference/ or write
or call Families USA: 1201 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20005,
202-628-3030, field@familiesusa.org.
Florida Philanthropic Network to Hold Statewide Summit
February 2010
The Florida
Philanthropic Network (FPN) will host a 2010 Summit on Philanthropy
Feb. 11-12, 2010, at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. The summit will
bring together state leaders in philanthropy, nonprofits, government
and business to engage in a discussion and exploration of how to work
together in new ways. Discussions will also focus on making adjustments
to Florida's new realities - economic and otherwise - both by
overcoming new challenges and identifying new opportunities. Learn more,
and register at the Summit website.
Partnership for
America's Economic Success to Hold National Conference in March 2010
The Partnership for America's Economic Success is planning
to hold its National Conference March 10-11, 2010, at the National
Press Club in Washington, D.C. This conference is open to all business,
finance and economic leaders, advocates, policymakers and philanthropists
interested in furthering early childhood development. Learn more
about the conference. Register online
now.
National
Afterschool Association Convention Set for April 2010
Join thousands of afterschool professionals for
outstanding learning and networking experiences at the National
Afterschool Association Convention in Washington, DC, April 19-21,
2010. The event will feature hundreds of workshops from across the
afterschool field. Those who register before Dec. 11 will be entered
for a chance to win a Utah Vacation Package in the Wasatch Mountains.
For details, visit www.naaconvention.org/registration.html.
17th
Annual National Foster Care Conference Coming to Clearwater in May 2010
The Daniel
Memorial Institute will again be sponsoring the Annual National Foster
Care Conference, scheduled for May 12-14, 2010 in Clearwater. This
year's conference will address a variety of problems facing Foster Care
Specialists, Foster Parents and various Social Service Professionals
who desire to enhance their skills in order to create the best foster
home environment. Each general session and workshop will present
innovative ideas on how those working with youth can deal with these
ever-changing situations. Click here for more information.
23rd
Annual National Independent Living Conference - Growing Pains 2010
Scheduled for Sept. 7-10, 2010, in National Harbor, MD,
"Growing Pains 2010" is a must-attend event for youth service
professionals, independent living professionals and youth ages 15+.
Presenters include top leaders and experts in the field of independent
living. The national youth conference consists of special sessions
dedicated to the needs of youth who are currently in care. These
include training sessions, workshops, panel discussions and
leadership/team building activities. Click
here for more information.
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