Children

PHOENIX – During a bill signing ceremony at the State Capitol, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer today signed HB2001 into law. HB 2001 will allow parents of disabled and foster children to continue to choose and utilize the school that best serves the needs of their children.

“I am so honored and proud to sign into law this important legislation,” Governor Brewer stated. “These foster parents and parents of disabled students selected an educational environment that is best suited for their children, and this bill will allow them to continue on the educational path that they have chosen."    » read more »

May 31, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced that the State of Alaska has chosen to monitor but not yet actively participate in the upcoming initiative to create nationwide common core state standards in reading and math.

The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have announced they intend to work with states to formulate standards in English and math for kindergarten through grade 12 by December 2009.    » read more »

New Report Charts Changing Global Opinion Against the Weapon

May 29, 2009 -- (Geneva) - The prohibition on cluster munitions is firmly taking hold as more countries join the new treaty banning the weapon and hold-out states shift their policies in the right direction, says a report jointly released today by Human Rights Watch, Landmine Action, and Landmine Monitor.    » read more »

Recovery Act funds will expand aid for eligible families, improve quality of care and delivery of services

May 28, 2009 -- RICHMOND -- Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced a $38 million infusion into Virginia's Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The increased federal funding will assist low-income families with child care and improve the quality of care and delivery of services.    » read more »

53 districts approved to help increase access for 4-year-olds to quality preschool

May 28, 2009 -- DES MOINES –Visiting a preschool class at the Walnut Street School, Iowa Governor Chet Culver today announced the names of 53 school districts in Iowa receiving state funds under the statewide voluntary preschool program for 4-year-old children. This announcement will provide an estimated 3,247 additional children in the state a quality preschool experience during the upcoming school year.    » read more »

May 28, 2009 -- California can improve its early childhood education system in an era of fiscal crisis and lay the foundation for improving access and quality in the future when more resources are available, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Making low-cost improvements to the system now by adopting efficiencies and creating flexibility to better use existing resources would likely allow more needy children to enroll in government-supported preschool programs and position the system to move toward higher-quality programs once new funding becomes available, according to the report.    » read more »

New PSA Campaign Unveiled at the HHS/Department of Education Childcare Center

May 22, 2009 -- Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is joining the Ad Council and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, to launch a national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage American families and children to take steps to protect themselves from the 2009 H1N1 flu virus and continue to practice healthy habits.    » read more »

Exposure to alcohol is a known cause of birth defects

May 26, 2009 -- The number of women who drink alcohol while pregnant is not decreasing, according to a 15 year-study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 1 in 8 women drank any amount of alcohol while pregnant, the study says.

The drinking patterns persisted despite repeated warnings from surgeons general about the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant. The surgeons general have told pregnant women, and women who may become pregnant to abstain from alcohol consumption in order to eliminate the chance of giving birth to a baby with alcohol related birth defects.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) this week sent a bipartisan letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee requesting $5 million in Impact Aid funding from the FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act to assist local school districts educating large numbers of military children with severe disabilities.    » read more »

Bill Provides Additional Support for Children & Families with Behavioral Health Needs

May 22, 2009 -- (Lincoln Neb.) -- Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman today signed LB 603 into law. The bill provides additional services, support and professional resources to help Nebraska families dealing with children’s behavioral health issues.

The bill helps address the gap in services for children with behavioral health issues by providing services and expertise to support children and their families.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Christopher Dodd yesterday evening introduced the Healthy Families Act, which will allow American workers to earn paid sick days to care for themselves and their families without risking their jobs.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today announced that the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office is set to receive $488,527 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help prevent and investigate crimes against children.

“New Mexico will put this funding to good use to help keep kids safe,” Bingaman said.

“I am glad to see the Department of Justice is sending recovery dollars to our state to help keep New Mexico’s Children safe from online predators. Children are sadly often the victims of some of the most heinous crimes and we need to take any possible steps we can to help ensure their safety,” Udall said.    » read more »

05/20/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement after he and Attorney General Jerry Brown asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court decision that struck down the California law banning the sale of violent video games to children:

“I signed this important measure to ensure parents are involved in determining which video games are appropriate for their children. By prohibiting the sale of violent video games to children under the age of 18 and requiring these games to be clearly labeled, this law would allow parents to make better informed decisions for their kids. I will continue to vigorously defend this law and protect the well-being of California’s kids.”    » read more »

May 18, 2009 -- President Obama’s fiscal 2010 budget proposal at the Department of Interior contains an historic $50 million in new investments to connect children and families to the great outdoors. The budget targets $30 million for educating young hunters and anglers, as well as $20 million in new funding for Youth Careers in Nature. This DOI initiative, dubbed the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps, will bolster environmental education, recreation, and service programs throughout the Department, and engage thousands of youth in the outdoors.

Kevin Coyle, Vice President for Education and Training at the National Wildlife Federation, said:

“President Obama’s budget makes a bold and necessary investment to connect today’s children with the great outdoors.    » read more »

New Legislation will insure an additional 12,380 Iowa children

May 19, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver took another step forward in his efforts to cover every Iowa child by signing Senate File 389 into law today at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines. The legislation provides $5.7 million for the state’s Medicaid and HAWK-I programs, which will help provide an additional 12,380 children access to quality, affordable health care.    » read more »