Children

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 »

May 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC - Philadelphia area Congressional members met with Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, to discuss the decision made by the Bush administration to terminate the Philadelphia Universal Feeding pilot program.

During the meeting, U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter and U.S. Representatives Chaka Fattah, Allyson Schwartz, Robert Brady and Joe Sestak urged Secretary Vilsack to reverse the decision to terminate the program which ensures 120,000 school children in the Philadelphia-area have access to nutritious meals.    » read more »

May 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reintroduced legislation aimed at reducing obesity, particularly among children and adolescents.

Bingaman’s “Obesity Prevention, Treatment and Research Act of 2009” would develop a national strategy to organize the nation’s efforts to combat childhood and adult obesity by encouraging unprecedented collaborations across federal agencies, and among private entities and communities.    » read more »

Funding will help protect Hoosier children, keep homes safe from lead paint and other hazards

Washington – Senator Evan Bayh today announced that Indiana will receive more than $7.4 million in economic recovery funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to keep Hoosier children safe by removing lead-based paint in homes and preventing other common health hazards.

The City of Gary and Elkhart County will each receive three million dollars in Lead Based Paint Hazard Control grants, a program that safely removes lead-based paint from privately-owned and low-income housing. Lead ingestion poses a serious health risk, including stunted growth and kidney damage, to children under the age of six.    » read more »

May 14, 2009 -- In honor of National Food Allergy Awareness Week, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today signed into law a bill that will help teachers and parents better respond to students with severe food allergies. Senate Bill 226, sponsored by Sen. Paula Sandoval and Rep. Sara Gagliardi, will help schools provide quicker responses to incidents of anaphylaxis and other food allergy emergencies.

About 84 percent of Colorado schools enroll children with a known food allergy, and the numbers are increasing. "As the number of students with food allergies continues to grow, we must help teachers and parents create safe, responsive school environments," Gov. Ritter said. "This measure takes the appropriate steps to ensure every child feels safe."    » read more »

May 13, 2009 -- The proportion of births to unmarried mothers in the United States has risen steeply over the past few decades, consistent with patterns in other countries, a report from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics shows.

In March, CDC reported that about 4 in 10 births in the United States in 2007 were to unmarried mothers. While a great deal of focus has been placed on births to unmarried teens, 6 out of 10 births to women between the ages of 20 and 24 were among unmarried women in 2007.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced more than $300,000 in grant awards to eight state agencies to conduct administrative reviews of school meals programs. The Administrative Review and Training Grants support states in their efforts to increase operational accuracy in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.

"The National School Lunch and Breakfast programs are essential to the well-being of our children, especially among those that are nutritionally at risk," said Secretary Vilsack. "This effort will help states enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of these critical programs so that benefits are provided to needy children in the best way possible."    » read more »

O’Malley celebrates Earth Day with local students, Receives Partnership for Children in Nature report & recommendations

MILLERSVILLE, MD (April 21, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley began Earth Day celebrations a day early this year, joining more than 40 third-grade students from Annapolis’ Georgetown East Elementary School for an afternoon of hands-on outdoor learning activities, including a canoe along the Severn River at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville.

The Governor took the opportunity to unveil the Maryland Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, as he was presented with a recently completed report from the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature.    » read more »

Federal recovery dollars help local clinics; governor calls for passage of legislation to expand care for all kids and more low-income adults across Oregon

April 20, 2009 -- (Salem) - Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today traveled to Lane and Jackson Counties to highlight the use of federal stimulus dollars to help community health centers expand access to health care and urged the state legislature to expand access to health care for all kids and thousands of low-income adults.

The Governor’s proposal before the legislature captures the 2 to 1 match in federal dollars, securing $1 billion in matching funds, to expand health care coverage to all uninsured children in Oregon and 75,000 more uninsured low-income adults.    » read more »

April 14, 2009 -- PATERSON - New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine was joined by Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez today to announce a new tax-time partnership to identify uninsured children who may be eligible for NJ FamilyCare. Taxpayers who indicate on their NJ-1040 forms they have uninsured children in their homes will be provided a new " Express Lane " state insurance application. New Jersey is the first state to use the information gathered from the streamlined process to enroll children in the state's FamilyCare program.    » read more »

Child Care and Vaccination Programs to Benefit from Recovery Act

April 9, 2009 -- Vice President Joe Biden announced today that the Obama Administration will make $2.3 billion available for crucial health and human services programs that help to provide care for children and prevent disease. States will receive $2 billion in Recovery Act funding to support child care for working families. The administration also plans to make $300 million in vaccines and grants available to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need.    » read more »

March 18, 2009 -- While the number of charter schools continues to grow, debate continues about whether charter schools provide a better education experience than traditional public schools. Proponents contend that charter schools expand educational choices for students, increase innovation, improve student achievement and provide much-needed competition to public schools.

Opponents, meanwhile, argue that charter schools lead to increased racial or ethnic stratification of students, skim the best students from traditional public schools, reduce resources for public schools and provide no real improvement in student achievement.    » read more »

March 11th, 2009 -- A little while ago the President signed an Executive Order to ensure there is always an eye kept on how every government agency is addressing the challenges confronted by women of all ages. The White House Council on Women and Girls will be chaired by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, with Director of Public Liaison Tina Tchen serving as Executive Director, and will made up of Cabinet Secretaries and other top White House staff. It will begin its work immediately by asking each agency to analyze their current status and ensure that they are focused internally and externally on women.

During its first year, the Council will also focus on formulating comprehensive, coordinated policies in the following areas:    » read more »

Lauds Appointment of Longtime Women’s Advocates Jarrett and Tchen

Washington, DC — Planned Parenthood Federation of America applauded President Barack Obama for signing an executive order today establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls under the leadership of longtime women’s advocates Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen.    » read more »