An organization that I have been following that has really kept me abreast about issues in early childhood and families in the state of Washington is momsrising.org. This organization not only reaches out to Washington State, but to the United States. The goal of this organization is to build a more family friendly America and to bring family issues to the forefront of the countries awareness.
Momsrising.org always keeps me current on what is going on in politics and how it affects families. Recently I received information on a federal funding bill that was just passed that gravely affects working families. Programs such as ECEAP, Head Start and working connection (a program that assist parents in paying for childcare) are some of the programs that will experience these cuts. As we know, it is important that all families have the opportunity to provide their children with quality and affordable care. Momsring.org encourages others to respond to our politicians about such issues and let them know the importance affordable quality care for children of all families. You may not be able to go down to the state capitol, but this is a great place to advocate for families. I liked to personally invite you to check out this website, it really has helped me to stay current issues in the state that I currently reside and to become involved at a different level.
http://www.momsrising.org/aboutmomsrising
Gloria,
ReplyDeleteI heard about the budget cut on Education. It is going to be a tough ride. I am currently babysitting two children for a family who said they could not afford daycare. Because their salaries have been cut, they had to find someone who is willing to take $125 a week to care for two children and someone who wants to be responsible to supply foods for them. That is a "WOW." I have experienced being paid higher than that, but this forced me to realize that both parents HAVE to work to meet the household needs. Sad thing is that the parents expect me to supply early childhood education in my home and to follow what they want me to do with the children. It is becoming complicate.
I wonder if there are more parents going through that kind of thing--I do wish there is a better solution to this.
Nice posting!
Chrissy
It is so important for families and educators to stay current on issues that affect them so that they can have their say before decisions are made. This week Illinois announced their cuts to childcare funding which include raising parent co-pays and changing the income guideline from 200% to 185%. These cuts are seen as a victory because it is much better than the original proposals - but will be devastating to many families. If you have to work but cannot afford child care - then what can you do? It sound like this website is a great resource.
ReplyDeleteGloria,
ReplyDeleteThe website you chose sounds very interesting and it sounds as if it provides a lot of information about your state and some about policies and issues that affect the United States as a whole. I took a little time to look around, but could not find resources, am I missing that section?
I agree that all children deserve high quality care but many are not receiving it, for many reasons, including budget issues. I think that today’s economy is making it difficult for even two working parent families to survive, let alone single parent households. Budget cuts in education are even more concerning, as quality care can help reduce cost for states in the long run.
Sondi
Thank you for sharing this! I checked out the website and it does seem like it is a good resource for learning more about policies and issues that affect young children and their families as well as an excellent advocacy tool. I thought that this website reached out to families in a very informative and easy to understand way, it seemed like it was really simple to learn about current issues and what you can do to become involved in some way, what a great website to share with the families we work with!
ReplyDeleteIt’s so unfortunate that these funding cuts are affecting the availability/affordability of quality care for children and families; as you mentioned, the information on this website can help families become more informed and involved with these important issues.
I just signed up for its newsletter too, like you said, this can be a great way to stay on top of current issues and become involved! Thanks for a great post!