Webinar on Federal and Local Efforts to Modernize Poverty Measure

(Thanks to our friends at The Community Action Association of Pennsylvania for passing this on.)

On Monday, January 11, there will be a webinar hosted by the National Center for Children in Poverty to discuss how poverty is measured currently, what the problems with the measure are, and what some alternatives are or may soon be in use.

As we have discussed many times before, the current federal poverty measure is outdated. For instance, in Pennsylvania in 2007, about 9% of households fell below the FPL, but 21% of households actually earned less than what they need at a minimum to support their families. However, there are other ways of calculating poverty and need, some of which will be addressed in this webinar.

Please register for the webinar to learn more!

(image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 )

The Budget May be Finally Over – Table Games Bill Passes

With only a month to go before the Governor plans to announce his budget objectives for FY2011, the State House of Representatives passed legislation (already passed by the Senate) to legalize poker, blackjack, roulette, and other table games in Pennsylvania. The Governor plans to sign the bill later today.

This bill is expected to create thousands of jobs and add $250 million into the state revenue. Passage of the bill also prevents the Governor’s proposed layoff of 1,000 state workers.

According to the bill, table games would be taxed at a rate of 16 percent, with 14 percent going directly to the state and 1 percent to each the casino's county and its municipality. The state's share would go to the general fund to fill budget shortfalls until the state's Rainy Day Fund reaches $750 million. After that, all table-game revenue will go toward property-tax relief. $3 million will be set aside for gambling and other addiction treatment programs.
It is expected to take between six to nine months to get the table games up and running.

Image courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/banspy/ / CC BY 2.0

Action Needed: Two New Bills to Help Ensure Children Do Not Go Hungry

In preparation for the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, members of Congress are introducing child nutrition-related legislation, which may be incorporated in the final bill.

Universal Classroom Breakfast Expansion Act

The Universal Classroom Breakfast Expansion Act (H.R. 4325) establishes a grant program to help schools with high numbers of low-income children establish universal classroom breakfast programs. Universal classroom breakfast - where all children can eat a free breakfast in their classroom at the beginning of the school day – has been proven to boost participation among low-income children. This bill would ensure that more low-income children have access to a healthy breakfast at school.

• Individuals Take Action: Send a letter asking your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Universal Classroom Breakfast Expansion Act.
• Organizations Take Action: Sign on to this letter in support of the Universal Classroom Breakfast Expansion Act.

Ensuring All Students Year-round (EASY) Access to Meals and Snacks Act

The Ensuring All Students Year-round (EASY) Access to Meals and Snacks Act (H.R. 4274) would allow local government agencies and private nonprofit organizations to feed children meals and snacks 365 days a year - after school, on weekends and school holidays, and during the summer - through the Summer Food Service Program. This bill would expand the year-round program that currently is being piloted in California to all states. The bill also would allow meals and snacks to be served after school, on weekends, and during school holidays through the year-round program. Currently, snacks can only be served through the California pilot.

• Individuals Take Action: Send a letter asking your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Ensuring All Students Year-round (EASY) Access to Meals and Snacks Act.
• Organizations Take Action: Sign on to this letter in support of the Ensuring All Students Year-round (EASY) Access to Meals and Snacks Act.

PhillyGoes2College

In Pennsylvania today, nearly half of all jobs (51 percent) require some postsecondary education (though not a bachelor’s degree), but more than half of our adult population ended their education at or before high school. Over the next few years, Pennsylvania expects 6,600 job openings in Licensed Practical Nursing, 3,870 openings for EMT’s and paramedics, and 1,470 openings for bus and truck mechanics: all positions that require some postsecondary training.

With an economy that is still struggling and a high unemployment rate it is crucial for Philadelphians to further their education in order to compete for jobs. In an effort to help more Philadelphians do so, the city has announced that it will open a new office called PhillyGoes2College. The overall purpose of the office is to motivate more youth, adults, and current college students in Philadelphia to pursue and complete college.

While a PhillyGoes2College Initiative has been in place for the last year in the city, the new office will provide a centralized location for individuals to contact or go to with questions.

The office, which is set to open early this year on the first floor of City Hall, will direct city residents on where to get help in filling out aid forms and applications, preparing for SATs, and writing college essays.

Realizing the economic hardships of many families, the mayor will also look to bring up to 1,000 fully funded college scholarships for city students from the area’s universities before the end of his first term.

(For more information about the status of higher education in Pennsylvania, particularly Community Colleges please see PathWays PA’s Ready to Compete: Pennsylvania’s Community Colleges.)

Image courtesy of: http://www.artsjournal.com/bookdaddy/2008/07/

Pennsylvania Department of Health Offering H1N1 Vaccine Free

(Thanks to our friends at the Early Childhood Education E-Newsletter who sent out this information.)

Who: All individuals who want to be vaccinated.

When: January 8 and 9, 2010 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

How: You must schedule an appointment prior to the clinic. Appointments can be made at www.H1N1inPA.com under “What’s Hot,” 24 hours a day, or call 1-877-PA HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Lines are limited.

Where: Vaccine will be available at 33 sites across the state. Sites are as listed (pdf).

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28798135@N07/ / CC BY-NC 2.0)