PathWays PA Policy Blog

Register for a  free webinar today beginning at 11AM to discuss what regional, industry focused workforce development partnerships – sector initiatives – can do to address the problem of employment disparities by race and ethnicity. You'll learn about the problem of employment disparities. Then, sector initiative leaders will share what they are doing to address those disparities – and what your industry-focused workforce development partnership can do to make a difference. Panelists include: • Algernon Austin Director, Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy Economic Policy Institute  • Saru Jayaraman Co-Founder and Co-Director, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United Director, Food Labor Research Center, UC Berkeley Labor Center  • Hnin Hnin National High Road Coordinator, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United  • John Gardner Director of Business Services, Worksystems Workforce Investment Manager, Construction Apprenticeship and Workforce Solutions

Nearly a third of the nation’s working families earn salaries so low that they struggle to pay for their necessities, according to a  new report . Analyzing 2011 data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the report said that 32% of working families earned salaries that put them below double the poverty threshold. For a family of four, double the poverty threshold was $45,622. That percentage has crept up from 28% in 2007, the year the recession began. Families that are below 200% of the poverty level are considered "in poverty".  The report has made a clear distinction that working families are falling within the poverty lines, increasing the number of working poor families in the country. The growth in the ranks of the working poor coincides with continued growth in income inequality. Many of the occupations experiencing the fastest job growth during the recovery also pay poorly. Among them are retail jobs, food preparation, clerical work and customer a

Weekly Newsletter Week of January 28, 2013 Join Us Online! We're Providing FREE Prep Again This Year! Tell Your Friends! PathWays PA's Self Sufficiency team wants to remind you to take advantage of our free tax preparation service.  Our basic tax preparation service provides free tax filing for households whose income does not exceed $51,000.  We also want to reach tax filers who are disabled or who do not speak English as their first language.  Our goal is help tax filers access their Earned Income and other tax credits.   We are offering a number of  service locations , including SEPTA's Suburban Station where you can drop off you tax forms to be done while you are at work, or you can  make an appointment . This Week's Issues to Watch ::  IT'S THE LAST WEEK TO VOTE FOR OUR VIDEO ON PHILLY DOGOODER ::  ASK YOUR SENATOR TO SUPPORT VAWA REAUTHORIZATION ::  JOIN ONE BILLION RISING ON VALENTINE'S DAY ::  NEW NATIONAL

Weekly Newsletter Week of January 22, 2013 Join Us Online! Join PathWays PA at City Council on Thursday! We are pleased to announce that on January 24, 2013, Philadelphia City Council will be honoring PathWays PA for being named the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's Non-Profit Organization of the Year!  Please join us for the citation presentation at 10 AM in room 400 of City Hall. This Week's Issues to Watch ::  Join PathWays PA at City Council on Thursday! ::  Support Earned Sick Days in Philadelphia! ::  Vote for PathWays PA's DoGooder Video Today! ::  FMLA Extends Care to Adult Children ::  Join CeaseFire PA to Take a Stand Against Gun Violence Support Earned Sick Days in Philadelphia! You may have noticed that this flu season has caught the attention of the news media. CNN Money, 6ABC,  Business Finance Magazine , and  The Philadelphia Inquirer  are among those reporting on the lack of paid sick days.

Vote at  http://bit.ly/PWDoGooder PathWays PA has an entry in the Philly DoGooder awards, and we need your help to win! Please vote today (and every day) until January 31! You can vote for PathWays PA at http://www.phillyinfocus.com/dogooder-awards/#!/entry/1000588  and invite your friends to do the same. Here is a sample tweet/Facebook post: The Path Begins with a Knock deserves to win! Have your say by voting now @ http://bit.ly/PWDoGooder & tell your friends! #phillydogooder You can also get reminders to vote (for free) at www.mymemorizer.com . Sign up for the free service and then subscribe to our group calendar at http://bit.ly/ZbLyGL . You can choose whether you want messages sent to your email or by text message and when you want the messages to arrive.

From our friends at the  Restaurant Opportunities Center Philadelphia .    To get involved with the Restaurant Opportunities Center, a national restaurant workers organization, or to learn more about their work with the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces earned sick day campaign in Philadelphia, please email  sheila@rocunited.org . Sign up online: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dEowdnU5ekFMekdUWTQ0VVhkVDZ2eHc6MQ During the worst flu season in a decade, 93% of restaurant workers in Philadelphia do not have access to health insurance or earned sick days. As a result 2/3 of restaurant workers have reported having to work while sick. The lack of sick days afforded to restaurant workers creates a breeding ground for a public health crisis during flu season. According to the American Journal of Public Health, lack of paid sick time led to an estimated 5 million additional cases of H1N1 flu in 2009. In order to keep restaurant work

The  Uninterrupted Scholars Act , passed over the summer by Congress, addresses inconsistent provisions of federal law. It now allows the caseworker legally responsible for the care and protection of the child to gain access to the educational records. They may re-disclose information to other agencies only for the purpose of meeting the child's educational needs. Additionally, education records may be released pursuant to court order without notice to a parent when a parent is a party to a court proceeding in a dependency matter. Nonparty parents would still have to be notified before records could be released. With this charge, foster children will no longer face the prospect of repeating classes or even grades due to undisclosed records and allow them to continue with their normal educational path. The President is expected to sign the bill in the coming days.

Enrollment at Community College of Philadelphia fell 4% last fall, and officials suspect tightened eligibility guidelines for federal financial aid are in part to blame. Full-time student enrollment on its own took an even bigger hit, dropping 8.3%, from 5,540 in fall 2011 to 5,076 last fall. College costs more than doubled in four years, to $35.6 billion in 2010, because of an increase in recipients and a rise in the maximum Pell Grant award (the maximum award for the current 2012-2013 grant year is $5,550). But college officials say the recent changes, which include a lower income cap to guarantee eligibility, fewer semesters of eligibility, and elimination of summer grants, will deny some of the most vulnerable students the chance to finish college. Student loan borrowing is already at record high levels. The loss or reduction of Pell grant eligibility will force many low income students to borrow a larger amount. Community colleges are likely to be hit particularly hard becau

Basic Center Program Manager – Philadelphia, PA The Basic Center Program Manager shall be a mature individual who possesses the ability to identify with and adapt to the goals and philosophies of the program. They shall understand the clinical and concrete day-to-day issues that teen girls struggle with and shall posses the knowledge to generate and promote programming to address those issues. They shall possess the ability to promote team cohesiveness and foster a non-punitive, strength-based environment. The candidate's race, age, sex, religion, orientation or state of disability shall not be considered when hiring for this position. Be available by phone 24/7. Ensure that program census remains at capacity. Responsible for the overall BCP operations. BSW or related bachelor's degree is required. Please fax your resume to: 610-328-2807, attention: BD/LD Part-Time Adult Teacher – Philadelphia, PA PathWays PA is in need of a teacher to teach adult education (ABE/GED). Class

Weekly Newsletter Week of January 14, 2013 Join Us Online! Vote for PathWays PA's  DoGooder Video Today! Voting concludes at the end of January. The Philly DoGooder competition was created to bring together community organizations with filmmakers to help raise awareness for the organizations, access skilled resources, and deliver messages in a new, creative manner. F ive winners will receive up to $50,000 in in-kind services to address areas of need within their organization Voters can cast a vote once per day. Watch our video and  VOTE HERE!   This Week's Issues to Watch ::  PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR DOGOODER VIDEO TODAY! ::  FREE FLU VACCINES FOR RESTAURANT WORKERS! ::  CORBETT TO EXPAND MEDICAID? ::  NOMINATE A WOMAN FOR THE RUBY AWARD ::  MARK THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROE V. WADE ::  DISMANTLE THE AGING WAIVER PROGRAM ::  HEALTH CARE REFORM AUDIO CONFERENCE ::  PATHWAYS PA VISTAs AND CENTER FOR FAMILIES FOOD DRIVE