PathWays PA Policy Blog

Affordable dental care is hard to find for many low-income families, including those served by PathWays PA. If your family needs help getting dental care, Smile Day may be for you! From our friends at PCCY: FREE dental care is available to kids 0 – 18 years old the week of March 30 – April 3 during Spring Break for PCCY’s “Give Kids a Smile Day”! Two dental offices in Broomall and Chester City are also providing free care on March 26 and 27 during school hours, so preschool age kids are particularly welcome for those spots. More information and flyers are available on our website in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Bengali - http://www.pccy.org/resource/give-kids-a-smile-day/ . Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 10/24/14 - New Policy Brief Shows Highest Number Ever of Homeless Students in United States 6/30/14 - Ask Senators to Co-sponsor the Bi-Partisan Summer Meals Act of 2014 3/29/14 - Give Kids a Smile Day-FREE dental care for childre

The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will host an online webinar on employment protections for older workers on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Register  here Speakers: Lucia Bruce, U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, Regional Administrator, Regions 3 and 4 Mary Tiernan, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Program Analyst Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 11/10/14 - Join Us in Building Assets in Pennsylvania! 9/8/14 - PathWays PA Launching "Second Act" Employment Training! 7/11/2013 - 2014 RSVP Competition Has Begun!

For many homeless families, including those served by PathWays PA, critical items such as birth certificates may get lost in the initial crisis of losing a home or in the move from shelter to shelter. Families who must leave their homes due to domestic violence are particularly vulnerable to losing important identification in their quest to find safety. Once a birth certificate is lost, obtaining a new one can be costly and time consuming. But without one, gaining access to public benefits, healthcare, or even a driver's license can be in jeopardy. On Wednesday, March 18, the Homeless Advocacy Project will be holding a Birth Certificate Clinic at Project HOME for individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The clinic will take place from 9-11:00 am at 1515 Fairmount Avenue. Homeless individuals who attend this free clinic will meet with an advocate who will request birth certificates for them and their minor children free of charge. Interested in PathWay

Governor Wolf gave his state budget address  this morning, and it includes increases and changes to many programs. Here are some highlights, and below you can find a chart detailing some line items we found interesting/important. Tell us if there are other line items you want to see in the comments, or find them here. Education: Pre-K, public schools, public universities, community colleges, and the state system of higher education will all receive increased funding.  According to the Governor's budget address, the state share of public funding will be 50%. Governor Wolf also called on all institutions of higher education to freeze tuition Taxes: A new severance tax will be tied to education funding. It is projected to bring in $1B in revenue each year. The personal income tax will go up to 3.7%, and the sales tax will go up to 6.6% and will include "include services that currently are not taxed because special interest groups have lobbied for special exemptions.