PathWays PA Policy Blog

We're heading into another budget season - time to break out the spreadsheets and charts! Governor Wolf presented his budget today with a focus on education and jobs, with what both sides described as a bipartisan outlook  or at the very least places where both parties could find agreement . Overall, the budget increases spending by 4.2% (or $1.4 billion) compared to last year. Nearly $300 million would go towards increased education spending for K-12, special education, and state universities. Governor Wolf also proposed a higher minimum wage, raising the current rate of $7.25/hour to $12/hour by July and then increasing the wage over time until it reaches $15 in 2025. The last time the minimum wage increased in Pennsylvania was when the federal government increased the wage in 2009. Here are some of the articles we've been reading on the budget: Schools, farms and voting machines in Gov. Tom Wolf's budget sights Gov. Wolf unveils budget: more money for public ...

There were few surprises in this year's Pennsylvania budget (other than the fact that it finished up early). We've compiled our usual list below of line items affecting low-income families and the people we serve. To see the full budget, visit the PA Office of the Budget . As you can see below, most line items that we follow stayed level or increased in funding. While the Governor's budget "zeroed out" (removed funding) from a few, all programs that we watch regained their funding in the legislature.

Click here to enlarge This afternoon, Governor Wolf announced the 2018-2019 budget, along with some of his policy initiatives for the year. In his budget speech , he proposed an additional $125 million for K-12 education and a new program, called Community Health Choices, designed to help seniors receive care in their communities instead of in facilities. The budget summary  also calls for an increase in the minimum wage, modernization of the Equal Pay law, and the passage of a statewide paid sick days bill. The chart pictured here shows selected line items from the Governor's budget. Basic Education, Pre-K Counts, and the Children's Health Insurance Program are among the programs set to get an increase, while Adult and Family Literacy and County Assistance Offices see a slight decrease in funding. A number of programs, including Mobile Science and Math Education, Job Training and Special Education, Regional Cancer Institutes, ALS Support Services, and the New Choices/Ne...

They're still dotting the eyes and crossing the t's, but it looks like we will have a PA budget that is close to on time. After a Senate vote earlier, the House must also approve the budget legislation before it heads to Governor Wolf. The Governor has indicated he will sign the bill, but probably not until early next week when other pieces of the budget are ready for his signature too. Below is our chart on the final budget proposal. Most (but not all) of the programs we track received flat or increased funding. Click here to enlarge

As many parents know, a typical American family spends a lot of money on childcare each year. In Pennsylvania, the cost of childcare is often higher than what a family pays in rent each month. One option that some families consider is having a parent leave the workforce entirely in order to care for a child. But until now, there was little research on the financial impact of making that decision. The Center for American Progress  now has a calculator showing the hidden cost of leaving the workforce to provide childcare. The calculator shows the immediate loss (income not earned) as well as the loss in potential wage growth over a career and lost retirement savings. As PBS NewsHour points out , a 26 year old woman earning $50,000 who leaves the workforce for three years to care for a child loses more than $150,000 in salary - she loses over $500,000 in her lifetime in salary, wage growth, retirement benefits, and Social Security.  To test the calculator, I checked...

The Assets & Opportunity Scorecard enables states to compare their performance to other states and the District of Columbia on measures of financial security and household wealth. When it comes to many measures, Pennsylvania ranks right in the middle - some states are better than us, some states are worse. So what's wrong with status quo? Well, here is the impact if Pennsylvania performed as well as the best state (with thanks to the Assets & Opportunity Initiative  for putting this together):

September 18, 2015 1:00-2:30 EDT Register here . Join USDA, FRAC and Robert Wood Johnson to learn how you can create healthier child care environments with the newly released Spanish language version of USDA's "Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children: Provider Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program," and other Spanish language resources, including the Look and Cook Recipe Cards and the Two Bite Club. Find out how to: Build a healthy plate with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, Encourage physical activity and active play, Keep food safe and more! This is an opportunity to learn and ask questions. 18 de septiembre 2015 1:00-2:30 EDT Regístrate ahora . Acompáñanos a aprender cómo puedes crear entornos de cuidado infantil más saludables con la nueva versión en español de “Consejos de Nutrición y Bienestar para Niños Pequeños: Manual Proveedor del Programa de Asistencia Alimenticia para Niños y Adultos" del Departamento...

The Coalition Against Hunger conducted their biennial Emergency Food Provider Survey of 232 programs in Greater Philadelphia this year in order to learn more about the challenges that local providers face and found that 89.7% of emergency food providers either ran out of food or had to provide less food to clients at some point in 2014. Surveyed programs cited "lack of food donations" as a major barrier to getting more food. Over 90% of the emergency food providers surveyed also wanted to increase access to healthy foods for their clients. You can help by donating to your local food pantry. Food pantries, SHARE host sites and soup kitchens near you can be found by clicking here . Summer Meals , a program in Philadelphia that serves free meals and snacks to kids and teens age 18 and under, has over 1,000 site locations. There are no income, ID or registration requirements. Click here to find a Summer Meals site near you. As always, PathWays PA offers free and confident...

From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families Following the White House Summit on Working Families, President Obama announced the following executive actions being taken to help working families. Below are just a few of the actions being issued: $500,000 from the Women’s Bureau to states that want to study paid leave policies DOL is commissioning new research on paid leave in CA, NJ and RI and new research on impacts of paid leave.  Presidential directive to federal agencies on workplace flexibility, identifying best practices and establishing a right to request for federal workers  DOL know-your-rights tool on pregnancy discrimination  Call on Congress to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Establishing a business group on innovative family friendly practices  And more below on STEM, Childcare, etc. To see a complete list and read more about the issues affecting working families, click here.

From our friends at PCCY Next week, on Tuesday June 3rd, hundreds of advocates for early childhood education -- staff, teachers, program directors, parents, early intervention workers, and more -- will stream to the state Capitol in Harrisburg for an annual day of advocacy. In the morning there will be information sessions and you'll visit your state representative and/or state senator with other advocates; at 2 PM there will be a rally in the Capitol Rotunda. Click here for more information on the day. So PCCY can match participants with legislative visits, please register here! At least three buses are scheduled to leave from the Southeast. To reserve a seat on a bus, you must fill out and return this form.

From our Friends at PCCY The General Assembly and governor have less than two months to agree on a budget by the June 30 deadline. It is critical we make our voices heard to protect and increase investments in early care and education. It is important for state legislators to hear from you now in support of increased early learning investments.  Click here to send a message to your state legislators in support of additional funding for early learning programs in the state budget. PathWays PA works closely with PCCY on early childhood education initiatives and policies.

From our friends at MomsRising The Strong Start for America's Children Act would increase access to affordable, high-quality preschool and early learning and child care programs for children under age 5 through state and federal partnerships. Your help is needed to ask Senators co-sponsor the Strong Start for America's Children Act to make early childhood education a priority. It's time for the Strong Start for America's Children Act. Senators need to hear from voters like you today . PathWays PA partners with MomsRising and other organizations to educate elected officials on the need for early childhood investment.

From our friends at the Pre K for PA Campaign  The Pre K for PA campaign will be holding an event on February 26 from 7:00PM-8:30PM at Upper Darby High School located at: 8201 Lansdowne Ave in Lansdowne, PA. The event will provide information on the Pre K for PA campaign and explore easy ways everyone can make sure elected officials make early learning a priority. The campaign is advocating for all children to have access to free, quality Pre-K. Children with access to high-qaulity Pre-K programs arrive in kindergarten ready to learn and are more likely to advance grades and have improved social skills.

From our friends at CLASP On Friday, January 10, from 3:00pm-4:00PM, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity and Childcare Aware® of America will sponsor a national audio conference to explore exciting developments in child care as part of the Work Supports Strategies (WSS) initiative. The audio call will also examine issues such as how a conservative state embraced safety net programs; the effectiveness of particular streamlining strategies; and what lessons from WSS can be applied to child care and other programs in the other 44 states. For a sneak preview on WSS and child care, check out this j ust-released report from the Urban Institute and the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Speakers Include:  Richard Armstrong, Director, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare  Olivia Golden, Executive Director, CLASP Hannah Matthews, Director of Child Care and Early Education, CLASP Register here . Space is limited.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has changed course on a decade-old policy that kept millions of dollars in federal food subsidies from low-income children who are in child care with relatives and neighbors. Starting this month, relatives and neighbors providing state-approved child-care services to low-income children will be able to apply for the aid. An Education Department official estimated the program could bring in $3 million more each month for the state's child-care system, depending on how many providers sign up. Qualifying relatives or neighbors would receive an average of $1,000 a year per child. Call 1-855-252-6325 for more information.

20% of the child care subsidy funding has been cut over the last two years. Without additional funding, thousands of low-income parents have no opportunity to afford adequate child care. Currently, the waiting list for subsidized child care is at more than 8,000 children waiting eight months or more. The full increase in funding would reduce the waiting list for quality child care by 1,400 children.  Additional funds will also ensure more at-risk children can participate in high-quality child care programs through Keystone STARS. Currently, only 20% of children in subsidized child care attend the highest quality STAR 3 and 4 provider. The Senate will take up the budget this week. Ask them to restore $3 million to the child care services appropriation.

If you rely on the state subsidy to help pay for your child care and your child is frequently absent, then you may be in danger of losing your subsidy. In an effort to control costs, Pennsylvania has implemented a new protocol limiting the number of days a child can be out of care to a maximum of 25 days per year for any reason. After your child exceeds 25 days absent, you will have to pay the full child care fee that your care center charges. Childcare centers are being required to collect payment from parents or notify parents of termination of childcare. Childcare centers have reached out to the Department of Public Welfare , who administers the subsidy program, to reconsider or modify their policy. However, at this time, the policy is in effect. If you have questions about these changes, please speak with your individual childcare provider.

This year, new crib safety regulations from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission went into effect, requiring child care centers to have cribs that are regulated under 16 CFR 1219 or 1220 to ensure maximum protection for children. As PathWays PA prepares to open our new Learning Center for children at our Center for Families, we need to purchase cribs to become compliant with this guideline.  Can you help by donating to PathWays PA or purchasing a crib ?

The latest state budget numbers were released earlier this afternoon .  This budget includes a spend number of $27.656 million, about $500,000 more than the Governor's budget earlier this year.  This budget may not be the final budget, but it gives some insight into where funding will go. The biggest news is the removal of the Human Services Block Grant, which had been under heavy scrutiny since its proposal by the Governor.  In February, Governor Corbett contended that creating a block grant would diminish the red tape counties face and provide them with savings as justification for his decision to cut 20% of the funding from the programs included. While the block grant has been removed, possibly in place of some new language around executive compensation , at least some of the budget cuts associated with the grant remain.   Several of the items covered under the grant, such as Mental Health Services and Homeless Assistance, have lower budgets than last year. U...

Thanks to The Advocates Agenda for letting us repost. Corbett Administration and County Commissioners Association Going to the Mat for Human Services Block Grant PA House tweaks the Senate passed budget bill to spend more on early childhood care and education, domestic violence, rape crisis centers and public libraries June 5th – Tuesday brought stepped up debate and political posturing about Pennsylvania’s budget. The morning started with Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Jim Cawley putting forth a united front with the County Commissioners Association of PA (CCAP) touting the benefits of “a new way of doing business” that will result from block granting certain state funding. Department of Public Welfare Secretary Gary Alexander said the “landmark block grant” would deliver real “innovation, control and flexibility” at the local level. Cawley stressed the Corbett Administration is committed to transforming “the relationship between the state and local governments.” Ber...