As the event progressed, I noticed that everyone was subtly paying tribute to each other.  The phenomenon revealed itself through a weird combination of transparency and the subsequent bravery required of both the questioners and the answerers in such a setting.  First, cheers to the Governor for making a concerted effort to have an “open door policy” for himself, his staff and his agencies, and for encouraging his staff to cross the threshold themselves.  Cheers to advocates and citizens for being willing to go through that door as well.  I believe that a significant amount of wisdom, commitment and (as those 1930’s movie heroines would say) “daring do” is needed on both sides to make it work.  Sometimes it takes courage to await a question, sometimes to ask one, and sometimes to answer. 

Obviously, every question was not a softball, nor was every answer a home run.  But that is not the point, really.  The point is that we live and work in a country where there are regular, peaceful transitions of power, laws which, more often than not, work in our favor, and a system where we have the potential to make change when things don’t work.  While our government should protect us, represent us and listen to us, the responsibility is actually on us, as advocates, not to miss an opportunity to educate our public servants, each other and ourselves. 

Monday’s “Conversation with the Governor’s Policy Staff” event certainly did not solve all the problems in the world of children.  What it did do, I hope, was show that we all have the same enemy:  The ever-present threat of a lost or damaged generation of Georgians.  We all agree that much is not working, and kids need help from every quarter to secure their futures, and ours.  It seems we all agree that we have to keep that “open door” open, no matter how much “daring do” it takes to go through it – because if we don’t, the paradigm will never change. With an open door, with chances to call and respond and call again, we have the ability to collectively really start to move the needle for kids.

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for pictures of the event.

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JUSTGeorgia applauds Governor Nathan Deal for today signing into law the Criminal Justice Reform Act (HB 1176), a bill that will keep nonviolent offenders out of our costly prisons and instead, offer them rehabilitation to become productive, taxpaying citizens. Georgia can save additional dollars by applying this forward-looking thinking to how we treat court-involved children. By offering these children the same opportunity for rehabilitation as we now do for adults, we can reduce their incarceration and recidivism rates and prevent many from ever entering the criminal justice system.  

The Child Protection and Public Safety Act (HB 641) is the answer to reforming how we treat court-involved children. The bill, which modernizes Georgia’s 40-year-old Juvenile Code, includes input from a diverse group of stakeholders who widely consider it to be the right policy. Disappointingly, the bill did not become law this year, even though it received unanimous support from the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and the full House.  

JUSTGeorgia will continue to work for the passage of HB 641 next legislative session. If we are willing to reform the way we treat adult nonviolent offenders, then surely we can offer court-involved children the same chance to rehabilitate and transition into productive members of society.

Pat Willis
Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children, a lead partner of JUSTGeorgia
pwillis@georgiavoices.org

Additional interview opportunities:

Sharon Hill
Executive Director of Georgia Appleseed, a lead partner of JUSTGeorgia, who is also a former juvenile court judge
shill@gaappleseed.org

Melissa Carter
Executive Director of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, a lead partner of JUSTGeorgia, who can provide further information on HB 641
melissa.d.carter@emory.edu

About JUSTGeorgia:

JUSTGeorgia is a statewide juvenile justice coalition made up of hundreds of community organizations and individuals. Established in 2006, our purpose is to advocate for change to Georgia’s Juvenile Code and the underlying social service systems to better serve the state’s children and promote safer communities.  

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Our latest Early Childhood fact sheet addresses the question: How are Georgia’s young children doing right now? These statistics offer a snapshot of how Georgia’s approximately 871,900 children age five and under are fairing in the areas of family life and support, health, and early care and learning. For additional information, or to speak with an Early Childhood expert, contact Voices (404-521-0311 or info@georgiavoices.org).

Download Fact Sheet: How Are Georgia’s Children Doing? A Look at Early Childhood

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Additionally included are bills where your advocacy help is still needed or that may require additional monitoring.  While there were many victories this legislative session, there are more areas in which we can work to ensure our agenda is met.

Healthy Births, Infants and Young Children

Child-Only Health Insurance

HB 1166 (Atwood-179^th) The child only health insurance bill requires that all health insurance companies that offer individual policies in the state of Georgia, offer child-only health insurance policies to cover individuals 19 years and younger. Children who qualify for or are already covered under an existing policy are not eligible for a child-only health plan.   The policy will have an open enrollment period from January 1, 2013 until January 31, 2013.    Applicants cannot obtain insurance outside this 30-day window, unless they apply for coverage within 30 days of a qualifying event.  Qualifying events include birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, court orders mandating that the child be covered, or any instance that results in the involuntary loss of insurance coverage.  The child-only policy may not exclude a child based on pre-existing conditions.  Because the Affordable Care Act will make this requirement unnecessary, the bill is set to automatically repeal on January 31, 2014.

Early Care and Education

Influenza Information

HB 845 (Watson – 163^rd) By September 1, 2012, early childcare and education programs must provide parents with information regarding the causes, symptoms and vaccinations of the influenza virus.  The bill does not provide for the method of dissemination of the information. 

 Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting

HB 1176 (Golick – 34^th) Included as part of the adult criminal justice reform, amendments to the mandatory reporting law have expanded the list of mandatory reporters to include almost everyone who may come in contact with a child.  The law now includes volunteers at hospitals, schools, social agencies, or similar facilities.  This expansive list makes coaches, from little league to the university level; youth group leaders, PTA volunteers and any other person who come in contact with children responsible for reporting abuse

Pregnancy resource centers and abortion facilities have also been added to the list of mandatory reporters.   The amendment specifically excludes members of clergy who learn of the abuse in a confession or similar confidential setting protected by a church or religious doctrine. A member of the clergy, however must report abuse if it is learned in a setting outside of a religious doctrine protected environment.

Other Bills of Interest

 Drug Testing for TANF

HB 861 (Harden – 28^th) All applicants of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are required to take a drug test in order to receive benefits. The drug test must be administered no more than 48 hours after the applicant is deemed eligible for TANF benefits.  The applicant will bear the full cost of the testing with the exception of Medicaid recipients who will be assessed a subsidized rate of  $17.00.    A positive drug test will result in a denial of benefits for the applicant as well as the inability to be re-tested for one month up to 1 year.

Although children under 18 are exempt from drug testing, at least one parent of a child eligible for TANF benefits must comply with the mandate.  If the parent/guardian is unable to meet the drug testing requirements, the parent may designate another individual to receive the benefits on behalf of the minor child.  That individual must take a drug test with a negative result.   Otherwise, a protective payee may be designated to receive benefits on behalf of the child

Bills That May Return in 2013

The following bills did not pass this legislative session.  However, because there has been some indication that these bills will be re-introduced in the next legislative session, they are included for your review.

Family Daycare Cap

HB 1170 (Manning – 32^nd) – Amends the age limit for the number of children to be cared for in a family daycare from 3-6 kids, 18 years and younger to 3-6 kids 13 years or younger.  The total cap includes all children of no relation to the caretaker being cared for in the center, regardless of whether the caretaker is being compensated for the child. Studies show that small daycare settings are essential to safe and quality childcare; a major component of the Birth to 5 Coalition’s early care and education agenda.  We encourage you to contact Representative Manning, Representative Dempsey and Representative Williams to thank them for their sponsorship and to encourage them to introduce this bill next session.

Daycare Center Vehicle Alarms

HB 857 (Scott -76th)  - Requires audible alarms to be installed in all daycare vehicles to alert the driver to inspect the vehicle to ensure it is vacant.  The alarm would have to be approved by the Department of Early Care and Learning.   Information on the cost of installing the alarms has not yet been provided.

Joint Commission on Education Video for Parents of Newborns

HB 1159 (Pruett – 144^th) – Provides for the creation of a Joint Study Commission on Education for Parents with Newborn Children to determine the necessity of distribution of informational videos on health related topics to mothers of newborns infants.   The video would cover subjects such as the prevention of childhood obesity, shaken baby syndrome, SIDS and other forms of child abuse.  The video would also include a comprehensive resource guide with information, links to websites and contact information for state and local agencies.

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The new graduation rate is calculated using the number of students who graduate high school within four years. Note that Georgia sought approval from the DOE to use a five year graduation rate. And while many are not surprised that Georgia’s graduation rate is lower under this new calculation, it does continue to beg the questions: What must we do to improve the outcomes of our young people who are transitioning into adulthood, and what can we do to ensure that when they do graduate from high school, they are college or career ready?

For more information, check out today’s AJC article on the latest graduation rate research, and read the AJC’s Get Schooled blog post.

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News in Brief:

Georgia received good news today: The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) announced in its latest report that Georgia’s Pre-K is one of only five states to fully meet the organization’s 10 quality standard benchmarks for Pre-K. Unfortunately, The State of Preschool 2011: State Preschool Yearbook also delivered some bad news: Despite Georgia’s high ranking for Pre-K quality, the state’s rank in resources per child for Pre-K dropped from 10th to 19th over the last 10 years.

2011 NIEER Report Georgia Profile

2011 NIEER Report Full

Read NIEER’s national press release on the 2011 findings

Statement from Pat Willis, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children:

Meeting all 10 quality standard benchmarks for Pre-K in 2011 is a praise-worthy accomplishment that demonstrates Georgia knows what to do to provide high quality Pre-K for children. The question is: Will Georgia commit to allocating the resources per child necessary to make Georgia’s Pre-K the model program it use to be?    

The future is not promising if Georgia’s support for Pre-K continues to be tied only to a game of chance – the state lottery – and not to an understanding that high quality Pre-K is enormously important for our children to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. If the state is willing although not required by law to financially support kindergarteners, then why not preschoolers who, research shows, benefit tremendously from high quality early education programs, especially low-income children?    

There is hope for Georgia’s Pre-K if political and community awareness of the value of high quality Pre-K continues to grow. We have a creative, committed Commissioner of Early Care and Learning and a Governor with keen insights into child development who together can intensify Georgia’s commitment to early childhood education and develop enduring approaches to funding.

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Lack of Availability in High-Quality Programs Could Threaten Nation’s Future Job Prospects; New Cuts Proposed in a Number of States

Washington, D.C. — Many states are faltering in their efforts to deliver high-quality preschool education to children most in need, says a landmark national report capping 10 years of research.

“For the second year in a row, we’re seeing declines in real spending and per-child spending that strip resources from pre-K classrooms, many of which are already funded at levels below what it takes to deliver high-quality programs,” said Steve Barnett, director of the nonpartisan National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University that has surveyed state preschool programs on a number of measures since 2001-2002.

The State of Preschool 2011: State Preschool Yearbook shows total state funding for the nation’s pre-K programs decreased by nearly $60 million from the previous year to the 2010-2011 school year. In the past 10 years, real spending on state pre-K has declined by about 15 percent, or more than $700 per child.

“A decline of this magnitude should serve as a wake-up call for parents and policy leaders about how well we are preparing today’s preschoolers to succeed in school and later find good jobs in a competitive market,” Barnett said.

The Yearbook findings, which include NIEER’s data over the past 10 years and recommendations for policymakers, are being released today at 10 a.m. at Bancroft Elementary School in Washington, D.C. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Barnett at today’s event.

Despite a decade of progress in which many states began or improved pre-K programs, state investments in high-quality pre-K are now slipping. In fact, many children who need access to high-quality pre-K programs still cannot attend.

Twenty-eight percent of all 4-year-olds and 4 percent of 3-year-olds were served by state pre-K programs in the 2010-2011 school year, raising total enrollment to more than 1.3 million. But some states have opted to expand enrollment rather than maintain quality, resulting in greater access but lower standards. “If ignored, states run the risk of substituting inexpensive child care for preschool education,” Barnett said.

There are winners and losers in this year’s report. Winners included Maine, Kentucky, and Nebraska, where both adjusted per-child and total funding increased by more than 5 percent over the previous year. In addition, five states — Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, West Virginia, and Wisconsin — increased total funding by more than 5 percent from the previous year. In all, 22 states increased enrollment, with increases ranging from 2 percent in California, Connecticut, Georgia, and Minnesota to 24 percent in Vermont. Georgia and New York both met new benchmarks in NIEER’s Quality Standards Checklist.

Losers included Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania that cut total state pre-K spending by 10 percent or more from the previous year. Nine states cut pre-K enrollment, from 1 percent in Kentucky, Nebraska, and North Carolina to 12 percent in New Mexico.  A 10^th state, Arizona, entirely eliminated its Early Childhood Block Grant, becoming the 11^th state to offer no state pre-K. The others with no state pre-K program are Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Four states — California, Kansas, New York, and South Carolina — lost benchmarks on the Quality Standards Checklist, all for lessening their level of program monitoring.

In addition, seven battleground states face additional threats to pre-K programs in 2012:

• California decreased spending per child by 10 percent for 2010-2011. The state’s program, which achieves only three of NIEER’s 10 benchmarks for quality, remains under threat of further budget reductions.
• Florida ranks first in the nation in pre-K access, with 76 percent of all 4-year-olds attending. But it ranks near the bottom in program quality and spending per child. It has repeatedly reduced funding and has not increased per-child spending to adequate levels. Class-size limits have been raised, and further funding cuts may be on the horizon.
• Georgia, the first state to adopt a goal of state pre-K for all children, and which met all 10 NIEER quality standards in 2010-2011, subsequently cut its pre-K school calendar from 10 months to nine, reduced teacher salaries, and increased class size to 22 children. Experienced teachers fled the program. Bringing quality back will require a new revenue source because lottery proceeds are no longer sufficient.
• Illinois launched its Preschool for All program in 2006 with the goal of achieving universal access by 2012. Instead, it has reduced total enrollment, and the program also saw no appreciable funding increase.
• Massachusetts has cut per-child funding by about 45 percent from 2001-2002 levels and operates two new programs using federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that will go away. Without new funding, these programs are threatened.
• North Carolina moved its well-regarded More at Four program from the Department of Public Instruction to Health and Human Services to align it with child care, renamed it, and reduced staff and enrollment. The program faces additional possible cuts.
• Texas, which ranks in the bottom half of states for spending per child, reduced spending per child in 2010-2011 and faces the prospect of further cuts.

“States need to plan for future growth in pre-K just as they would for major projects, such as infrastructure,” said Barnett, “and avoid viewing pre-K as a year-to-year funding decision.”

Barnett praised the federal $500 million Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge that is providing grants to nine states for improving quality, but said more needs to be done. President Obama has called on Congress to increase the federal commitment to states for early childhood education.

10-Year Findings

State pre-K generally has enjoyed bipartisan support during its expansion over the past decade. An overwhelming body of research shows that high-quality pre-K prepares children to succeed in school, enroll in college or career training, and helps more students ultimately get better jobs that can help the nation’s economy. This year’s report highlights trends in pre-K programs over past 10 years, including these:

• More than 600,000 additional children are enrolled in state pre-K programs than in 2001-2002. The expansion of public pre-K has been especially important for Hispanic children who would have much lower participation rates without state pre-K. 
• Spending per child nationally is $715 lower than the 2001-2002 level.
• Disparities among states in funding per child have grown from a difference of $9,000 between the highest and lowest in the 2001-2002 year to more than $10,000 today.
• There are 51 preschool programs in 39 states plus two in the District of Columbia, compared to 42 programs in 37 states in the 2001-2002 school year.
• Adoption of statewide comprehensive early learning standards has been rapid.
• State progress in improving the quality of teachers responsible for achieving those learning standards has been slow. The percentage of programs requiring lead teachers to have bachelor’s degrees has risen from 48 to 57 percent.
• Little has changed in enrollment of 3-year-olds, which remains at 4 percent nationally.  Hispanic children in particular have been left behind at age 3. Only 25 percent attend public or private preschool, compared to 43 percent of non-Hispanic children at age 3.

2011 NIEER Report Georgia Profile

2011 NIEER Report Full

Read Voices’ statement on the 2011 findings

2010 NIEER Report Georgia Profile

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The National Institute for Early Education Research, a unit of the Graduate School of  Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, supports early childhood education policy by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research. NIEER is supported through grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and others.

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Download the Voices for Georgia’s Children Boiler Plate/Backgrounder

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Download the Voices for Georgia’s Children brochure

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According to legislative rules, the bill needed to pass out of the Senate Rules Committee by the close of Monday’s legislative day in order to be put before the Senate for a vote. That did not happen, effectively stopping the progress of HB 641 for this year.  

Why did this happen? The bill ran into unforeseen obstacles with the funding priorities of Governor Deal, who was faced with hard decisions in light of the state’s fiscal situation and the considerable differences in cost estimates of HB 641.

Now what? Voices and JUSTGeorgia – a diverse coalition of individuals and organizations – will continue to work diligently with the Governor, his staff, and leaders in the House and Senate to identify costs for these much-needed juvenile justice reforms. These reforms will strengthen public safety and help children become healthy, productive adults.

You can help us now by contacting the Governor (404-656-1776 or EMAIL), your Senator and your Representative (find contact info here) and telling them:

I am disappointed that HB 641 did not become law this year. Because these juvenile justice reforms will help children, families and communities across Georgia, I hope you will make the Juvenile Code Rewrite a priority during the 2013 legislative session. Thank you. 

We thank you for your partnership and support and will continue to keep you updated on this situation.

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