irODOS?

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PUBLISHED BY ACTION ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN
MARCH
-
APRIL 2004
RESC
FORA
ARA irODOS?
IN THIS ISSUE / EN ESTE NUMERO
REGULAR FEATURES/ARTICULOS REGULARES
Child care providers and
universal preschool
GRASSROOTS SNAPSHOT
Community wins on welfare services
Head Start in family child care
INSTANTANEA DE COMUNIDAD
Victoria corn unitaria sobre
eI presupuesto de L.A.
Turning off the TV
FAMILY SUPPORT WORKSI
Apagar Ia tele
Tax assistance programs
boost family incomes
Solving problem behaviors
1EL APOYO FAMILIAR FLJNCIONA!
Programas de asistencia impositiva
realizan el ingreso familiar
-
V
Salinas violence prevention coalition
BOOKBASKET
Kids and TV
COVER PHOTO BY KATHY SLOANE
ACTION ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN
•
THE HUNT HOUSE
•
1201 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY
wwwfchildren.orq
•
OAKLAND, CA 94612-1217
ij1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ADVOCATE
The bimonthly Children’s Advocate is published
by Action Alliance for Children, a nonprofit org
anization dedicated to informing and empowering
people who work with and on behalf of children.
Executive Director/Editor
Jean Tepperman
Accountant
Pam Elliott
Outreach Manager
Melia Franidin
Assistant Editor
Jessine Foss
Administrative Associate
Eric Foss
Copy Editor
Laura Coon.
Volunteers
Patty Overland
Interns
Meg Hamill
3 Grassroots Snapshot
L.A. County adopts community coalition’s
spending plan
By Eve Pearlman
Julieta Santana
Publication Design and Production
lockwood design
AAC Logo Design
Mitche Manitou
Printing
Fncke Parks Press
Distribution
Jane Welford
Legal Counsel
Nonprofit Legal Services Network
Board of Directors
Charles Drucker, President
Catalina Alvarado, Vice Presidqpt
Victor Rubin, Interim Treasurer
Carlos Castellanos, Secretary
Kathy Flores
Lisa Lee
Adam Ray
Randy Reiter
Ernegt Ting
Maria Luz Torre
Advisory Council
Jill Duerr Berrick
University of California
Child Welfare Research Center
Margaret Brodkin
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
Maria Campbell Casey
Partnership for the Public’s Health
Hedy N. Chang
Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund
Jonah Edelman
Stand for Children
Louis Freedberg
San Francisco Chronicle
Dana Hughes
Institute for Health Policy Studies
Herb Kohl
Author & Educator
Milton Kotelchuck
Professor, Dept. of Maternal and Child Health
University of North Carolina
Arabella Martinez
Spanish Speaking Unity Council
Efflé Lee Moms
California Library Services
Daphne Muse
Multicultural author and editor
Lucy Quacinella
National Center for Youth Law
Wilsob Riles, Jr.
American Friends Service Committee
Giovanna Stark
Assembly Select Committee on Adolescents
Principal Consultant
Alan Watahara
California Partnership for Children
Stan Weisner
UC Berkeley Children & the Changing Family Program
Rev. Cecil Williams
Glide Memorial Church
Action Alliance for Children is a tax-exempt organization
supported in part by aCalifornia State Department of
Education (SDE) grant. However, the opinions expressed
herein do not necessarily reflect those of SDE and opinions
expressed by contributors or writers do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of this paper. We reserve the right to
refuse advertising for any reason.
Children’s Advocate assumes no liability for products or
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lication, permission to reprint material appearing on these
pages must be requested.
Circulation: Children’s Advocate is available at select
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$18 for one year • $34 for two years
First-time subscribers $12 for one year
Sample copies are available for $3 each.
For information about our annual multicultural calendar
write or call:
Action Alliance for Children
The Hunt House
1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Oakland, CA 94612.1217
Tel (510) 444-7136
Fax (510) 444.7138
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e-mail: [email protected]
www.4children.org
©Children ‘a Advocate
NewsMagazine’ ASSN 0739-45X
Next Issue: May-June 2004
Advertising Deadline: April 15, 2004
Printed on recycled paper
-
APRIL 2004
•
Number 2
11 iEl apoyo familiar funciona!
Programas de asistencia impositiva realizan el
ingreso familiar
Por Melia Franklin
Instantánea de Ia comunidad
El condado de Los Angeles adopta plan
de gastos de coaliciOn comunitaria
Por Eve Peariman
12 Bookbasket: Kids and TV
Books can help children take a step back from
TV—and discover that real life is more fun
By Ben Peterson
4. Preschool for all: key questions
Providers of early care and education are excited
about the possibilities and wondering where they
will fit in
By Jessine Foss and Jean Tepperman
Preescolar para todos: Preguntas dave
Mahin Ibrahim
2 MARCH
Volume 41
Proveedores de educación y cuidado infanfil
muestran entusiasmo ante las nuevas
posibilidades y se preguntan dónde encajaran
Por Jessine Foss y Jean Tepperman
6. “Head Start has made me grow”
Benefits—and challenges—when family child
care providers offer Head Start
By Laura Bernell
13 Peaceful partnership
A community-wide collaborative in Salinas
struggles to continue violence prevention
programs in hard times
By Meg Hamill
14 Children’s Advocates Roundtable
S
El presupuesto propuesto recortarIa pro gramas
para niños y familias; En el calendario
15 Children’s Advocates Roundtable
Proposed budget large would cut programs for
children and families; On the agenda
16 Children’s Advocates Roundtable
7. Problem-solving for parents
A Southern California therapist teaches parents a
formula for finding solutions to problem behavior
By Claudia Miller
8 A week without TV?
April 19 through 25 is the 10th annual TV Turnoff
Week. Why should you participate? And how
would your family survive?
By Julieta Santana
9 ,Una sernana sin TV?
La semana del 19 al 25 de abril se celebra Ia
décima “Semana del Televisor Apagado” anual.
ePor qué habrIa de participar? Y su familia...
Zcómo sobreviviria?
Por Julieta Santana
10 Family support works!
Tax assistance programs boost family incomes
By Melia Franklin
More money for working families; Más dinero
para las familias trabajadoras; Family support
corner; Rincón de Ayuda Familiar
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Preschool environmental hazards
On behalf of Parents for a Safer Environment, (PfSE), I’d
like to thank Eve Peariman and the Children’s Advocate for
such a well-written and thorough article on preschool envi
ronmental hazards.
Please note two corrections. First, Contra Costa First 5
funded the children’s environmental health hazards confer
ence in May, 2003. Second, the correct recipe for cleaning
windows does not include vegetable oil, but vegetable-based
liquid soap. Readers may fmd more recipes for safer clean
ing product alternatives at www.pfse.net
N’SE is now focusing on problems with the over-use of
pesticides and the benefits of integrated pest management
(1PM).
Susan JunFish, MPH, Director, PISE
[email protected] www.pfse.net
EDITOR’S NOTE
i A , e hear there’s an economic “recovery,” but
the catch is that not very many people are
getting jobs. The other catch is that so many
people who do have jobs don’t make enough money
to take care of their families.
So it’s especially frustrating during this tax-filing
season to know that that so many low-income fami
lies in California are missing out on thousands of dol
lars each in tax credits—because they don’t know
they’re eligible or don’t know how to claim the cred
its. Our story on page 10 and 11 describes a Volun
teer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that’s
helping to bring hundreds of thousands of dollars into
low-income communities, by organizing volunteers to
help people fill out their tax returns.
The VITA project is part of a family resource center
(FRC). And our VITA story this issue is the first of a yearlong, bilingual series that will highlight successful pro
grams in family resource centers, community-based
organizations that involve families in taking positive
action to improve their lives and their communities.
This project, funded by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr.
Fund and the S.H. Cowell Foundation, will also include
reports on the Roundtable pages about political issues
of interest to the family support field.
Family resource centers sprouting up all over
California are developing an important model of sup
port for families and children. We’ve also been hear
ing a lot recently about another important model of
support for child development—a voluntary universal
preschool program that would be available to any
child whose family chooses to participate.
Every preschooler could benefit from a quality edu
cational experience—but what about the people who
are caring for preschoolers now? How will they fit in?
We explore that issue on pages 4 and 5. Our story on
Head Start family child care providers (p. 6) describes
one way that different programs might connect.
Everything we learn about early childhood empha
sizes how much young children need be active—mov
ing, learning, relating to pe9ple. What they don’t need
to be doing much of is watching TV—but many overstressed parents feel they have no alternative to using
the TV as a babysitter. Our story on page 8 and 9
describes ways families can thrive with the TV off. And
our bookbasket (p. 12) introduces a great collection of
books that encourage kids to think outside the tube.
One of the problems with TV, of course, is that it
exposes kids to so much violence. As part of the grow
ing awareness that young children’s experiences are
key to violence prevention, community groups in
Salinas (p. 13) are collaborating in a violence-preven
tion program that works with kids from birth to 18.
Even with the best of care, though; there will be
times when kids misbehave and parents need to take
action. But what to do? In our story on p. 7, an expe
rienced family educator describes her S.O.L.V.E. for
mula that parents can use to figure it out.
Meanwhile, of course, parents and others who care
about kids are getting ready to advocate for children
in Sacramento this spring. Check out our Roundtable
pages for an early report on the issues.
But in addition to these seasonal rituals of tax filing
and budget battles, there are those other signs of
spring. The trees on my street burst into pink blossoms
February first, as they always do, and it’s light when I
walk home. I hope you and the children in your life
—Jean Tepperman
can take time to enjoy it.
L.A. County adopts community
coalition’s spending plan
By Eve Peariman
arly in 2003, the California
Partnership (TCP), a coalition of
60 organizations advocating
for low-income families, discovered
a $45 million dollar pot of money sit
tirig in the Los Angeles Counly bud
get—incentive money paid to the
county for reducing welfare rolls.
The money was earmarked for a
variety of county agencies. But by
June, the L.A. Board of Supervisors
had agreed to spend $1 1 million of
that money according to a plan
made by TCP
“We wanted to make sure the
money went back to help support
CaIWORKs families who had
recently left welfare,” says Nancy
Berlin, coordinator of the welfare
reform advocacy project at the Los
Angles Coalition to End Hunger
and Homelessness (LACEHH), a
member of TCP
E
A well-developed plan
TCP member organizations worked
together to create the spending plan.
They wanted some of the money to fund
quality job training programs that would
lead to well-paid jobs—including subsi
dies for workers receiving training and
vocational ESL courses, which teach
workers worlqlace vocabulary.
i_lit
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--
$125e
irn
‘1)l1r4ry
California Partnership members prepare to bring their message to the supervisors.
The rest, they said, should go to a
variety of homelessness prevention pro
grams, including emergency funds to
prevent eviction and money for reloca
tion. Some of the programs had been
funded before at limited levels, others
were slated to be cut back. “If people
don’t have good jobs, child care, homes,
and food, what good are other, less cru
cial programs?” asks Alicia Lepe, a
California Partnership organizer.
A sustained, varied campaign
Through the winter and spring, mem
bers of coalition organizations worked to
promote their plan. There were lots of
ways to help; many hundreds of people
got involved.
• Going door-to-door, they
plained their plan and recruited parents
to tell their stories at rallies and public
meetings. “I like to talk to people,” says
Yolanda James, a 29-year-old former
CaIWORKs participant, now an organiz
er for LACEHH. “So why not, if you’re
talking anyway, talk about some impor
tant stuff—and try to change it.”
• Lobbying in a variety of ways,
coalition organizations held call-in days,
letter-writing campaigns, town meetings,
press conferences, rallies, and behindthe-scenes meetings with county officals.
“It was an ongoing struggle,” says Siotha
Ashley, a single mother of three, “run
ning back and forth to the Board of
Supervisors, letting them know we’re
aware of what they’re doing and that
we’re going to fight—not physically, but
mentally we’re going to fight back.”
“We would let them know that the
money needs to go to these programs,”
recalls Nancy Hemandez, staff member
of ACORN, a TCP member organization,
“and they sat there and heard us out.”
• In a mass visit to the county
welfare office, 40 applicants chal
lenged the county’s claim that there were
already enough job training programs.
“They took people’s addresses and told
them they would send them information
about job training,” recalls Berlin, “but
we got precious little from that day.”
• Persistence was the key to success,
says Lepe. “Parents just stuck in there and
kept going back. People were determined
to make this change even though they
thought everything was against this.”
The victory was significant, says Ber
lin. “This was the first time that we real
ly got community groups and lowincome people to push the county to use
money the way people in the commurn
ty wanted.”
• L.A. Coalition to End Hunger and
Homelessness, 213-251-2710
• ACORN, 213-747-4211
• The California Partnership,
562-862-2070 Ext. 304
Do you know a grassroots group that won a victory for kids? We’ll provide a free bulk
(25 copy) subscription for suggestions that lead to Grassroots Snapshot stories.
Contact: Melia Franklin, 510-444-7136, aacmelia(i4children.org
2Conoce algun grupo do base que haya con quistado una victoria en no br- d
Proveeremc,s uno suscdpcón grofuto dv 25 copas a cambe cie sugerecias
para nuestra lnstantánea de Ia Comunidad.
Contacto: Melia Franklin, 510-444-7136, aacmeliaCä4children.org
Iraouccioli
ii
Lucrecia Miranda
-
El
A comienzos del año 2003, The
California Partnership (TCP)—una
coalición de 60 organizaciones
abogando por las familias de bojos
ingresos—descubrio que un bote
inutilizado de $45 millones forma
ba porte del presupuesto del con
dado de Los Angeles: un incentivo
pagado al condado a cambio de Ia
reducción que éste realizara en las
listas de personas recibiendo asis
tencia poblica.
El dinero habIa sido destinado a
una variedad de agendas del con
dado. Sin embargo, para el mes de
junio, el Comité de Supervisores de
Los Angeles habla acordado gastar
$1 1 millones de ese dinero de
acuerdo a un plan disenado por
TCP
“QuerIamos cercioramos de que
el dinero fuera destinado a las
familias de CaIWORKs que habIan
salido recientemente de Ia asisten
cia pOblica”, dice Nancy Berlin, co
ordinadora del proyedo en defensa
de Ia reforma del programa de
asistencia pUblica del grupo Los
Angeles Coalition to End Hunger
and Homelessness (Coalición de Los
Angeles para Acabar con el
Hambre y Ia Falta deVivienda a
LACEHH, segun sus.iniciales en
ingles), el cual forma porte de TCR
Un plan bien concebido
Las organizaciones miembro de TCP
trabajaron juntas para crear el plan de
gastos. Estas deseaban que una parte del
dinero se dirigiera a la financiación de
programas de entrenamiento laboral de
calidad que pudieran conducir a trabajos
bien pagados, incluyendo subsidios para
trabajadores que reciben adiestramiento
en el trabajo y cursos vocacionales de
ESL que enseñan a los trabajadores el
vocabulano de oficio.
El resto, dijeron, deberia ir a una var
iedad de programas para prevenir prob
lemas derivados de la falta de techo,
lincluyendo fondos de emergencia para
prevenir el desahucio y dinero para Ia
relocalización. Algunos de los progra
mas hablan sido financiados anterior
mente a niveles muy limitados, mientras
que otros hablan sido designados para un
recorte presupuestario. “Si la gente no
tiene buenos trabajos, acceso a cuidado
de niños, vivienda y alimentos, ,para
qué sirven otros prograinas menos cru
ciales?”, se pregunta Alicia Lepe, una
promotora comunitaria trabajando con
The Calfomia Partnership.
Una campana variada y
sostenida
Durante el invierno y Ia primavera,
los miembros de las organizaciones de Ia
coalición trabajaron para promover su
plan. Habla muchas maneras diferentes
de colaborar; centenares de personas se
involucraron en el proyecto.
• Yendo puerla a puerta, los miem
bros de TCP explicaron su plan y reclu
taron a un grupo de padres para que con
taran sus historias en diferentes
reuniones y audiencias ptiblicas. “Me da
gusto hablar con Ia getite”, dice Yolanda
James, una participants de 29 aiios y
antigua miembro de Ca1WORKs que
oy trabaja como promotora comuni
taria para LACEHH. “Entonces por qué
no, si usted está hablando de todos
modos, hable un poco de algo impor
tante—y Irate de cambiarlo”.
• Cabildeando de diversas for
mas, las organizaciones de la coalición
organizaron jornadas para hacer Ila
madas telefónicas, campafias de envIo
de cartas, reumones ptiblicas de Ia ciu
dad, ruedas de prensa, concentraciones y
reuniones “detrás de las escenas” con
funcionarios del condado. “Fue una
lucha continua”, dice Siotha Ashley,
madre soltea de lies niños, “yendo y
viniendo de la oficina del Comité de
Supervisores, dejándoles saber que
esttibamos enterados de lo que estaban
haciendo y que Ibamos a luchar—no
fIsicamente, pero que mentalmente
Ibamos a luchar”.
“Les hicimos saber que el dinero
necesitaba ser destinado a estos progra
mas”, recuerda Nancy Hemández, per-
sonal de ACORN, “y [los miembros del
Comité de Supervisores] se sentaron alil
y nos escucharon”.
• En una visita masiva a Ia oficina
de asistencia social del condado, 40
solicitantes desafiaron la allrmación del
condado de que ya existlan programas
suficientes de entrenamiento laboral.
“Apuntaron las direcciones de esas per
sonas y les dijeron que les enviarlan
información sobre entrenamiento labo
ral”, recuerda Berlin, “pero apenas con
seguimos casi nada”.
• La perseverancia fue la dave para
el éxito, dice Lepe. “Los padres se clay
aron en su posicidn y continuaron yendo.
La gente estaba determinada a realizar
este cambio a pesar de que pensaba que
todo estaba en contra de ella”.
“La victoria fue significativa”, dice
Berlin. “Esta fue la primera vez que real
mente conseguimos que grupos de Ia
comunidad y gente de bajos ingresos
pusieran presión al condado para que
emplee el dinero de Ia forma que Ia
comunidad querla”.
• LA Coalition to End Hunger and
Homelessness (Coalición de LA
para Acabar con el Hambre y Ia
Falta de Vivienda),
213-251-2710
• ACORN, 213-747-4211
• The California Partnership,
562-862-2070, extension 304
Preschool for all: key questions
Providers of early care and education are excited abcut the
possibilities and wondering where they will fit in
By Jessine Foss and Jean Tepperman
magine that all children had
•access to free, high-quality
preschool programs that pro
moted their mental, social, and
physical development and pre
pared them for success in school
and in life.
That seemed like a distant dream
a few years ago, but several
California efforis are now working
to make preschool available for all
children whose parents choose to
send them:
• State and counly First Five com
missions are developing univer
sal preschool projects.
I
• A current bill, AB 56 (Steinberg),
would create a statewide pre
school system.
• The California Teachers Associ
ation and Rob Reiner are circu
lating a petition to put a univer
sal preschool plan on the No
vember ballot.
• The nonprofits Preschool Califor
nia and Children Now are host
ing discussions of preschool
plans around the state.
Meanwhile, people now provid
ing care and education for threeand four-year-olds are wondering
where they will fit in. “It’s going to
affect us,” says Tommie Hollis, of
the Kern Couniy African American
Child Care Association, “but we
don’t know in what ways.”
HIGH HOPES
“A lot of children will benefit” from
universal preschool says Gayle Kelley,
an Auburn family child care provider.
“Every child should have [quality
preschool], not just the affluent who can
afford to pay.”
In addition, “it’s an opportunity to
advance the entire child care and devel
opment field,” says California First Five
Executive Director Jane Henderson.
• Preschool professionals should be “edu
cated and compensated at levels compa
rable to teachers in California’s K-12
system,” says a statement by Preschool
California.
RICH RESOURCES
“We have a commitment to building
on the current child care providers,” says
Amy Dominguez Arms, acting president
of Children Now, “to utilize the rich
resources we already have. These are the
people interested and experienced in the
field.”
Who would be in charge?
The CTA initiative would provide funds for preschool to local school
districts. In the first five years, the districts could either create preschool
programs or contract with other providers. After that, all preschool staff
would be school district employees and no new contracts would be given.
AB 56 would provide funds to local school districts, and possibly other
local agencies, who would choose whether to provide the programs or
contract them out.
Los Angeles First Five will contract with providers to deliver the
preschool program.
“The teachers aren’t going to come
out of nowhere,” adds Gary Davis, a
Steinberg staffer working on AB 56.
“Thirty to 40 percent of the kids are in
programs now. There are a lot of good
programs out there.”
With many ideas being discussed and
no decisions yet made, current providers
are asking some tough questions:
WHO WILL MEET THE EDU
CATION REQUIREMENTS?
“The research shows that the better
educated the teachers are, the better the
program and the success of the chil
dren,” says Davis. Many preschool
advocates agree with Henderson that the
“ultimate goal is that preschool teachers
have a B.A.”
That worries Kelley, who has an asso
ciate’s degree and “thousands of hours”
of classes. “I’m 55 years old,” she says.
“I’ve worked hard to get where I am.
Where does that leave me?” Pollyanna
Ramos, a preschool teacher in Arcata,
fears a B.A. requirement would reduce
cultural and language diversity.
Preschool planners, though, say high
education requirements are necessary.
“It’s a system that will touch most chil
dren in California for generations to
come,” says Maryann O’Suffivan, exec
utive director of Preschool California.
She wants to help current providers meet
the requirements with “scholarships,
transportation, substitutes, classes at
continued on p. 5
Preescolar para todos: preguntas dave
e3pQñoI
Proveedores de educación y cuidado infantil muestran entusiasmo
ante las nuevas posibilidades y se pregunfan dónde encajarán
Por Jessine Foss y Jean Tepperman
magInese que todos los niños
tengan acceso a programas
preescolares gratuitos de alta
calidad que promovieran su desar
rollo. mental, social y fIsico y que los
prepararan para el éxito en Ia
escuela y en Ia vida.
Esto parecla un sueño distante
hace algunos años, pero varios
esfuerzos están promoviéndose en
California en Ia actualidad para
lograr que el preescolar esté
disponible para todos los ninos de
aquellos padres que asi lo deseen:
• El estado y las comisiones de
“Los Primeros Cinco” del condodo se encuentran desarrollando
proyectos universales de pre
escolar.
I
• Una actual propuesta de ley, AB
56 (Steinberg), crearIci un sis
tema preescolar estatal.
• La Asociación de Maestros de
California (CTA, segUn sus siglas
en ingles) y Rob Reiner estãn cir
culando una peticion pora poner
un plan preescolar universal en
Ia votación de noviembre.
• Las organizociones sin fines de
lucro Preschool California y
Children Now están organizando
discusiones sobre planes paro el
preescolar en todo el estado.
4 MARCH
-
APRIL 2004
Mientras tanto, Ia gente que en
Ia actualidad estã proporcionando
atención infantil y educación a
ninos de tres y cuatro oños se estã
preguntando qué luggr les corre
sponderá dentro de este plan. “[El
plan] va a afectarnos”, dice
Tommie Hollis, de Ia AsociaciOn
Afro-americana de Cuidado de
Niños del condado de Kern, “pero
no.sabemos de qué monera”.
GRANDES ESPERANZAS
“Muchos ninos van a beneficiarse”
del preescolar universal, dice Gayle
Kelley, una proveedora familiar de
cuidado de ninos en Auburn. “Cada niflo
debiera tener acceso [al preescolar de
calidad]; no solo quienes tienen dinero
para pagar”.
Además, es una oportunidad para
hacer avanzar todo el campo del cuidado
y el desarrollo infantiles”, dice la direc
tora de “Los Primeros Cinco” para Cali
fornia, Jane Henderson. Ls profesion
ales del sector preescolar habrian de ser
“instruidos y compensados a niveles
comparables al de los maestros en el sis
tema K-12”, reza una declaraciOn de
Preschool Catfomia.
RIQUEZA DE RECURSOS
“Tenemos un compromiso de basar
nuestros esfuerzos en los proveedores
actuales de cuidado infantil”, dice Amy
Domfnguez Arms, pre
sidenta interina de
Children Now, “para
utilizar la riqueza de
recursos que ya ten
emos. Se trata de per
sonas interesadas y ex
perimentadas en este
campo”.
“Los maestros no
van a salir de la nada”,
agrega Gary Davis,
quien trabaja con
Steinberg en Ia All 56.
“Entre un 30 y un 40
por ciento de los ninos
se encueniran actual
mente en programas
[de preescolar]. Hay muchos buenos pro
gramas por alil”.
Con muchas ideas en discusión pero
ninguna decision tomada, los provee
dores actuales están haciendo algunas
preguntas diffdiles:
ios
QUIEN SATISFARA
REQUISITOS EDUCATIVOS?
“La investigaciOn demuestra que
cuanto mejor educados están los mae
stros, mejor es el programa y el éxito de
los nifios”, dice Davis. Muchas personas
que abogan por el preescolar convienen
con Henderson “que la meta tiltima es
que los maeslros de preescolar tengan un
bachillerato de la universidad”.
Esto preocupa a Kelley, quién tiene un
tftulo de asociada y “miles de horas” de
clase. “Tengo 55 afios”, dice. “He traba
jado duro para conseguir ilegar donde
estoy. 4
?Dón& me dejarla eso”? Al mis
mo tiempo, Pollyanna Ramos—una ma
estra de preescolar en Arcata—teme que
el requeruniento de un bachillerato re
duzca la diversidad cultural y linguIstica.
Los planificadores de preescolar, sin
embargo, dicen que los requisitos de alta
educacidn son necesarios. “Se trata de
un sistema que afectará a la mayorIa de
los niños en California por genera
ciones”, dice Maryann OSullivan,
continuada en p. 5
\
continued from p. 4
night and in communities, courses
online—we have to be very creative.”
Some plans, such as AB 56, would
phase requirements in over five or 10
years. Still, says San Francisco Family
Child Care Association President Rosie
Kennedy, a four-year degree is “clearly
unobtainable for many providers.”
A future preschool system can
include teachers with an A.A. and early
childhood education credits, says Mich
ael Tmjillo, preschool spokesperson for
the CTA initiative, And since preschool
will probably be a half-day program, he
points out, providers would be needed
for “wraparound care” at other hours,
infantltoddler care, and private alterna
tives to public preschool.
confinuada de p. 4
directora ejecutiva de Preschool
Calfomia. O’Sullivan quiere ayudar a
los proveedores actuales a cumplir con
los requisitos necesarios mediante
“becas, tiinsporte, substituciones, clases
nocturnas en las diferentes comunidades
y cursos en linea. Tenemos que ser muy
creativos”.
Algutios planes—como por ejemplo
los de la AB 56—irlan poniendo los req
uisitos en vigor gradualmente a lo largo
de un perfodo de cinco o diez ailos. No
obstante, dice la presidenta de la
Asociación de Cuidado Familiar de
i.Quién estarla a cargo?
La iniciativa de CTA pro
veerla fondos para preescolar a
los distritos escolares locales.
Durante los primeros cinco
años, los distritos crearlan sus
propios programas preesco
lares o los contratarIan acudi
endo a otros proveedores. Des
pues de este perIodo, todo el
personal de preescolar habrIa
de estar formado por emplead
os del distrito escolar y no se
harlan nuevos contratos.
La AB 56 proveerla fondos a
los distritos escolares locales,
asi como posiblemente a otras
agencias también locales, los
cuales escogerlan entre proveer
los programas por su cuenta o
contrcitarlos en otro sitio.
“Los Primeros Cinco” de
Los Angeles contratará provee
dores para el servicio de pre
escolar.
WILL FAMILY CHILD
CARE PROVIDERS
PARTICI PATE?
In the L.A. First Five pre
school system, “if family child
care meets the standards and
follows the curriculum, they
would be able to provide this
program,” says First Five Pro
gram Officer Marci Arnovitz.
Family child care providers
say they give children a small,
warm environment that’s better
for some kids. Joann Shal
houb-Mejia of L.A.’s Hispanic
Child Care Association points
out that home-based providers
often “care for children and
prepare them for school in their
native language” and familiar
culture. Hollis adds that she
has “ongoing contact” with
families, so “they have another
grandma/aunt person interest
ed in that child.”
On the other hand,
Henderson argues, “Learning how to
operate in a group setting is what paretits
want and it’s key to K-12 success.”
Dolores Meade, deputy executive direc
tor of Options in L.A. County, agrees
that preschoolers “need to develop social
skills—raising your hand, waiting in
line. Part of the shock of kindergarten is
‘I’m part of a group of 20 and the teach
er isn’t responding to me right away.”
WILL THE CURRICULUM BE
APPROPRIATE?
All preschool planning aims for
“developmentally appropriate’.’ pro
grams. Still, some early care and educa
tion providers are “concerned that stan-
Nifios de San Francisco Rosie Kennedy,
un titulo de cuatro alios es “claramente
inalcanzable para muchos proveedores”.
Un posible sistema preescolar en el
futuro podrIa incluir maestros con un
titulo de A.A. y haber completado crédi
tos en educación de la primera infancia,
dice Michael Trujillo, portavoz para
preescolar de Ia miciativa de CTA. Y
puesto que el preescolar seria probable
mente un programa de medio dIa, pre
cisa, los proveedores serlan necesarios
para la atención a otras horas, asI como
para el cuidado de infantes y bebés y al
temativas privadas al preescolar piiblico.
,PARTICIPARAN LOS
PROVEEDORES FAMILIARES
DE CUIDADO DE NINOS?
En el sistema de preescolar de Los
Primeros Cinco de Los Angeles, “si el
cuidado familiar de nifios cumple con
los estándares y sigue el plan de estu
dios, podrIa proporcionar el servicio”,
dice la funcionaria del programa “Los
Primeros Cinco” Marci Arnovitz.
Los proveedores familiares de cuida
do de niiIos afirman que ellos brindan a
los niflos un entorno cálido y más
pequeflo que es mejor para algunos
ninos. Joann Shalhoub-Mejia, de la
Asociación Hispana de Cuidado de
Niflos de Los Angeles, apunta que los
proveedores familiares que ofrecen el
servicio en su domicilio a menudo
“cuidan de los mfios y los preparan para
la escuela en su lengua nativa” y cultura
familiar. Hollis agregaque ella mantiene
“contacto continuo” con las familias, de
modo tal que éstas “tienen otra abuela/tIa
interesada en ese nifio”.
Por otra parte, afirma Henderson,
“aprender cómo funcionar en un entorno
de grupo es dave para el éxito de un pro
grama K-12”. Dolores Meade, directora
ejecutiva delegada de Options (“Opcion
dardized testing will trickle down,” says
Ramos. That could “turn kids off and
make school intimidating.”
“If a child didn’t know their ABCs at
three,” Shaihoub-Mejia worries, “would
we be labeling the child as delayed?”
WILL CURRENT CAREGIVERS HAVE INPUT?
Early childhood professionals have
many more questions: How would a
half-day preschool program fit with
working parents’ need for child care?
Would a public preschool system
include the ethnic, language, and pro
gram diversity of current providers?
Would it do a good job of including chil
dren with special needs? How would
contracts with providers work? Would a
universal preschool system draw funds
away from health, family support, and
infant/toddler care programs?
“One thing that needs to happen,”
says Stephanie Ratto, site supervisor in a
Contra Costa child care center, “is that
people working in the field right now
need to have their voices heard.” Both
the AB 56 effort and L.A. First Five have
included teachers and caregivers in plan
ning groups and public hearings. And the
discussions hosted by Preschool Califor
nia and Children Now, says O’Sullivan,
“include a lot of participation by
providers, parents, and the broader com
munity that will benefit from preschool.
Resources
• Preschool California:
510-271-0075,
www.preschoolcalifornia.org
• Children Now: 510-7632444, www.childrennow.org
• AB 56/Assemblymember
Darrell Steinberg:
916-319-2009
• California First Five:
916-323-0056
• Los Angeles First Five:
213-482-5902,
www.proplO.org
es”) en el condado de Los Angeles, con
cuerda con que los niños en edad
preescolar “necesitan desarrollar her
ramientas sociales tales como levantar la
mano o esperar en ifia. Parte del ‘shock’
del jardin de infancia es el sentir que
‘soy parte de un grupo de 2Oy Ia maes
tra no me está respondiendo al
instante”.
SERA APROPIADO EL PLAN
DE ESTUDIOS?
Toda Ia planificación de preescolar
tiene como objetivo la creación de
planes “apropiados para el grado de
desarrollo” del niño. Aim asf, a algunos
proveedores de cuidados infantiles y de
educación pam la primera infancia les
“preocupa que las pruebas estan
darizadas se cuelen [a nivel del pre-esco
lam”, dice Ramos. Esto podria “desa
lentar a los mfios y hacer que Ia escuela
los intimide”.
“Si el nifio no conoce su ‘ABC’ a los
tres años”, se pregunta Shaihoub-Mejia
con preocupación, j,”esto implicarla
determinar que el niflo es reirasado”?
cPODRAN DAR
SU OPINION LOS
PROVEEDORES ACTUALES?
Los profesionales de la primera infan
cia tienen muchas otras preguntas:
LCómo encajarla un programa preesco
lar de medio dIa con Ia necesidad de
cuidado infantil de los padres que traba
jan? El sistema preescolar pimblico,
LrncluirIa la diversidad étnica, linguIsti
ca y programática de los proveedores
actuales? d,SerIa bueno a la hora de
incluir niflos con necesidades espe
ciales? cCómo funcionarlan los con-
Troducción al castellano por
Lucrecia Miranda
tratos con los proveedores? El sistema
de preescolar universal, i,absorberIa fon
dos actualmente destinados a salud,
apoyo familiar y programas de atencidn
a bebés y primera infancia?
“Una cosa que tiene que ocunir”, dice
Stephanie Ratto, supervisora de local en
un centro de cuidado de nifios de Contra
Costa, “es que la gente trabajando en
este campo ahora mismo tiene que hacer
escuchar su voz”. Tanto los esfuerzos de
la AB 56 como el de “Los Primeros
Cinco” de Los Angeles han incluido a
maestros y proveedores en los grupos de
planificación y en las audiencias pimbli
cas. Asimismo, las discusiones Ilevadas
a cabo por Preschool California y
Children Now, dice O’Sullivan, “inclu
yen gran participación de pate de
proveedores, padres y la comumclad más
amplia a beneficiarse del preescolar”.
Recursos
• Preschool California:
510-271-0075,
www.preschoolcalifornia.org
• Children Now:
510-763-2444,
www.childrennow.org
• AB 56/Diputado Darrell
Steinberg: 916-319-2009
• “Los Primeros Cinco” de
California: 916-323-0056
• “Los Primeros Cinco” de Los
Angeles: 213-482-5902,
www.proplO.org
CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE 5
A week without TV?
April 19 through 25 is the 10th annual TV Turnoff Week.
Why should you participate? And how would your family survive?
By Julieta Santana
T
he national TV Turnoff Network urges fam
ilies to go without TV for a week each year.
Why? They say TV:
TV Turnoff Week
4
But how do parents busy with jobs
and housework break the TV habit?
And how can they deal with their
kids’ demands to turn the TV back
on?
Markets to kids. “I used to work for the
Power Rangers (cartoon program) in L.A. I saw
how television works firsthand,” says Kim Jaffe,
mother of a one-year-old boy. “The only way
shows can pay for themselves is by advertising.
So they tell children to buy, buy, buy.” Thirteen
billion a year is spent on marketing—mostly TV—
to children (2-14), who in turn influence the pur
chases of $500 billion a year, says the American
Academy of Pediatrics.
Barbara Brock, a mother in Wash
ington, is working on a book called
No TV?No Big Deal, to be published
next yeat She recalls one mother
who wanted to participate in TVTurnoff Week, but worried that not
having TV would lead her children to
boredom, fighting, and mischief.
Struggling after divorce with the new
role of single mother, she prepared
for the worst. But during the week,
she reported, her children drew,
played outside, and read. They got
along better and helped out more.
Models violence. A Pennsylvania State
Universily study of about 100 preschoolers found
that children who watched violent cartoon shows
were more likely to strike out at playmates,
argue, and disobey authori1ç and were less will
ing to wait than other children. “The violence is
replicated the next day in the playground,” says
mother and writer Ellen Augustine Schwartz.
TV time limits
Contributes to obesity. Using information
from a national health survey, public health
experts found that kids who watched more TV
were more likely to be overweight—and to con
sume more calories. TV sells kids sweets and fatty
foods and keeps them sitting very still. “You can
only burn less calories by sleeping,” says Karen
Lewis, program director for the TV Turnoff
Network in D.C. “You just have to be around a
child to know sitting around is not what their
bodies are supposed to be doing,” notes Anne
Eyle, a Southern California mother. “If the TV is
off, they are moving around everywhere.”
Interferes with literacy. TV “actually
undermines reading,” adds Lewis. “While read
ing is active and requires practice, TV is passive
and offers instant gratification.”
Debal Acquaro of Encinitas, Calif., has her television
in the back of the house: “It reduces temptation.” But
she also sets strict limits on TV time. She allows her
seven-year-old daughter and two-and-a-half-year-old
son to watch TV after Sunday morning breakfast, but
always warns them that “after a certain time or program,
the television gets turned off.”
Brock advises parents to set limits and stick to them.
“Kids have an idea of what they can do [instead of
watching TV],” she says. “If you can handle 20 minutes
of whining, they’ll find something to do.” Adds Jaffe,
“We have to be stubborn!”
if your children can’t think of anything to do, here
are a few suggestions:
Physical play
Undermines family time. According to
“Kids need to be active,” says Jaffe. “For kids under
seven, much of what they learn is by manipulating their
body. Kids should not be hyper and wigging out in
school because they spend too much time sitting watch
ing a TV.”
A.C. Nielson Co., the average American watches
three hours and 46 minutes of television per day.
That’s time they’re not spending talking or doing
things with their families.
L
r.
4’
Fo eur
.
a—..
Sharing jobs
When you’re making dinner, “make a game of help
ing with preparation,” Schwartz suggests. Maxine
Garcia says her four-year-old “always helps prepare the
vegetables, spin the salad, or load or unload the dish
washer” while she is busy in the kitchen.
Art supplies
Schwartz also suggests collecting a box full of mag
azine pages, lost or odd jewelry, lace, twigs, stones,
leaves; any small object with color and texture. Then
kids have a ready-made box of materials for art projects.
Play dough is a favorite for keeping kids busy. if
they’re old enough, they can make it themselves (mix
one cup salt with four cups flour then add 1½ cups
warm water). After their creations are made and paint
ed, you can harden them by baking at 325 degrees.
Reading and writing
While you’re busy, Schwartz suggests, you can
“have your children design and write a card or letter to
a family member or friend. You can offer to help with
spelling or topic suggestions [such as], ‘Wouldn’t your
grandma like to hear about when you...’ if children are
older than seven, encourage them to read or write a
story.”
Kids can be physically active even indoors. “Hold a
dance contest. Have each family member pick a favorite
tune to jam to. Or take turns inventing new dances,”
writes Libby Snyder for the Chicago
Children’s Museum. Some simple
props—a punching bag, a hula hoop,
a tumbling mat—encourage kids to
get moving.
Her family lived without a television for a year and a
half, Schwartz says. “Instead my husband read a chap
ter of The Hobbit aloud after dinner every night. The
kids really looked forward to it.”
Pretend play
There are even books that encourage kids to declare
independence from TV (see p. 12).
“My children love to role play,”
says Eyle. “My daughter has a little
kitchen set and yesterday she was the
chef and my son was the customer.
They have so much imagination.
They don’t need much, maybe just
pieces of clothing, to pretend they are
someone else, somewhere else.” Or
kids can build an indoor fort using
chairs, blankets, boxes, and other
materials—as long as they put every
thing away afterwards.
Friends!
When you invite other children to come over, the
kids keep each other busy. And their play also helps
them develop social skills. “Childhood is about devel
oping a physical, psychological, and spiritual relation
ship with the world,” says Elizabeth Thoman of Los
Angeles Center for Media Literacy. “Children can’t
have such a relationship with the TV:”
Resources
• TV-Turnoff Network,
202-333-9220,
www.tv-turnoff.org
• Taking Charge of Your TV
• A Critical Guide for Children and Parents
www.ciconline.org/Enrichment/MediaLiteracy/
TakingCharge/ParentsGuide/default.htm
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APRIL 2004
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“My future
is a
ter
..:
1
brigh
little ’
Tax assistance programs boost family incomes
By Melia Franklin
errilynn Kopitar didn’t owe any taxes for 2002—or for the previous Iwo
years. “I knew I didn’t have to pay, so I didn’t file taxes,” says Kopitar,
a mother-of four in Boy Point, a working-class communiiy in Contra
Costa County. As a former CaIWORKs participant turned student, she
worked part time, and her income was too low to owe.
But with free tax assistance from the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
(VITA) program at Bay Point Family Service Center, a family resource center,
Kopitar received an unexpected $6,600 boost: taxrefunds for the past three
years.
Kopitar says she “had no idea” that, as a low-income wage-earner (less
than $34,692 a year) supporting one child (the others are grown), she qual
ified for a $2,547 federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refund and more
in child tax credits.
She admits it was “hard not to go out and spend it right away—I wanted
to just go shopping!” Instead, she used part of the refund to pay off $2,600
in student loans. “That was a huge ton of bricks lifted off my shoulders.” Her
next step is “getting my transmission fixed on my car—I’ve been borrowing
my father’s car.” With the tax credit money, says Kopitar, “I’ll be a lot more
independent and I’m not in debt so much. My future is a little brighter.”
T
Family Support Works! is a 6-part series supported by the Evelyn
and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and the VS.H. Cowell Foundation.
For more information contact Melia Franklin, 51O444.7136,
aacmelia(?4children.org
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“If you have any earnings, you may not owe, but you
can get money back from the government.”
—Nina Goldman,
Contra Costa County Service Integration Manager
Families: A boost out of poverty
-
An increasing number of family resource centers (FRCs) like Bay Point have been
hosting VITA programs as part of a national strategy to help boost low-income fami
lies out of poverty through the EITC—”one of the most effective antipoverty programs
available,” according to Nina Goldman, service integration manager for Contra Costa
County.
Unfortunately, 10 to 15 percent of eligible families dofl’t. claim the E1TC—lilce
Kopitar, they don’t know about it. In Contra Costa County, some $8 million in tax
credits go unclaimed each year.
“There is this huge pot of money that poor people are entitled to”—up to $4,204 for
a manied couple with two or more children, says Goldman, who oversees Bay Point
Family Service Center and North Richmond/San Pablo FRC. The message is simple:
“If you have any earnings, you may not owe, but you can get money back from the
government.”
Last year, in a pilot program with 25 families, Bay Point and North Richmond FRCs
brought families $47,000 in tax refunds, an average of $2,000 per family. This year,
Contra Costa County hopes to reach 735 families and bring in $1 million, with help
from a countywide partnership and the United Way of the Bay Area’s new Earn It!
Keep It! $ave It! campaign. (See p. 16 for more on tax credits.)
V
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FRCs: Building relationships
V
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Many FRCs, like Bay Point, see the VITA program as “a step toward financial lit
eracy. It’s an opportunity to talk about asset-building, bank accounts, and free financial
planning classes,” says Goldman. Families feel comfortable going to the FRC for help,
says Kopitar, because “they know it’s a community-friendly place.”
The E1TC is “a tremendous draw in relationship-building for the other work we
want to do with families,” says Stewart Wakeling, executive director of Community
Partnership for Families in San Joaquin County. Last year the partnership ran a pilot
ViTA program that brought 400 families about $1,000 each in refunds.
When families come in for the tax assistance, Wakeling says, “we use the opportu
nity to help them establish a conventional banking relationship,” freeing them from
costly check-cashing services and money orders. Then, “in a relational way, over
time,” the FRC may offer families help in going over their bills and cutting unneces
sary. costs. “We try not to be judgmental,” Wakeling says, “or they’ll never come
back.”
“In general, FRCs underestimate the importance of improving families’ fmancial
situations,” Wakeling adds. “Re-search shows that as a family’s financial position
improves, the well-being of the children improves.”
For Kopitar, filing her taxes “helped get me back in the loop.” She has a bank
account now, and this year, she’ll be a volunteer tax preparer at Bay Point. “I’m look
ing forward to doing the same thing for another family,” she says.
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VITA
BASICS
VITA provides free, IRS-certified tax assistance at community and gov
ernment sites. Call the IRS at 1 -800-TAX-i 040 for a site near you.
The IRS provides free training and certification to VITA volunteer tax pre
parers, as well as computers and software for instant “e-flhing.”
Volunteer tax preparers are certified by the IRS after 12 hours of
classes. “Anybody who knows how to use a computer and is eager to learn
can do it,” says Fremont volunteer Johnny Yee.
United Way of the Bay Area provides leadership, publicity, and some
financial support to VITA sites in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San
Francisco counties. www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org
10 MARCH
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AP.RIL 2004
Tips for success:
Running a VITA campaign is an “incredibly rewarding, wonderful initia
tive,” says Judy Schwartz, administrator of Fremont FRC, which ran 14 VITA
sites last year. But it’s also “a huge amount of work.” VITA veterans advise:
• Start small: “Get your feet wet” with a small-scale pilot before launching
a major campaign, says Goldman.
• Reach out early: “If you really want to get families out of the predatory
financial market, you have to get to them early,” says Wakeling. Otherwise
many will go to tax preparation services, which charge high fees and lure
clients into high-interest “refund anticipation loans.”
• Work with partners: Market the service through public and nonprofit
agencies, programs like CaIWORKs, community organizations and events.
• Hire a coordinator: Most VITA sites hire a part-time coordinator, October
through April, to recruit volunteers, work with the IRS, and coordinate com
muniiy outreach.
The research shows:
• Money matters! By the time they get to kindergarten, children in lowincome families lag behind other kids in academic, social, and physical
development (National Center for Children in Poverty).
• The EarnedV Income Tax Credit lifts more children out of poverty than any
other government program (Center for Budget and Policy Priorities).
• Programs that increased families’ economic resources by $1,200 to
$4,000 per year (over what they had been on welfare) had positive effects
on the development of children in the preschool and elementary school
years (Future of Families).
• After an experiment that increased poor families’ incomes by about
$4,400 a year for three years, children scored as well on school tests as
children from families with twice the income. Even small increases in family
resources led to improvements in young children’s ability to identify colors
and letters and to understand more words (Harvard Graduate School of
Education).
For details on sources, email aacjean(4children.org
WHAT IS AN
FRC?
The family resource center (FRC), part of an innovative strategy to pro
mote healthy families and communities, is a warm and welcoming com
munity hub that engages families in a variety of programs and activities
that build on their strengths and meet basic needs. FRCs respond to what
the community says it needs and often work in partnership with other com
munity agencies.
Kids and TV
BOOK BASKET
Books can help children take a step back from W—and
discover that real life is more fun
By Ben Peterson
,ç
tJ
T
elevision can inform, teach,
and entertain our children.
Unfortunately, it can also pre
vent them from playing outside,
using their imagination, learning to
read, and developing social skills.
The following children’s books poke
fun at our cultural obsession with TV
and celebrate the wonderful things
that can happen when we turn it off.
Mouse TV, stoiy and illustrations by
Mart Novak. The mouse family can
never agree about what to watch on TV
They argue about different shows and
wake the baby up during commercials.
One night when the television doesn’t
work, the mouse family decides to spend
their time actually doing the things they
usually watch. They explore, play games,
sing songs, perform çxpenments, make
scary faces, and finally listen to Dad read
a story. At the end of the evening they
agree that this is much better than televi
sion. This story shows young children
that participating in life can be more fun
than watching it on TV. Ages three to
six. (Orchard Books, 1994)
When the TV Broke, story by
Aunt Chip a
the Great
Triple Creek Dam Affair
PATRICIA POLACCO
Harriet Ziefert, illustrations by Mavis
Smith. Jeffrey watches TV every day of
the week. On Saturday, the TV breaks
and he is at a loss as to what to do. On
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
Jeffrey just sits around asking his moth
er whether the TV is fixed yet. Finally,
on Thursday, he helps his mother bake
cookies. On Friday, after reading a book,
he finds some boxes and begins to create
an imaginary city. When the TV returns,
Jeffery is having so much fun imagining,
he is too busy to watch it. This “easy-to
read” book may inspire children to get
“busy” themselves. Ages four to eight.
(Penguin Books, 1989)
The Wretched Stone, story and
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illustrations by Chris Van Allsburg.
Written as a captain’s log, this book
describes an ocean voyage. For the first
month, the captain is pleased with the
talented crew, who spend their spare
time reading, dancing, telling stores, and
playing music. Everything changes
when, on an uncharted island, they find
an interesting stone with a smooth glass
portion that emits a glowing light. The
crew takes the stone onboard and
becomes so fascinated by it that they
stop working, finally locking themselves
in the hold, staring at the stone. When
the captain breaks in, he is horrified to
see that the crew has turned into apes.
Soon after, a storm destroys the boat and
blackens the glowing rock. Slowly, as
the captain reads to the crew, they begin
to turn back into humans—but with a
taste for bananas. Children can discover
what the “stone” really is. Ages six to
nine. (Houghton Muffin Company,
1991)
V
PULCIFER
4.
l
Br
LORENCE PARRY HEIDE
(ILASSER
y
PCTUR&5
The Problem with Pulcifer, story
by Florence Parry Heide, illustrations by
Judy Glasser. In this humorous book,
Pulcifer is a boy who prefers to read
despite living in a TV-obsessed world.
His fondness for reading frustrates
everyone around him. At school, his
teacher shows the class television pro
grams and is disappointed that Pulcifer
makes no TV-watching progress. His
parents are worried about him. They set
a good example by always watching
television and owning the nicest TVs.
Even a psychiatrist can’t convert Pul
cifer to television. Finally everyone is
forced to accept that Plilcifer is just dif
ferent and love him anyway. The amus
ing story can lead to discussions about
what it would be like to live in Pulcifer’s
world. Ages seven to ten. (Harper
Collins, 1982)
Library Lii, story by Suzanne Wil
liams, illustrations by Steven Kellogg. In
this tall tale, a fantastically strong librar
ian named Lil works in a town with no
readers. When the television lines go
down one stormy night, she pushes a
bookmobile from house to house and
converts all of the TV addicts into avid
readers. In her new book-loving town,
Library Lil stays busy reading and loan
ing out books until Bust-’em-up Bill and
his motorcycle gang arrive. When they
can’t watch wresthng on television, they
decide to confront Lil. Using her
strength, she converts even them, and
soon she has a new assistant, Bookworm
Bill. Written by a librarian, this heroic
tale celebrates libraries, books, and read
ers. Ages four to eight. (Dial Books for
Young Readers, 1997)
Aunt Chip and the Great Triple
Creek Dam Affair, story and illustra
tions by Patricia Polacco. All the citizens
of Triple Creek love their TV sets (some
even keep photos of them on their man
tels). All, that is, except Aunt Chip, the
town’s old librarian, who took to her bed
over 50 years ago when the TV tower
was built, warning everyone that “there
will be consequences.” When Aunt Chip
realizes her nephew Eli doesn’t know
how to read and that books are being
used by the townspeople as chairs, as
tables, and even to build the Triple Creek
Dam, she teaches Eli and his classmates
to read. The consequences fmally do
occur when the children accidentally
destroy the dam, unleashing a flood that
knocks down the TV tower and sprays
the books up into the clouds. The towns
people are angry with the children for
destroying the TV tower until the books
“rain” down upon them. This “miracle”
inspires the townspeople to re-learn how
to read, rebuild the library, and rehire
Aunt Chip as the town librarian. The
book concludes with a note warning that
every time a library is closed, “there will
be consequences.” Ages four to eight.
(Philomel Books, 1996)
Fix-It, story and illustrations by
David McPhail. One morning, Emma
wakes up early to watch television, only
to find that it doesn’t work. While the
fix-it man works on the TV, Emma’s par
ents try to entertain her by blowing up
balloons, singing, and playing horse.
When they read her a book, she wants it
read again. Afterwards, she goes to her
room to read it to her doll. Even when
the television is fixed, Emma is too busy
reading her book to watch it. This is a
board book that very young children
could read to their dolls if they ever
wake up to no television. Ages two to
five. (Dutton Children’s Books, 1984)
The Best Way to Play, story by
Bifi Cosby, illustrations by Varnette P.
Honeywood. Little Bifi and his friend
Andrew love to watch Space Explorers
with Space Captain Zeke. When the
show is not on, they join their friends in
the yard and pretend to be space explor
ers. One day, while watching the show,
they see an advertisement for the new
Space Explorers’ video game. When one
child convinces his parents to buy it for
him, Little Bill and his friends go over to
that kid’s house. They spend the after
noon playing the video game but soon
get bored, realizing that is more fun to
pretend to be space explorers with each
other than to sit around playing a video
game. This book doesn’t criticize TV,
but shows how it can be a springboard
for more creative play. Ages four to
eight. (Scholastic, Inc., 1997)
More ideas
An Dlinois organization, the Winnet
ka Alliance for Early Childhood, sug
gests the following books for TVTurnoff Week (see p. 8-9).
For preschool and beginning readers:
a Berenstain Bears: Too Much TV by
Stan and Jan Berenstain
For grades 2-3:
• The Magic Box, by Barbara Brenner
a The Day Our TV Broke Down, by
Betty Ren Wright
• The Boy with Square Eyes—A Tale
of Televisionitis, by Juliet and
Charles Snape
For grades 3-5:
• The Week Mom Unplugged the TVs,
by Terry Wolfe Phelan
• The Boy Who Turned into a TV Set,
by Stephan Manes
Peaceful partnership
A community-wide collaborative in Salinas struggles to continue
violence prevention programs in hard times
By Meg Hamill
hen her son Rolando was
four months old, Salinas
mom Perla Rea noticed
thcit he was often irritable and not
gaining enough weight. She sought
help from the local Parents as Tea
chers (PAT) organization, a national
parent education program. In the
three years since, Rea and her hus
band have been receiving bi
monthly visits from PAT social work
er Mayola Rodriguez.
Because of her own health prob
lems, Rea couldn’t breasifeed—the
best nutrition for infants—and didn’t
eat much herself. So Rodriguez
helped Rea set up a table stocked
with healthy snacks so Rolarido had
easy access to food.
Rodriguez also talked with Rea
about the importance of social
interaction as Rolando’s brain
developed, so Rea began inviting
neighbors with kids to come over.
Sometimes the moms sat in on Rod
riguez’s visits, while Rolando and
the other kids learned to share and
get along. With Rodriguez’s encour
agement, Rea’s family has also cut
down on TV and made room for
children’s music and books.
Now Rolando’s earlier temper
tantrums have been replaced with
new skills. “Now that he has started
spending time with other kids, he
talks a lot more,” says Rea. “He
used to grab things and say, ‘This is
mine.’ Sometimes when he got
frustrated he would hit me. Now he
knows how to share and he doesn’t
get frustrated that often.”
W
Community-wide effort
Parents as Teachers is part of a com
munity-wide program launched in Sali
nas four years ago, aiming to prevent
violence by providing care and services
to children from birth to 18. The federal
Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative
funded the effort for three years. Now
community and business leaders are
scrambling to find funds to continue the
programs.
A local nonprofit, Partners for Peace,
has worked to continue collaborative
efforts and bring new grants, while local
governments funds are keeping some
programs alive. But “around the time
local organizations were trying to pick
up the cost,” says Anna Caballero,
mayor of Salinas and director of Partners
for Peace, “the state decided to balance
its budget on the backs of the cities and
counties,” by cutting vehicle license fees
that provided needed funds.
Focus on prevention
The Safe Schools/Healthy Students
Initiative is based on a growing recogni
tion that school violence is not an isolat
ed problem, but a public health issue
affecting entire communities—and heal
thy child development is key.
Four years ago Attorney General Bill
Lockyer launched his Safe from the Start
initiative, highlighting the importance of
programs for children in preventing vio
lence. Prevention Institute, which helped
Partners for Peace map its strategy, pub
lished First Steps: Taking Action Early to
Prevent Violence, summarizing research
on the link between healthy child devel
opment and violence prevention.
The Salinas Safe Schools/Healthy
Students Initiative brought together pro
grams including:
• Parents as Teachers, a child de
velopment and parenting program
that provides home visits to parents of
children from birth to five
• The Buddies/Amiguitos program,
which helps children reduce behavior
problems and do better in the first
years of school by allowing them to
play in a supportive environment with
trained staff
• Law enforcement officers placed
in some middle and high schools to
deal with issues such as truancy and
bullying before they escalate
• Counselors at each middle and high
school, working one-on-one with
high-risk students
• After-school programs, jointly
designed by librarians and collabora
tive leaders
• A Policy Makers’ Advisory Corn
mittee, working to fmd sustainable
funding for this effort.
Parents As Teachers
In bi-monthly home visits, Parents as
Teachers social workers teach parents
what to expect from their children at dif
ferent stages of development. “Child
abuse often happens because parents
have unrealistic expectations,” says Ca
rol Singley, parent education coordinator
at Salinas Adult School. “They think
their child should be able to do some
thing that he/she is developmentally
incapable of.”
Parents as Teachers also teaches par
ents how to prepare their kids for school
and connects non-literate parents with
adult literacy programs. National studies
have shown that children whose parents
participated in PAT do better in language,
problem-solving, and social develop
ment. When they get to school, they
score higher on achievement tests, and
their parents participate more in their
education.
Mom Luz Elena Garcia talks with Parents as Teachers social worker Mayola Rodriguez.
Buddies/Amiguitos
Two years ago, as a second grader in
Jaime Pastoriza’s classroom at the Alisal
Community School, Santa Diaz (not her
real name) was painfully shy and having
a hard time making friends.
Then she started getting together once
a week with a trained paraprofessional
for a half-hour of play in the Buddies/
Amiguitos program, another part of the
violence, prevention initiative. In five
Salinas schools, the program worked
with at-risk primary grade students to
help them overcome early challenges so
they could succeed in school.
Sometimes kids in the program
played with the adult, says school psy
chologist Hank Phelps, but often “chil
dren would come into a room filled with
games and play by themselves. Play
helps children to reduce the stress of a
difficult daily situation.”
After two years in the program,
Pastoriza says, Santa “seems more
whole. She’s friendly. She plays teth
erball with kids on the playground and
she can look people in the eye.”
In teacher evaluations of students par
ticipating in the program, Phelps says,
‘children showed social and academic
improvement. “Teachers would say
things like: ‘He never used to talk and
now he raises his hand all the time.’ Or
‘she used to miss a lot of school and now
she’s here every single day.”
Public Policy
To sustain these programs in the long
run, says Ken Feske, pastor of the First
Baptist Church in Salinas and director of
the local initiative, “it’s important to
realize that if we put resources in the
front end to create an effective violence
prevention program, ultimately it will be
more cost-effective for the entire com
munity.”
The initiative’s Policy Makers Ad
visory Council (PMAC) educates school
and local government officials and busi
ness leaders about the importance of pre
vention. “The biggest challenge,” Caba
llero says, “was that everybody came to
the table with different information and
interests. The first task was bringing us
all together on the same page.”
But eventually the policy makers
developed a list of violence prevention
principles to work for in their own orga
rnzations, including:
• community commitment to foster
children’s mental health
• investment in prevention-based pro
grams
• priority to programs with specific,
measurable outcomes
• a focus on student attendance and
graduation.
Then the federal grant ended, and
state funds were slashed. But the policy
makers are still meeting and looking for
ways to support violence prevention pro
grams. ‘We need to come up with a rev
enue source that’s more Stable,”
Caballero says—a sales or hotel tax or a
guaranteed percentage of the budget.
Partners for Peace is getting ready to
build community support by launching a
major public-education project to “sell
prevention to the community,” Caballero
says. “Now when there’s violence, peo
ple say ‘we want more police officers.”
The project, she says, will try to con
vince them that early childhood and
after-school programs are more effective
in the long run.
Meanwhile, though, public officials
like Caballero have been “forced to slash
our budgets,” she says. “It’s unbeliev
able. We all agreed on how important it
was to fund this program, but now no
one has any money to do it.”
For more information:
• Partners for Peace,
831-751-7310,
www. partners-for-peace.org
• Prevention Institute,
510-444-7738,
www.preventioninstitute.org
• Cultivating Peace in Salinas:
A Framework for Violence
Prevention
• First Steps: Taking Action Early
To Prevent Violence
CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE 13
CHILDREN’S ADVDGATES RDLINDTABLE
Proposed budget would cut programs for
children and families
W
hen Governor Schwarzenegger
drew up his 2004-05 budget, he was
counting on the voters to approve a $15 bil
lion bond measure March 2. In addition, he
called for cutting services, shifting funds
from some accounts to others, borrowing
more, and increasing some fees—but no
new taxes. About one-fifth of the cuts
would be to public schools and another
one-fifth to health and human services.
Some Democrats in the legislature sup
ported the bond measure, but they want to
avoid some of the program cuts by
increasing taxes on the highest incomes,
cutting some corporate tax loopholes, and
adopting other revenue measures.
As budget hearings begin at the
Capitol, members of the Children’s
Advocates Roundtable are rallying their
forces to oppose cuts in programs for chil
dren and families.
The governor’s proposed budget
includes cuts to:
Child care
I Reduce funds for all child care pro
grams
I Eliminate “Stage 3” child care subsi
dies for parents who have left welfare.
Families would be guaranteed just
three years of subsidized care after
cash aid ends. Families now in the pro
gram would receive an extra year.
I Require more families to pay fees for
partly subsidized child care
I Lower the income “ceiling” for child
care subsidies in lower-cost counties
I Eliminate child care for 13-year-olds
and provide care for kids 11 and 12
only when before- and after-school
programs are not available
• Lower payment to child care providers
with less training, to create a “tiered”
system of reimbursement
I Require child care providers and others
licensed by the state to pay• higher
licensing fees
I Provide 1.8% cost of living increase
for child care providers.
Info: Calfomia Child Care Resource and
Referral Network, 415-882-0234; Labor
Project for Working Families, 510-6425498
Health
• Freeze enrollment in some health pro
grams, including Healthy Families and
Medi-Cal services for legal immigrants
• Reduce Medi-Cal provider rates by an
additional 10 percent—although a fed
eral court blocked an earlier 5 percent
reduction
1 Begin long-range plans to “redesign”
Medi-Cal
Info: Health Access, 916-442-2308;
100% Campaign, 510-663-1294
CaIWORKs
• Decrease cash grants by 5% starting
April 2004—from $704 to $669 a
month for a family of three in high-cost
counties, from $671 to $637 in lowcost counties
• Take back cost-of-living increases
passed last year and provide none this
year
• Require Ca1WORKs participants to put
in at least 20 hours a week at work or
work-related activities, like job train
ing, within two months of starting to
receive welfare
• Reduce child-only cash grants by 25
percent for families that break
Ca1WOREs rules or reach the fiveyear lifetime limit.
Info: Ca4fornia Partnership, 562-8622070 ext. 304 or 415-572-1445
Social services
• Eliminate the new program of transi
tional food stamps program for former
Ca1WORKs recipients
• Repeal last year’s food stamp reforms,
which allowed families receiving food
stamps to own one working car and
allowed counties to sign people up for
food stamps without making them
come into the office in person.
• Suspend state and federal cost of living
increases for SSIJSSP grants
• Implement foster care reforms, to be
detailed in the May Revise.
Info: Ca4fornia Food Policy Advocates,
415-777-4422; Roundtable Foster Care
Committee, [email protected]
V
Action Alliance for Children
Publications
-
Children’s Advocate, IIm
ADy()
a bimonthly newsmagazine,
provides in-depth coverage of issues
affecting children and families,
including child care, health, educa
tion, child welfare, poverty, violenceprevention, and more.
With February 29 as the deadline for filing bills in the legislature, Children’s
Advocates Roundtable members have been choosing priorities for the year. Here are
some highlights.
Hunger and nutrition goals include: Supporting an end to California’s fin
gerprint requirement for all adults in households that receive food stamps.
Supporting a requirement that all California’s public school serve brealcfast.
Supporting proposals to end the lifetime ban on food stamps for some people with
a past drug felony conviction: Opposing efforts to repeal last year’s AB 231, which
allows food stamp recipients to own one reliable car and allows counties to sign
people up for food stamps without making them appear in person. Opposing moves
to eliminate “transitional” food stamps for families leaving welfare.
.
...
.
-
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.
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•
fl&V,4IYI,,V4V4,
- ThL•nNMO_rtI_HaIr,
‘1”kt
Communities
Committed to Children,
a 16-page special report, shows how
five distinct California communities built
collaboration and mobilized people
power to improve conditions for
children and families.
[V
V
On the agenda
.
Sources: 100% Campaign, Calfornia
Schools
Budget Project, Child Development
• Fund Prop 98 at $2 billion below full
Policy Institute, Latino Coalition for a
funding, increasing per-pupil spending
Healthy California
by only $5 to $6,945
I Defer some spending until 2005-06
and shift property tax revenue from
local governments to schools
• Reduce the number of
special state-funded pro
IN THE BAY AREA
grams and give more of
the state money to local
districts’ regular budgets
• Reduce the inequalities
flN
in the amount of state
The radio talk show for parents and others
funds that go to local
who care for kids
school districts
Sundays 9 to 10 am
981 KISS-FM
I Fully fund state deferredmaintenance program.
Call toll free: 877-372-KIDS
Listen to all previous shows on our website
Info: Ca4fornia PTA, 213www.childhoodmatters.org
620-1100
Pathways to Parent Leadership,
a 48-page special report in Spanish
and English, highlights nine successful
programs that help parents become
leaders in their children’s lives,
schools, and communities.
V.
.
Info: George Menalo-LeClai, Calfomia Food Policy Advocates, .415-777V
4422, Co4foi-niaMsociation of Food Banks, 916-321-4435
Foster care goals include: Supporting cooperation between the juvenile justice
and child welfare systems to.support kids. Supporting improvements to special edu
cation for foster kids. Funding programs that support teen parents in foster care..
Supporting flexibility in allowing child welfare agencies to approve some relative
caregivers as foster parents despite past ci:iminal records.
Infb:.Children’i Advocacy Institute; 916-444-3875
Environmental health goals Include: Support for AB 1006 (Chu), which
would ban the most toxic pesticides from California schools.
You may order any of our publications online at www.tchildin.orgIsubscribe.htm
CA residents add 8% sales tax.
Children’s Advocate:
LI $12 first-time,
one year rate
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LI $34 for two years
NAME
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Bulk Orders (6 issues/year):
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CITY
STATE
ZIP
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Info: Healthy School Campaign, 415-863-8934, ext.109
Early Care and Education goals Include: Support for comprehensive planning
for infant/toddler child à.as part of the system of early childhood education.
Info: Child Care Laivente, 415-394-7144
Special Reports:
LI Communites Committed
To Children
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CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE 15
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CHILDREN’S ADVOCATES RDUNDTABLE
More money for
working families
-
orking families may be able to get thousands of dollars back in tax credits:
-
Up to $4204 from the federal Earned Income Tax Credit
You get this credit even if you don’t owe any taxes. You may qualify if you are sup
porting at least one child and your income is under the limit, which varies by family sizefor example, $33,692 for a single parent with two or more children.
Up to $2100 from the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
Up to $1,000 per child from the federal Child Tax Credit
You may be able to get some or all this credit if you made at least $10,500 but less than
$94,000 (single) or $129,000 (marned couple) in 2003 and you are supporting a child
who’s under 17.
Up to $1,050 from the California Child and Dependent Care Expenses Credit
You may be able to get some or all of this credit even if you don’t owe taxes. You may
qualify if you make less than $100,000 (single or marned couple) and you paid for care
for a child under 15 so you could work or look for work.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) prbgrams provide IRS-trained and -certified
volunteers to help you fill out your tax fonns (see p. 10 and 11).
To locate the nearest VITA center, call 800-852-5711 or visit
www.ftb.ca.gov/individuals/vita tce/index.asp
For more info or outreach materials, contact
• National Women’s Law Center, 202-588-5180;
www.nwlc.orgldetails.cfm?id=1742&section=tax
• California Child Care Resource and Refeffal Network, 415-882-0234;
http:llrrnetwork.org/rrnetlresources and linkslTaxCredit.php
• Earn it! Keep it! $ave it!, sponsored by the United Way of the Bay Area, 415-8084300; www.uwba.orgfac17bacf eitc.htm
espqñoi
C
omo parte de nuestro proyecto de un alio pam ofrecer servicios de comurncación
para los centros de recursos para la familia (financiado por las fundaciones Evelyn
and Walter Haas Jr. y S.H.Cowell), nuestras páginas de la Mesa Redonda destacan a con
tinuación una serie de temas relevantes dentro del timbito de Ia Legislatura de especial
interés para el area de la ayuda familiar.
• El esfuerzo actual de California para
transformar su sistema páblico de
bienestar infantil presenta una serie de
nuevas y beneficiosas oportunidades
pam el area de la ayuda familiar, habi
da cuenta de que destinarla más recurSOS para la prevencion, apoyo a las
familias—de modo tal que dstas no
deban renunciar a sus niflos—y a
padres adoptivos en el regimen defos
ter care. El asociarse con organiza
ciones comunitarias será una estrategia
central; asI pues, las agencias con base
en la comurndad podran contribuir en
el rediseño de los planes de sus respec
tivos condados. Once condados
(Contra Costa, Glenn, Humboldt, Los
Angeles, Placer, Sacramento, San Luis
Obispo, San Mateo, Stanislaus,
Tehama y Trinity) habrIan de poner en
vigor sus planes dentro del plazo de
cinco aiios, mienJras que otros ocho
(Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Del
None, Plumas, Siskiyou; Tuolomne y
Yuba) pondrán algunos de los aspectos
de sus respectivos planes en ejecución.
Póngase en contacto con el departa
mento de bienestar infantil de su con
dado y participe!
• Prevent Child Abuse California (ima
organización para prevenir el maltrato
de ninos en California) ha estado
apoyando varias propuestas de ley pars
proporcionar més apoyo a los nifios en
hogares con violencia doméstica.
Asimismo, ha estado procurando
apoyo para el programa federal de sub
venciones para servicios sociales. Para
obtener más informacidn flame al 916498-8481, o dirIjase a la página web
www.pca-ca.org
• Californians for Family Economic Self
Sufficiency (Californianos por la Auto-
L
as familias Irabajadoras pueden recibir miles de dólares en concepto de créditos
impositivos:
Hasta $4204 a traves del Crédito por Ingresos del Trabaio (en ingles conocido como
EITC, iniciales de Earned Income Tax Credit)
Usted tiene derecho a este crédito aim cuando no deba impuestos. Puede ser elegible
si está dando manutencidn por lo menos a un niño y sus ingresos están por debajo del
lImite establecido por la ley, el cual varla segdn el tamaflo de la famili por ejemplo, pam
un padre o una madre sola con dos o más nliios, el lImite de ingresos es de $33.692.
,
This is only a refund, so it can reduce your taxes but won’t be paid to you in cash. You
may qualify if you paid for care for a child or dependent family member so you could
work or look for work.
Rincón de ayuda familiar
Más dinero parci
las familias trabajódoras
Suficiencia Econdmica de Ia Fami]ia)
se encuentra apoyando usa propuesta
de ley para suspender los tiempos
IImite de CaIWORKs para padres
asistiendo a programas en colegios
comunitarios, cuando mediante dicho
programa éstos tengan más probabili
dades de conseguir un empleo que
pague lo suficiente como para poder
mantener a su farnilia. Este grupo
cuenta con us listserv con cantidad de
información para promover el suceso
económico de Ia familia. Para obtener
mis información, envIe us e-mail a:
[email protected]
• La organización California Primary
Care Association (Asociación de
California para Ia Atención Primaria)
envIa alertas legislativos de interés a
proveedores de salud de la red de aten
ción básica. Para mis información:
916-440-8170, www.cpca.org
Hasta $2100 a través del Crédito Federal por Cuidado de Niños o Familiares a Cargo
Este crédito es apenas un reembolso; asI, puede reducir el monto de sus impuestos pero
no recibirá compensación en efectivo. Puede ser elegible Si usted ha pagado por la atención
de un nifio o familiar dependiente con el objeto de poder trabajar o salir a buscar trabajo.
Hasta $1 .000 por hilo a través del Credito Federal por [manutencion del Hijos a
Cargo
Puede tener derecho a este crédito (en todo o en parte) si en el alto 2003 usted ha gana
do por encima de $10.500 pero por debajo de $94.000 (para los solteros) 6 $129.000 (por
pareja) y se encuentia a cargo de la manutención de un hijo/a de menos de 17 años.
Hasta $1 .050 a través del Crédito por Gastos de Cuidado de Niños o Familiares a
Cargo (del estado de California)
Puede tener derecho a este crédito, en todo o en parte, aun cuando no deba impuestos.
Puede ser elegible si sus ingresos están por debajo de $ 100.000 (para solteros o casados)
y ha pagado por el cuidado de un rnlto de menos de 15 altos para que usted pueda salir a
trabajar o a buscar trabajo.
Los Programas Voluntarios de Asistencia Impositiva (VITA, segimn sus iniciales en
inglés), ponen a su disposición personal voluntario certificado per el IRS para ayudarle a
completar sus formularios para la declaración de isnpuestos (véase pág. by 11).
Para localizar el centro de VITA mis cercano asu domicilio ilame al 800-852-5711 o
visite la página web: www.ftb.ca.gov/individuals/vita tcelindex.asp
Para acceder a más información o a matenales de promoción contacte:
• National Women ‘s Lmv Center (Centro Nacional sobre Legislación de la Mujer), telé
fono 202-588-5180; www.nwlc.orgfdetails.€fm?id=1742&section=tax
• Cal jfornia Child Care Resource and Referral Network (Red de Referencia y
Recursos sobre el Cuidado de Nifios de California), teléfono 415-882-0234;
http:llmietwork.orJmietJresources and linksiTaxCredit.php
• &rnz it! Keep it! $ave it! (Gánelo, Guárdelo, Ahórrelo!), patrocinado per la
organización United Way of the Bay
Traduccion al castellano por
Area, 415-808-4300;
Lucrecia Miranda
www.uwba.org/bacf/bacf eitc.htm
Family support corner
A
s part of our year-long communications project for family resource centers, funded
by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. and S.H.Cowell foundations, our Roundtable
pages wifi highlight Sacramento happenings of special interest to the family support field.
• California’s current effort to transform
the child welfare system presents
tremendous new opportunities for fam
ily support, because it wifi shift
resources to prevention, to support for
families so kids don’t have to
• Prevent Child Abuse California has
been supporting several bills to provide
more support to children in homes with
domestic violence and also rallying
support for the federal Social Services
Block Grant program. For info: 916498-848 1, www.pca-ca.org
• Californians for Family Economic SelfSufficiency is supporting a bifi to sus
pend Ca1WORKs time limits for par
ents enrolled in community college
programs likely to lead to a job that
pays enough to support a family. This
group also has a listserv with a wealth
of information on promoting family
economic success. For info: email
[email protected]
Care
Primary
California
• The
Association sends legislative alerts of
interest to safety-net health care
providers. For info: 916-440-8170,
www.cpca.org