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Arizona Ranks 39th For Kids
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(July 27, 2010) Today Children’s Action Alliance released the 2010 national KIDS COUNT Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This annual report compares and ranks states on 10 indicators of child well-being. Arizona ranks 39 this year, up from 40 last year. This year’s report is based on data from 2007 and 2008, so it does not yet reflect the impact of the recession and state and local budget cuts. Arizona has seen improvement in a number of indicators since 2000. But we are still below the U.S. average in 9 out of 10 indicators and we rank in the bottom 10 states on 4 indicators. To see how Arizona ranks in the rest of the indicators, click here. If you would like to learn more about even more indicators, click the image below and you'll be taken to the KIDS COUNT Data Center.
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New Fact Sheet on AZ Tax Ranking
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(July 22, 2010) Based on data recently released by the US Census Bureau, Arizona ranks 36th for local and state taxes and fees per $100 of personal income. This has not always been the case – 20 years ago we ranked 9th highest. Read about how we compare to other states by each tax type and how our tax rates have changed since 1990 in the new fact sheet Tax Rankings.
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2010 Elections Page
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(June 28, 2010) Election Season is upon us! The CAA 2010 Elections Page has all the information you need to make smart voting choices on behalf of Arizona children and families. Please visit the 2010 Elections Page to find important voting dates, voter registration information, details on the ballot initiatives and information on where candidates stand on issues affecting Arizona’s kids. We recommend that you bookmark this page and check back often as more candidates submit their completed questionnaires, and as we post info on candidate debates and other campaign events.
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KidsCare Stays But So Does Enrollment Freeze
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(June 15, 2010) 30,000 Arizona children were scheduled to lose health insurance today after the legislature voted earlier this year to eliminate KidsCare - the highly successful Children’s Health Insurance Program. However, thanks to national health reform, Arizona lawmakers reversed their decision and the children currently enrolled are able to keep their affordable health insurance. But more than 100 uninsured kids are being turned away from KidsCare every day due to an enrollment freeze established by Governor Brewer on January 1, 2010. The legislature declined to lift the freeze when they passed the law to maintain KidsCare. Read the press release here.
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3 of 4 AZ Kids not Reading Proficiently
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| (May 18, 2010) Children’s Action Alliance today released alarming national reading proficiency data that spells trouble for the future success of Arizona students. The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that 75% of Arizona fourth graders are not proficient in reading. This dismal statistic ranks Arizona 45th out of 50 states and puts our economy and prosperity at high risk. The national rate was also frightening, with 67% of children below proficient. Fourth grade reading levels are a strong indicator of success in school and life. A new report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, points out that a lack of reading proficiency cements educational failure and poverty into our next generation. Read the CAA Press Release and Fact Sheet.
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KidsCare Enrollment Dropping
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(May 14, 2010) CAA issued a press release highlighting the troubling decline in KidsCare enrollment. AHCCCS this week released the latest monthly data of children who are frozen out of affordable health insurance through KidsCare, even though they meet the eligibility requirements. Since January 1st, 40,484 children have applied for KidsCare, but their applications have not been processed. Enrollment in KidsCare has fallen from approx. 47,000 in the months before the freeze to 33,708 as of May 1. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimates that enrollment will drop even further, by more than 2/3rds between now and June 30, 2011. Read the whole press release here.
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