Category: Announcement

Hiring on All Cylinders

As President and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) and the founding director of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress (AZCenter), it is imperative that our organization is centered in the communities we seek to empower with trusted information based in data and facts. Our commitment to seeking transformative change in communities that have been the target of racist and discriminatory policies is very important to me and to the entire staff. To that end, I am excited to announce the next director of the AZCenter and other new staff members who have a strong understanding for our commitment to racial and gender equity and inclusion, and passion for the work we do.

Rachel Yanof joins our team as the new executive director for the AZCenter. As an educator and non-profit leader in Arizona for nearly 20 years, Rachel has witnessed how broken systems impact children as their parents or guardians lived in poverty, lacked affordable housing, food, and child care. She understands that all systems are interconnected and that changing a student’s trajectory with just education is not enough. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to advancing racial and gender equity most recently as the founding executive director of Achieve60AZ, a statewide effort to increase postsecondary attainment across the state. After graduating from Georgetown University, Rachel positively impacted underprivileged student academic attainment through her work as an educator in the Roosevelt Elementary School District and administrator where she started Phoenix Collegiate Academy. Under her leadership, Phoenix Collegiate Academy grew to serve 600 students annually with three schools from grades K through 12. Rachel is excited to lead the AZCenter and its work to continue to be a strong and influential voice for improving the lives of all Arizonans because she is passionate that everyone should have access to quality housing, education, health care, and other basic needs with equitable pay and paid leave.

 

Kylie Barber is the Early Childhood Policy Director at Children’s Action Alliance. Prior to joining the CAA team, Kylie worked in Washington D.C. lobbying for federal health policies specifically related to children with rare diseases and their families. Kylie has completed work in early childhood education policy, early intervention program development, and international children’s rights. Additionally, Kylie has teaching experience working in both infant and preschool classroom settings. Kylie holds a Master of Jurisprudence in Children’s Law and Policy from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, as well as a Master of Science in Child Development with specializations in Infancy and New Language Learners. In effort to maximize the human capital and ensure the well-being of young children worldwide, Kylie is currently pursing her Master of Legal Studies in International Rule of Law and Security from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

 

Calli Jones is the federal engagement coordinator, a new area of focus for both CAA and AZCenter. Her prior experience in community organizing specifically with advocating for student voting rights and expanding civic engagement opportunities throughout Arizona is an invaluable asset as she works on mobilizing communities across Arizona to advance policies at the federal level. Through her congressional work, most recently as the assistant to Senator Martin Quezada in LD 29, Calli understands why improving the lives of children and families is critical in Arizona as the state has some of the highest poverty levels and one of the lowest income thresholds in the country. Calli holds bachelors’ degrees in Political Science, Criminology, and Criminal Justice from Northern Arizona and is currently pursuing her Master's in Public Administration and Policy from American University.

 

Sarah Kader is the Senior Campaign Strategist at the Arizona Center for Economic Progress. In this role, Sarah manages People First Economy, a proactive revenue coalition campaign of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, One Arizona, and the Arizona for Empowerment. This campaign seeks to uplift the needs of long-neglected communities in Arizona through policy change at the State Capitol. Prior to joining the AZCenter, Sarah worked as the Director of Operations at the Statewide Independent Living Council, and before that as an attorney at the Arizona Center for Disability Law for eight years. As an attorney, Sarah represented individuals with disabilities in cases related to health care, special education, employment, accessibility, and discrimination in jails and prisons. Sarah holds a B.A from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University.

 

Lane Santa Cruz is the Southern Arizona Organizer with the Arizona Center for Economic Progress working on the People First Economy for Arizona. They have spent over 15 years working on issues related to co-governing, sexual/gender violence prevention, food justice, migrant rights, and mobility justice. Lane’s goal is to make sure that state policies are informed and developed from community-based experiences and that investments put the needs of people first. Lane holds a Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies from the University of Arizona. Their multi-modal dissertation examined the historical hegemonic making of U.S. education, and how compulsory schooling framed acceptable notions of culture, language/literacy, and knowledge production.

 

Cora Tso is the inaugural Tribal Policy Fellow at the Arizona Center for Economic Progress. Her work aims to promote new economic opportunity through progressive advocacy and policymaking, as well as, to inform policymakers on how smart state tax and budget policies can strengthen Arizona by strengthening Arizona's 22 Tribal nations. Her deep commitment to serving Tribal communities derives from her upbringing on the Navajo reservation and her identity as a Navajo woman. Cora has extensive experience working with Tribal governments at the local and federal levels in Arizona, California, and Washington D.C. She is a proud member of the Navajo Nation and is originally from Shonto, Arizona. Recently, Cora earned her Juris Doctor degree with a Certificate in Indian Law from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, and she is currently working toward becoming licensed to practice law in Arizona and the Navajo Nation.

 

Meet the CAA and AZCenter teams

Arizona Families with Children Continue to Struggle During the Pandemic

Since 2019, more Arizona children are living in high poverty areas, and more children in the state are without health insurance, according to the 2021 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how families have fared between the Great Recession and the COVID-19 crisis. In Arizona, 15% of children live in high poverty areas compared with the national average of 9%, and in 2019, 9% of Arizona children are without health insurance compared with the national average of 6%.

More Arizona Stats Here

This year’s Data Book shows the COVID-19 pandemic could erase nearly a decade of progress unless policymakers act boldly to sustain the beginnings of a recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The Data Book also shows simply returning to a pre-pandemic level of support for children and families would shortchange millions of kids and fail to address persistent racial and ethnic disparities.

Sixteen indicators measuring four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community context — are used by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in each year’s Data Book to assess child well-being. The annual KIDS COUNT data and rankings represent the most recent information available but do not capture the impact of the past year:

  • ECONOMIC WELL-BEING: In 2019, one in four children in Arizona lived in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment (27%).
  • EDUCATION: In 2019, one in five Arizona high school students did not graduate on time, and more than half (61%) of young children, ages 3 and 4, did not attend school.
  • AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE: In 2019, Arizona ranked 46th in the nation as 161,000 children (9%) did not have health insurance.
  • FAMILY AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT: In 2015-19, 239,000 Arizona children (15%) lived in high poverty areas as defined by census tracts with poverty rates equal or greater to 30%.

Investing in children, families, and communities is a priority to ensure an equitable and expansive recovery. Several of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s suggestions have already been enacted in the American Rescue Plan, and additional recommendations include:

  • Congress should make the expansion of the child tax credit permanent. The child tax credit has long had bipartisan support, so lawmakers should find a common cause and ensure the largest one-year drop ever in child poverty is not followed by a surge.
  • State and local governments should prioritize the recovery of hard-hit communities of color.  
  • States should expand income support that helps families care for their children. Permanently extending unemployment insurance eligibility to contract, gig and other workers and expanding state tax credits would benefit parents and children.
  • States that have not done so should expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The American Rescue Plan offers incentives to do so.
  • States should strengthen public schools and pathways to post-secondary education and training.

Review The 2021 KIDS COUNT Data Book

Announcing David Lujan, President and CEO

On behalf of the board of directors, I am pleased to announce David Lujan as President and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance. Since January, David has led CAA through the development of a new three-year strategic plan, and a theory of change that focuses on equity as the foundation on which CAA will help build an Arizona where all children and families thrive.

David joined CAA in 2016, as the inaugural director of The Arizona Center for Economic Progress to advance policies that create fairer tax codes that raise the revenue needed for an economy that puts people first, builds thriving communities, and better economic opportunities for all Arizonans. Before joining CAA, David has worked in public policy in Arizona for over 20 years in several roles including a former member of the state Senate and House of Representatives, as an attorney for a nonprofit assisting abused and neglected children, and as an assistant attorney general advising the School Facilities Board.

Most recently, David has been an outspoken proponent for Proposition 208. His influence to mobilize coalitions, and his ability to increase awareness through the media urged voters to support the proposition which will now bring hundreds of millions of new dollars in K-12 public education funding to address Arizona’s teacher shortage, reduce class sizes, hire more aides and counselors, and expand career and technical education.

With David’s leadership, we are confident CAA will continue to identify and eliminate barriers to the well-being of children and families and create opportunities through partnerships and policy solutions.

In the coming months, we will look to fill the director position for the AZ Center, and we will share more details about the strategic plan for CAA.

Until then, please join me in congratulating David on his new role.

Brint Milward, PhD

Board Chair

American Rescue Plan is a major victory for Arizona children and families

The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress and signed by President Biden this week is a major victory for Arizona children and families.  According to data released by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the expansion of the child tax credit alone will lift 112,000 Arizona children above the poverty line and will benefit more than 1.5 million Arizona children overall. This historic reduction in child poverty will particularly help children of color who have been disproportionately hard hit by the pandemic and its related economic and educational harms.

In addition to the expansion of the child tax credit, the relief package will provide Arizona with an estimated $780 million to expand child care assistance; $2.6 billion to help Arizona’s public schools reopen safely, and it extends increased food assistance benefits through September 30.

“This landmark legislation will greatly improve the well-being of Arizona’s children – through expanded child care assistance, resources so schools can reopen safely, more affordable health coverage, and aggressive measures to combat child poverty,” said David Lujan, interim President and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance.  “We applaud Arizona’s congressional delegation who took swift action and supported this impactful legislation for Arizona’s families.”

This long-term crisis has been exacerbated by the devastating, inequitable impacts of COVID-19. Now, thanks to the passage of the American Rescue Plan, Arizona children, and families who have been hit the hardest will have severely needed resources to enable them to emerge from these challenging times with a pathway to a stronger future.

Urge Senate Education Committee to support SB1376 for Youth Mental Health Programs

More and more states are requiring mental health education in schools as young people are increasingly vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness. Today, Arizona has an opportunity to join the movement with SB1376 and to help more students - students like Briana.

Briana always did well in school until around the 8th grade when things in life started to slip for her. She began grappling with depression. She eventually transferred to another school where her school administrator, Ms. Cyndi, took notice how she was struggling. Ms. Cyndi reached out to Briana to express concern and did research on limited mental health services available for youth as she had witnessed the disturbing trend in other students.  She worked with Briana to start a new after-school club at their school called Your Life Matters (YLM), a peer-to-peer support resource. Through YLM, students recognized they were not alone.  They received basic education on mental health in a safe place to share and to be accepted.  Briana credits YLM for saving her life.

Briana was inspired to get more involved in YLM.  Together they began attending community events and advocating that school mental health programs and clubs like YLM be started in other schools as well.

She also got connected with a local initiative called Help & Hope for YOUth and joined their youth task force. Help & Hope for YOUth, a member of Children’s Action Alliance’s Southern Arizona Advisory Committee, is a multi-sector initiative working to improve outcomes for young people (age 10 – 24) by reducing the stigma of living with and seeking services for mental health challenges.

Their Advocacy & Policy Task Force elevated the youth voice brought forward by members of the community such as Briana, and set out to find ways where schools could do better in supporting youth struggling with mental health challenges.

The first of which just became a bill at the Arizona Legislature!

SB 1376 Senator Bowie’s mental health curriculum bill has been scheduled for a hearing: TODAY, Tuesday February 2 at 2:00 PM. Please take a moment to show your support by taking action below in support of the bill.

Representative Hernandez has the mirror bill HB 2656 which he has introduced in the House.

State of the State

This week, the Arizona legislature begins its work for the year at a time when many Arizona children and families are struggling to meet their basic needs during this health and economic crisis. Recently released data by the U.S. Census Bureau shows 1 in 6 Arizona households with children (16%) said they had only slight confidence or no confidence at all that they would be able to make their next rent or mortgage payment on time. Increasing numbers of Arizona households with children are also reporting they do not have health insurance and/or do not have enough food to eat, and communities of color are disproportionately suffering.

That is why it will be so critical for lawmakers to focus their work on helping families achieve financial stability, and keeping children healthy and safe during these difficult times.

Our 2021 legislative priorities include:

  • Making health care more accessible for Arizona’s children by expanding eligibility for KidsCare, Arizona’s Children’s Health Insurance Program;
  • Restoring supports to grandparents and other kinship caregivers who step in and prevent children from entering foster care when parents are unable to care for their children;
  • Provide safe, quality child care options for working parents of young children by increasing the child care subsidy reimbursement rates;
  • Providing Arizona’s public schools with the same amount of funding for conducting virtual schools during the pandemic as they receive for in-person instruction.

What Arizona does not need is more tax cuts which will only reduce state revenues that struggling Arizona families are counting on to provide housing and food supports, and make child care more affordable. Rather than shortsighted tax cuts, we urge Governor Ducey and lawmakers to take a more responsible approach and prioritize a plan to stop the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19, and put Arizona on a path to recovery from this health and economic crisis.

Read our 2021 Legislative Priorities

Brighter days ahead

With the kind of year 2020 has been, the Children’s Action Alliance team and I want to focus on brighter days ahead. Our thoughts continue to be with everyone who has been impacted by the COVID pandemic and economic downturn; especially families who are struggling to meet their basic housing, food, and health care needs. We have hope for a brighter future as we look back on the things, you and CAA have accomplished this year.

Together, we worked with communities and partners to:

  • Successfully advocate for payments so that child care centers can remain financially stable during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
  • Lead the way in directing eviction prevention dollars to grandparents raising grandchildren and foster youth aging out of foster care.
  • Bring hundreds of millions of new dollars in K-12 public education funding to address Arizona’s teacher shortage, reduce class sizes, hire more aides and counselors, and expand career and technical education.
  • Urge Arizona’s Congressional delegation to take proactive measures to provide fiscal relief for states and assistance for people who are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.
  • Raise awareness of the critical issues families are facing during the pandemic through media and publications. Click here for CAA’s Year in Review.

We believe brighter days are ahead because supporters like YOU care about the issues we hold up and fight for like foster youth transitioning to adulthood and grandparents and other kinship caregivers raising children who would otherwise be in the foster care system. Next year we will work hard to close the health insurance coverage gap for Arizona’s children and to increase quality, affordable child care options for working parents of young children. You give children and families hope through your financial support and your advocacy.

The fight for good policy for children starts with you. Please continue to support Children’s Action Alliance with a gift today. We act as an independent voice to identify and eliminate barriers to the well-being for children and families and create opportunities for success through community partnerships and policy solutions.

We wish you moments of peace amid the difficulties, connections with family and friends even if they can’t be in person, and the warmth of memories from celebrations past.

Stay safe and be well.

In gratitude,

Siman Qaasim, President and CEO

P.S. – CAA will remain focused and vocal at the State Capitol urging our newly elected lawmakers to take meaningful action so that Arizona emerges from this crisis better and more strong. Please continue to stand for children with a financial gift today.

Urging lawmakers for safety at and access to the state Capitol in 2021

As we find ourselves barreling toward 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to infect individuals, claim lives, and devastate communities. Despite this, our state's leaders have yet to take meaningful steps to curb the spread of the virus – let alone to ensure safety and transparency in the coming legislative session.

Last week, CAA and the AZ Center delivered a letter to lawmakers urging them to adopt common-sense safety protocols in advance of opening day at the Capitol. Over 50 health and human service organizations, faith groups, trade associations, and community advocates joined us in making this urgent request. We asked the legislature to:

1) Mandate masks for everyone at all meetings, hearings, and other gatherings at the State Capitol, and adequately enforce this mandate.

2) Allow for remote and widely accessible opportunities for engagement in public hearings including taking immediate steps to allow for video/teleconference participation and testimony. Provide a phone-in option for people with inadequate internet access.

3) Ensure that hearings are accessible to those who speak other languages, the deaf, and to those who are hard of hearing. The legislature should ensure that American Sign Language (ASL), language interpretation, and/or closed captioning services are available during all teleconference meetings, and transcripts should be made available as soon as possible after a hearing or meeting.

4) Revamp the Request to Speak system. At present, a person can create an account from anywhere – but that account can’t be used to weigh in on a bill until the login information has been “activated” from a computer station at the State Capitol. This makes even remote participation inaccessible for rural Arizonans, people without access to transportation, working individuals, or people at high risk of COVID-19.

5) The legislature should allow for pre-recorded video to be viewed, written testimony to be viewed or read aloud during any hearing. Similarly, remote voting options should be provided for the safety of lawmakers, and votes cast remotely should be made clear and visible to the public.

6) Adhere to public health guidelines related to appropriate ventilation, choice of venue, and audience size to facilitate safe in-person participation.

Truth be told, this effort is long overdue. Though the novel coronavirus pandemic has brought these concerns to the front of our mind, our state legislative process has been inaccessible to too many, for too long.  This is an opportunity to make changes now that will bring about long-term improved accessibility to our elected lawmakers and the legislative process.

You can help support this effort. Click here to access our letter, and take a moment to send a note to your state lawmakers reinforcing these concerns. Not sure who your lawmakers are? Click here to find out.

Today is the last day to vote, Election Day

Thank you, Arizonans, for casting a record number of ballots before Election Day! If you have not done so, you still have a chance to make your voice heard in this election. Today is the time to get out to vote. Key races that directly impact children, such as for school board and legislative seats, are often decided by just a few votes. We need everyone who cares about children to vote like our future depends on it.

Click here to check your ballot status for early voting.

Voting is one of the important ways you can ensure your priorities are heard on the public policies that impact health, education, and the racial inequities in our society. When the newly elected legislators begin session in January, we will need all of you to stay passionate and engaged about improving the well-being of children. It will take all of us to keep policy makers accountable to their commitments.

Stay engaged by using the resources on our new and updated website, and encourage others to get involved and to stay informed on issues you support by signing up for our weekly policy news.

Every vote matters. Thanks again for supporting children and families in Arizona.