Category: Announcement

KIDS COUNT Data Book is the only source to focus on statewide trends about Arizona’s children

Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) is proud to present the 2020 Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book—the only biennial source to focus on statewide trends about Arizona’s children. Thanks to the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this powerful resource helps inform decision-makers and stakeholders about the economic, social, and physical well-being of children and their families throughout the state. In addition to the Data Book, statewide and county indicators can be found on our new and updated website – along with other resources, toolkits, and information on how to advocate for children and families.

As you know, CAA regularly uses data as a compelling tool to find common ground across geography and political ideology to create an Arizona where every child is safe, loved, and has access to quality education and affordable health care. In this KIDS COUNT Data Book, the data show Arizona has made important strides in improving the conditions for children since the Great Recession - before the unprecedented challenges our communities, our state and our nation have faced due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

The 2020 Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book offers a closer look at the strengths and contributions of immigrant families as more than 1 in 4 children are growing up in an immigrant household and 6 in 10 Arizona children are children of color.  Despite the changing demographics in the state, children of color are more likely than their White peers to lack the fundamental supports to grow up healthy and strong. It is our hope that YOU - lawmakers, advocates, and state agency leaders use the information in this Data Book to address the long-standing structural inequities in our state. It is time to move towards an Arizona that provides opportunity for all children, not a privileged few.

As advocates for children, we will continue to challenge ourselves to think creatively and critically to find new ways to support Arizona’s children and families. Join us and use the Data Book and other resources on our new website to spark action for measurable and positive change.

Register to vote

Children cannot vote, but we can. Arizona’s children are counting on all eligible voters to raise their voices and vote for candidates and ballot measures that will improve the quality of life for families and future generations. Monday, October 5 is the last day to register to vote. To register to vote, click here, or to update your current voter information for the upcoming election on November 3, please click here.

This year’s election goes beyond who will be president. Your vote is your voice on issues affecting education, healthcare, and safety of children in the state.

Children’s Action Alliance has a candidate questionnaire  and virtual forums to help voters learn more about candidates’ positions on issues important to children:

We will bring more of these virtual platforms over the next few weeks so stay tuned for updates.

Future generations are depending on you to vote for candidates and ballot measures that will help children, families, and communities thrive. Every vote matters and every vote counts. Make a pledge with our partner, Protecting Arizona's Family Coalition, to vote this election and help others to vote too.

Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) is proud to provide non-partisan information to educate voters about children’s health, education, and security. We help to connect voters with the candidates who share their priorities. As an independent voice for Arizona children at the state capitol and in the community, CAA does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Include every American Family in COVID-19 Relief and Recovery

The U.S. Senate finally introduced their version of the next COVID-19 relief bill and a vote could come as early as this week. Though there is speculation that the new bill doesn't have the votes to pass, now is a critical moment to reach out to lawmakers. With this next legislation, we have an opportunity to put our stated values into action and include families of all backgrounds in the recovery. Join us on this day of action for immigrant families by contacting your senators to let them know how you feel.  

Even though 1 in 4 children in Arizona have a parent who is an immigrant, the previous federal COVID-19 relief packages left out entire households, simply because of one parent’s citizenship status. In Arizona, 104,000 children live in an immigrant household that did not receive a stimulus payment due to an ITIN filing. Nearly, 1 out of 6 immigrants in Arizona works in an essential job, including caring for sick and elderly people, growing food, and keeping grocery stores stocked. Additionally, many immigrants and low-income Arizonans have not had adequate access to COVID-19 medical services. It’s critical that testing, treatment, and vaccines are readily available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status.

  • Roughly 45% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in children (age 0-17) are Latino but, Latinos make up 25% of the U.S. child population (data as of August 13, 2020).
  • Nineteen percent of non-elderly Latinos had no form of health insurance before the pandemic. As of July 21, more than 22% of Latinos report having no form of health coverage.
  • Throughout July, 21% of Latino households with children have food insecurities.
  • A recent poll by UnidosUS in Arizona, Florida, and Texas, more than 40% of laid off Latino workers did not know if they qualified for unemployment insurance. Of those who applied, roughly one-third were rejected or never heard back.

Immigrants are valued members of society, and the exclusion of certain immigrants undermines our economic recovery and public health. CAA believes that we are stronger when everyone in society gets the same chance to thrive and succeed. Email Senators Sinema and McSally today and demand a more inclusive recovery bill that provides health access and economic relief to everyone. 

Children's Action Alliance welcomes our newest board members

 

Ashley M. Anderson, SHRM-SCP, Mountain Park Health Center

Ashley M. Anderson currently serves as a Senior Human Resource Business Partner in Phoenix, Arizona. She brings over eight years of Human Resources experience working in various industries to the board. Her expertise spans across Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Training and Development, and more. She also consults with business owners and entrepreneurs on their Human Resources needs. In addition, Ashley sits on the Board of the National Association for African Americans in Human Resources, State of Arizona Chapter. Ashley holds an MBA with emphasis in Management from American Intercontinental University as well as the Senior Certified Professional Certification from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).

 
 
Catherine Alonzo, CEO and founding partner of Javelina

Catherine Alonzo is CEO and founding partner of Javelina, a branding and advocacy agency that is advancing equality and human dignity through social, political, and economic change. Javelina helps their clients realize their vision of change in the world through cutting edge strategies from the worlds of marketing and political campaigns.

Catherine has been integral in growing Javelina to be one of the Valley’s pre-eminent branding and advocacy agencies. She combines her political background (having served on the teams that raised the Arizona minimum wage in 2016 and elected Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell) with her passion for storytelling in the digital age.

Catherine was named the Athena Young Professional Recipient by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce in 2016 and has been recognized for her business leadership by Arizona Business Magazine, Arizona Big Media, and the Phoenix Business Journal.
 
D’Angelo Johnson, Managing VP of Private Banking at Bankers Trust
D’Angelo is Managing, VP, of Private Banking at Bankers Trust, with 18 years of financial services experience. He began his career as a Realtor and Financial Independent Contractor. As a licensed real estate agent, mortgage certified professional, life (including fixed-investments), credit and disability insurance agent,  he joined the bank in 2007 as a Consumer Services Representative and became a Relationship Banker in 2008. D’Angelo joined the bank’s Financial Intelligence team in 2014 as a Certified BSA/AML professional, where he helped protect the bank and its customers against illicit activity. He has served as a board member, Director of Finance, and written grants for non-profits in the Greater Des Moines area.
 
Erica Maxwell, Associate Superintendent of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Arizona Department of Education

As the first Associate Superintendent of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Arizona Department of Education, Ms. Erica Maxwell has more than 25 years as a certified educator. In her education tenure, Maxwell has served as an administrator, adjunct faculty member at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and as a faculty associate at Arizona State University.

Maxwell is also the co-founder of the annual Arizona Multicultural Education Conference and founder of Club READ (Reading Experiences Appreciating Diversity), which is a summer literacy initiative in Chandler. In addition to her educational equity consulting work, she hosted public forums for the Arizona State University’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, as well as for the Arizona Department of Education; Healing Racism Series, Mesa Community College Educators Academy, Scottsdale’s Cross-Cultural Communication Series and the Seventh Annual Future Educator’s Conference. Lastly, Maxwell served on the Board of Trustees for Childsplay and was the School Administrator Representative for Southeast Maricopa County’s First Things First Regional Council.

Recognized for her community involvement and excellence in education, Maxwell received the 2017 Literacy Leadership Award from the Ocotillo East Reading Council, the 2016 Outstanding Adjunct Award from Chandler-Gilbert Community College and the 2015 East Valley NAACP Education Advocacy Award.
 
Kim Russell, Executive Director of the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health Care

Kim Russell is of the Bitter Water People, born for the Tangle People. Her maternal grandmothers are from Chinle, Arizona and her paternal grandmothers are from Tuba City, Arizona on the Navajo Nation. Ms. Russell is the Executive Director of the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health Care, an independent state agency whose mission is to advocate for increasing access to high-quality health care programs for all American Indians in Arizona. Kim has worked with Tribes, Tribal Organizations, the Indian Health Service, and Urban Indian Health Programs to advance their health agendas and priorities her entire career. Ms. Russell received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master’s of Health Administration. Kim enjoys spending time with family and traveling.

Some Good News

Glimpse of social change is starting to take root in our country.  As Black Lives Matter protests continue to push for police brutality reform, last week’s Supreme Court decisions defended the rights and liberties of impacted communities in the state and across our country.

The Supreme Court held in a 6-3 ruling last week that LGBTQ employees are protected by federal law against workplace discrimination, expanding sex-based discrimination to include sexual orientation and transgender status. And, the Supreme Court ruled to block a plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, commonly known as DACA, allowing hundreds of thousands of Dreamers, including 24,700 in our state, to avoid deportation and remain in the United States.

Both decisions offer hope and opportunity for parents, children, and families to celebrate their diversity and to realize their full potential.  CAA celebrates these landmark decisions and recognizes the work is not done.  We remain committed to work with lawmakers, community leaders, organizations, and families to support real immigration reform; including citizenship for DACA recipients, eradicate systemic racism, and dismantle discriminatory laws and practices. Diversity, equity, and most importantly inclusion make our communities better.  It will take all of us working together to collectively make real, sustainable change.

Racism Has No Place in a Child’s Life

Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) was formed over thirty years ago with a vision of an Arizona in which all children grow up healthy and safe and ready to succeed. As we reflect on the events of the past few days, we realize we are a far cry from that world. We mourn the tragic and unnecessary deaths of George Floyd and Dion Johnson and so many that have passed before them at the hands of police violence. We share in the anguish and pain of those that call for an end to racism and brutality towards black and brown communities.

Over the past week, our attention has been brought to the need for a police and public safety system that our children deserve. Everyone should be able to live, work, and travel with an expectation that their interactions with police will be fair and just. We call upon lawmakers to act swiftly on the long-standing and clearly articulated specific criminal justice and police reforms demanded by local faith leaders, advocates, and residents. We join our brave community leaders in asking for accountability and civilian oversight of police departments, for policies to reduce excessive use of force, and for comprehensive data reporting on police interactions with community.

As an organization, we continue to challenge ourselves to think creatively and critically to find new ways to support Arizona’s children and families. It will take the entire community – parents, teachers, residents, elected officials, community leaders and law enforcement - to build a society where no child has to fear or witness systemic violence and children can grow up celebrating their uniqueness. When children thrive, our communities thrive.

Siman Qaasim, CEO & President

Brint Milward, Board Chair

Honoring a True Champion for Children

One of our heroes, the Honorable Jane Hull, along with her husband, Dr. Terry Hull, passed away over the weekend. Hull was Arizona’s first elected female governor and first woman to serve as the speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives. She was a champion for children and her legacy leaves an enduring impact on children and families in Arizona.

Through her leadership, Hull improved access to health care for children and created reliable funding sources for public education. In 1998, she worked with a broad coalition of community supporters to establish the Children’s Health Insurance Program in Arizona called KidsCare. In 2000, Hull championed Proposition 301, which provides millions of dollars annually in education funding through a 0.6-cent sales tax.

Champions like the Honorable Jane Hull remind us how leadership, tenacity, and courage can make a lasting impact in the lives of Arizona’s children and families. KidsCare remains the state’s insurance for kids with nearly 38,000 enrolled in the program today. We profoundly appreciate her service. She and her husband will be greatly missed.

We Will Get Through This Together (COVID-19 Resources)

We hope you are all healthy, safe, and at home whenever possible. CAA’s offices are closed for the time being. Our staff continues to work on Arizona children’s issues from home and other remote locations.

Normalcy, as we know it, is evolving rapidly as the nation and our state attempt to respond and mitigate COVID-19 spread. With schools closed across the state, we know children living in poverty will be highly impacted. CAA will continues to be a voice for policies and responses that help working families weather this difficult time.

At present, utilities will NOT be shut off due to non-payment. Efforts are underway in municipalities across the state to suspend evictions. There are calls for a moratorium on foreclosures, evictions, and the streamlining of unemployment and cash benefits for workers who are laid off during the pandemic.

The Capitol is now closed to the public and committee hearings have been cancelled for the week in both Houses. Leadership is reporting that they will pass a “skinny” budget this week along with two dozen “non-controversial” bills that have bipartisan support. It is unclear if they will sine die and end the legislative session or if they will recess and resume session later this year.

The bare-bones budget is likely to reflect the “baseline” budget and to increase funding for AHCCCS/Medicaid. It will also likely include increases to the Department of Education for enrollment changes and statutory formulas. It is unlikely to include new funding including the increase to the kinship foster care stipend.

 Check these websites for the latest official information about COVID-19:

Children’s Action Alliance will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide additional information and resources over the coming days, weeks, and months.

We Have Some New And Returning Faces Joining The CAA Team

Please join us in welcoming Molly Dunn (photo: top right) to the team. Molly is CAA’s new director of child welfare and juvenile justice. She has dedicated her career to improving outcomes of system-involved youth. As a provider of direct legal services, Molly has represented hundreds of children and youth in dependency, juvenile justice, education, immigration, family law and other proceedings. Prior to joining CAA last month, Molly directed FosterEd Arizona. Molly holds a B.A. from Macalester College and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

We are also pleased to welcome back Damita Curry (photo: bottom right) as our vice president of development and engagement. Damita worked with CAA in this role previously with many key accomplishments including the launch of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress. Damita has managed fundraising and communications initiatives in senior leadership roles for children and family organizations in Ohio and Arizona. In doing so, she was responsible for raising millions for the most vulnerable children in our communities. Damita holds a B.B.A. from Kent State University.

We are so excited to have these high-caliber professionals join the CAA team!