Arizona’s legislators missed a unique opportunity this legislative session
Arizona’s legislators had a unique opportunity this legislative session. The pandemic did not result in state revenues falling to the $1 billion deficit that was expected. Instead, analysts projected there was more than $1 billion in ongoing, unobligated revenues plus nearly $3 billion in one-time…
Foster Youth Delivered Petition to Distribute Federal Relief Funds
Today, Fostering Advocates Arizona (FAAZ), a group of policy leaders with lived experience in foster care, delivered a petition signed by nearly 600 Arizonans to Governor Doug Ducey and Department of Child Safety (DCS) Director Mike Faust urging them to use federal COVID relief funds to provide young…
Babies and Toddlers Need Help Too!
The pandemic has raised awareness of several issues and gaps in the early childhood system that have long existed. Much focus has been placed on the needs of preschool and school aged children and the gaps in access to high quality child care, but we do not want to forget our babies and toddlers who…
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…
SCOTUS UPHOLDS THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT!!!
Have you heard the news? This morning the Supreme Court of the United States determined that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is here to stay. The 7-2 ruling by the court is a huge victory for all Americans, including the 31 million people who currently have health insurance through either the ACA Marketplace…
Foster Youth Need Stimulus Payments - No Strings Attached
Yesterday, the Department of Child Safety finally re-launched an online portal to distribute COVID relief funds to older and former foster youth. The new portal, administered by Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, allows young people ages 14 through 26 to apply for needs-based pandemic relief….
Buying Health Insurance on Healthcare.gov Just Got Way More Affordable
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law by President Biden on March 11th, 2021. The Act provided immediate economic relief to individuals, families, localities, states, and Tribal nations. It made significant investments in communities by providing funding for broadband infrastructure,…
#ReleaseTheFunds: Make sure pandemic relief intended for foster youth gets to foster youth!
Young people who have aged-out of foster care were at high risk for experiencing homelessness, unemployment, food instability and other negative outcomes prior to the pandemic, and COVID-19 has heightened their vulnerability. Even as conditions begin to improve in Arizona, the recovery tail will be longer…
Thank you to Governor Ducey
For months, the early childhood community has experienced a workforce shortage crisis, and as more Arizonans return to work, it has been a challenge for child care providers to hire enough staff. For health and safety reasons, child care providers must maintain strict child-to-staff ratios, and with…