The Data Is In! Babies Need Our Help.
For most of us, it is hard to imagine an entire lifetime lived during a deadly pandemic. As we enter year three of the Covid public health crisis, many Arizonans may feel like it has been forever but for the state’s infants and toddlers it literally HAS BEEN a lifetime. The mental and physical well-being…
Prioritize FFN Network, Arizona Should Take Notice
Family, friend and neighbor (FFN) child care providers are an essential part of the child care system throughout the United States. Many families select FFN providers based on a child’s need for individualized disability care, language and cultural needs, or availability during non-traditional working…
Mid Session Update
The Spring season in Arizona is already well underway. Everything is blooming, the weather is warming, delayed Spring Training has given way to Opening Day and for those who pay attention to what is happening at the Capitol, we enter a new phase of the Legislative Session. Each year the session begins…
AZ families could be dropped from health care (and don't even know it)
Early in the pandemic, the federal government issued a Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration. This allowed the government access to funding and procedural flexibilities to help control the COVID-19 crisis. One of many such flexibilities was the decision to stop disenrolling people from Medicaid and…
One in Three High School Students Report Feeling Hopeless
It’s no surprise that school-aged children in the United States have been headed toward a mental health crisis for several years. In Arizona, increased testing demands and class sizes, school violence, and the pressures of social media were worsening all while the state continued cutting education…
CAA and FAAZ Seek Increased Supports for Youth Transitioning from Foster Care
Legislation to increase financial supports provided to transition-age foster youth has passed out of the Arizona State Senate and is being considered by the House of Representatives. SB 1325 (Shope) would increase the Independent Living Subsidy provided to youth ages 18 to 21 who are participating in…
Supreme Court strikes down Invest in Education Act
Last week, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah was forced to rule in accordance with a confusing, heavy-handed opinion issued last year by the Arizona Supreme Court. Judge Hannah explained that the Supreme Court forced him to permanently strike down the Invest in Education Act, passed by…
Break the school funding cycle
The legislature has successfully addressed one of the most important issues this session by lifting the school spending limit for this school year. This allows Arizona’s public schools to spend the money they had already received and budgeted for, and avoid $1.2 billion in devastating cuts. But the…
AZ kids are at risk of losing health coverage
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 temporarily increased the federal government’s share of Medicaid costs. In return, states are prohibited from disenrolling anyone from Medicaid or CHIP (AHCCCS or KidsCare in Arizona) unless they move, die, or request to be disenrolled. This has kept…