2022 Governor's Budget Hits & Misses
Each year, Arizona’s legislative session begins with the Governor’s State of the State speech and the unveiling of his or her annual priorities and proposed budget. This session presents Governor Ducey a rare opportunity in his final year in office to provide much-needed help to children and families…
Governor Proposes Pathway to Parity for Foster Children Placed with Kin
In his State of the State address, Governor Ducey unveiled a proposal to significantly increase the supports provided to foster children placed with kin and to put them on a pathway to receiving the same level of financial support provided to children placed with non-relatives. Kinship foster care is…
Click twice to save a life!
ICYMI: Arizona’s Medicaid program guarantees health coverage to birthing parents for just 60 days after pregnancy. For too many new parents in our state, the care they need to form a healthy bond simply isn’t there. Parents without access to quality, affordable health coverage are likely to delay…
New Year, New Board Officers, New Priorities
We are excited to announce CAA’s new Board Chair, Ayensa Millan, and Vice-Chair, Wendy Valenzuela. Ayensa was Vice-Chair for CAA and is the founder and managing attorney at CIMA Law Group, PC where she handles criminal and immigration matters. Her commitment and dedication stem from her own personal…
3 steps Arizona’s lawmakers should take to improve access to health care in 2022
Having access to affordable, high-quality health care can make all the difference for a child. Kids with health insurance miss fewer days of school, get better grades, and are more likely to graduate from high school. Pregnant people who were covered by Medicaid and CHIP in their own childhood give birth…
Postpartum health coverage saves lives
When someone enrolled in AHCCCS gives birth, their coverage may expire just sixty days after their pregnancy ends.* Sixty days is not much time to recover from childbirth. And it means many people are forced to forego necessary postpartum health care due to the expense. For people with physical or mental…
Help for Families May Be On The Way
President Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) plan comprises exciting historical investments in children and families. These investments are critical to the well-being of our nation as we continue to endure the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic going into the year 2022. The Early Childhood funding packages…
Thousands of Kinship Foster Parents Receive Pandemic Relief
Thank you to Governor Ducey, DES Director Michael Wisehart, and DCS Director Mike Faust for directing over $9 million in COVID relief to ensure that foster children placed with kin have the supports they need to weather the public health crisis. The Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds are being distributed…
It’s Time to Cross the Finish Line
In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided bold, compassionate, and swift support to Arizonans in desperate need of a lifeline. ARPA worked to put vaccines in arms, safely reopen schools, and put food on tables. But ARPA was a targeted response to the urgent public health and economic…