Type: News

Welcoming Kyrstyn Paulat: Director of Early Learning and Education

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our team, Kyrstyn Paulat, who will serve as the Director of Early Learning and Education at Children's Action Alliance!

Kyrstyn has always had a passion for education policy, which stemmed from her mother's experience as a public school teacher in Arizona. This led to Kyrstyn pursuing opportunities in education policy, which included her graduate program, where she concentrated on education funding in her capstone project, and a full-time immersion internship at the Arizona State Legislature, where she was a policy intern for the Education and Appropriations Committees.

After receiving her master's degree, Kyrstyn spent the next eight years at Public Consulting Group, where she focused on optimizing federal Medicaid reimbursement for school districts to help children in various states, including Arizona. Kyrstyn worked closely with state Medicaid agencies and school districts on program administration, compliance, and policy changes.

Kyrstyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies and a Master of Public Administration degree from Arizona State University, as well as a Certificate in Strategic Transformation and Innovation from Stanford University.

Please join us in welcoming Kyrstyn to our team! She will lead our policy work in areas including child care, early learning, K-12 education, and related family supports that help children, caregivers, and parents thrive. We look forward to working alongside her to advance policy for Arizona's children and families!

Thank you, Kinship Caregivers!

It’s Kinship Caregiver Month, a time to especially honor those who step in to care for children when they need them most. In addition to our applause, let’s also give them policies that support the success of their families.

This year, The Annie E. Casey Foundation has shared information from a new survey of state policies. The report notes that 50% or more of children in foster care were in kinship placements in Arizona, Hawaii, and West Virginia. That makes Arizona one of the top three states in the country for kinship care placement. This is an important advancement for children and families in Arizona.

Our state now has the opportunity and responsibility to keep moving forward in our support of kinship caregivers.

We agree with the report that there are many ways to create equitable support for caregivers, primarily through these three actions:

Let’s give our thanks to kinship caregivers and keep moving forward. Learn more about the solutions and research provided by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

How Good Is Arizona’s Maternal Healthcare?

The United States is confronted with a significant challenge in maternal health, holding the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, a trend that is on the rise and disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous women. In this context, Arizona’s situation is particularly concerning. According to the latest 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care by The Commonwealth Fund, Arizona is positioned at 44th place overall. Our state has shown commendable performance in managing preterm births, low-risk cesarean deliveries, and HIV testing among women aged 18-64. However, it falls short in providing a consistent healthcare source or routine checkups for women of childbearing age, ranking among the lowest. The data tells us we have a crisis to address - the maternal mortality rate in Arizona surpasses the national average, and the state’s infant mortality rate, previously better than average, has now deteriorated beyond the national rate.

In 2022, Children’s Action Alliance collaborated with key partners to secure a 12-month extension of AHCCCS postpartum coverage. This initiative ensures that new mothers can focus on their newborns without the added stress of health insurance transitions. Stay tuned for further updates and policy recommendations from us and our allies to enhance maternal and child health in Arizona. If you’re interested in more details or wish to participate in our maternal health stakeholder meetings, please reach out to Matt Jewett, our Health Policy Director, at mjewett@azchildren.org.

Read the full report here.

Just six years ago, our country grieved alongside parents and children who were forcibly separated at the border, with a full two-thirds of Americans across political parties opposed to the barbaric actions. HCR2060 opens the door to repeating this shameful chapter.” -January Contreras, Children’s Action Alliance.

Children’s Action Alliance puts brain and heart power to work every day to realize the vision of an Arizona where all children and families thrive. HCR2060, an immigration bill expected to be heard this week in the Arizona Legislature, is incompatible with this vision.

Our CEO, January Contreras, recently shared some of the reasons that HCR2060 is bad for Arizona’s children. We share this editorial with you as supporters who also value the potential of every child in our state. Children’s Action Alliance remains in opposition to HCR2060, and we urge members of the legislature to vote against it.

Guest Opinion as Printed in the Arizona Daily Star on May 17, 2024

HCR2060 is not the answer

While many look to the Arizona State Legislature to tackle state priorities such as transportation, public safety, affordable housing, and education, members are also currently working to take on the federal responsibility of immigration enforcement in ways that are likely unlawful, certainly unfunded, and deeply harmful for our state.

House Concurrent Resolution 2060 (HCR2060) is a resolution that attempts to create state law and deploy local authorities for immigration enforcement. Parts of the resolution duplicate what is already in law when it comes to public benefits, but it charts new territory in criminal enforcement of unlawful presence without safeguards that exist in federal immigration policy such as barring enforcement on school campuses and in churches. HCR2060 can still be defeated by the legislature, but if passed, it will open the door to chaos that makes Arizona less safe than today.

I speak as a former prosecutor and former attorney for victims of crime. Without question, it is my experience that victims of abuse, human trafficking, and other crimes will not call local law enforcement for help when they fear that call will lead to deportation. This is backed up by cities that saw declines in reports of domestic violence and sexual assault crimes in Latino communities when anti-immigrant rhetoric and targeting was at its most extreme. The crimes were happening, victims were just too afraid to call 9-1-1. HCR2060 will decrease public safety and allow perpetrators of violence to escape being held accountable for their crimes.

I speak as a former Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Just six years ago, our country grieved alongside parents and children who were forcibly separated at the border, with a full two-thirds of Americans across political parties opposed to the barbaric actions. Today, my former HHS colleagues still serve on a Reunification Task Force dedicated to leaving no stone unturned to reunite families. The “zero tolerance” policy that unleashed this trauma continues to claim more than 1,000 children who have been deprived of the parents they were separated from. HCR2060 opens the door to repeating this shameful chapter.

Most importantly, I write this as a mother and an advocate for children. As I sat in church this week sharing in a blessing for moms, I could not help but pray for the parents and children whose lives will be torn apart if elected officials once again sanction actions that terrorize immigrant families. HCR2060 will do just that.

We must look to the right authorities for solutions to problems. Here, federal officials must reform and enforce federal immigration laws in ways that do not leave humanity and public safety behind. HCR2060 is not the answer.

January Contreras is the CEO of Children’s Action Alliance, advocating statewide for the health, safety, education, and economic well-being of children in Arizona.

Click here to access the opinion piece at the Arizona Daily Star.

Arizona Releases First-Ever Report on Adolescent Health

Children’s Action Alliance (CAA), in collaboration with Affirm and the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health, is excited to release the inaugural State of Adolescent Health in Arizona report. Recognizing that adolescence is a critical phase of growth and development for establishing a foundation for a healthy life, the report identifies the obstacles faced by youth in Arizona:

  • Approximately one in six Arizona adolescents experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, ranking as the 9th highest rate in the nation.
  • However, when it comes to receiving treatment for these episodes, Arizona is positioned at 47th in the nation.
  • Only 52% of adolescents requiring mental health services had insurance coverage that adequately met their needs.

CAA remains dedicated, alongside the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health, to ensuring that youth receive the necessary care for a healthy and fulfilling life.  This commitment underscores the urgency and importance of addressing the mental health needs of adolescents in the state.

Click here for the full report.

Nearly 103,000 Arizona kids lost AHCCCS, but KidsCare expansion brings hope.

Since the end of the public health emergency a year ago, 103,000 fewer Arizona children are enrolled in AHCCCS coverage with the return to regular renewal requirements, according to a new report from Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. AHCCCS and its companion KidsCare provide child-specific health insurance for nearly 900,000 children, including routine preventive care, developmental screenings and treatment, vaccinations, behavioral health, and vision and dental services.

While some of these children may have gained other coverage, through a parent’s employer or the Health Insurance Marketplace, more Arizona children likely have become uninsured in the past year.

But there is good news. On April 1, the income limit for KidsCare increased by nearly $10,000 a year for a family of four, meaning 10,000 additional Arizona children will become eligible. Also, at the beginning of this year, new federal requirements took effect providing 12 full months of continuous coverage for children in AHCCCS and KidsCare, meaning fewer administrative requirements for families to maintain their healthcare coverage.

Children’s Action Alliance continues working with our community partners and AHCCCS to increase children’s access to coverage. If you or someone you know needs health insurance, visit Cover AZ’s website to find a local community-based organization to help.

Click here for the full report.

SB 1458: Because Children Thrive in Families, Not Institutions

Arizona places young foster children in group homes and institutions at a higher rate than any other state in the nation. We must change that - and we can with SB1458.

Congregate care placements have detrimental effects on the healthy development of children, especially young children. Experts agree that children do best with families and that congregate care (group homes, shelters, and other institutional settings) should only be used when there is no less restrictive setting that can meet a child’s short-term need for therapeutic services.

Senate Bill 1458, sponsored by Senator Bennett, is a collaboration between Fostering Advocates Arizona, a group of young people with lived experience in foster care, and Children’s Action Alliance.

The bill, which passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support, will now be considered by the House of Representatives. The legislation aims to reduce the placement of young foster children in congregate care settings by requiring the Department of Child Safety Director's Approval before such a placement can be made for a young child.

At close to 11%, Arizona’s rate of congregate care placement of children under age 12 is the highest in the nation and much higher than the national average of 3%. ¹ Arizona children deserve better.

Requiring Director Approval is a nationally recognized best practice included in Ending the Need for Group Placements, a collective effort of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, and community partners nationwide that identified actions to reduce the use of congregate care.

Our first priority at CAA is to support families so they can safely thrive together. When that isn’t possible, and a child must enter the child welfare system, it is imperative that each and every placement of a child attempts to reduce trauma and strengthen safety. SB1458 is an important step in doing better for Arizona kids.

Watch this short video to hear how the City of Philadelphia’s Congregate Care Approval process helped reduce its congregate care population from nearly 1,000 to just 255.

Learn more about the campaign to End the Need for Group Care and check out the full video.

 

¹ https://cwoutcomes.acf.hhs.gov/cwodatasite/sevenOne/index

English language learners deserve equitable education opportunities

Children’s Action Alliance joined other partners of UnidosUS, a leading organization dedicated to uplifting the Latino community and fostering equitable educational opportunities, to urge Superintendent Horne not to restrict dual language instruction for English Language Learners (ELLs).  In the support letter to members of the Arizona State Board of Education, partners outlined their concerns that Superintendent Horne’s approach to bilingual education and ELL support does not reflect the inclusivity, research, respect for diversity, or commitment to educational equity that should drive our state's educational system.

Every organization listed is committed to working alongside the board and other stakeholders to advocate for and implement policy changes that better serve the needs of ELLs and all students in Arizona.

To share the letter, please click here.

Oral Health Day at the Capitol 2024

This month, CAA joined the Arizona Oral Health Coalition at the Capitol with the message to lawmakers that children and families cannot be healthy without good oral health. We asked legislators to prioritize comprehensive dental care for adults in AHCCCS in the budget they will be negotiating with the Governor.

Our Representatives and Senators were supportive, but our bill SB1037 has not been heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee, and this week is the last week for bills to be heard in the opposite chamber from where they were introduced. Thanks to all who came and got to see their legislature in action. Thanks also to our Representatives and Senators for learning about oral health. We will keep making our voices heard.