WCCF’s analysis of trends in Wisconsin Shares shows a decline in most areas:Children served: Decrease of 9,444 children served since 2009 (-9.5%)Per-Child payments: $82 reduction (-16.8%) in average monthly payment per child since 2009.Child care programs participating: A drop of 2,592 child care programs participating (-32%) over...
As the recent failure of the Senate to pass even the most basic gun regulations on background checks shows, the rhetoric and responses to the tragedy at Sandy Hook and other incidents remains polarized. Concerned that the "easy way out" is to put more armed security in schools, many advocacy groups have begun to speak out with notes of...
If you did not see it last night, PBS aired a documentary by Ken Burns and others, titled Central Park Five. This documentary tells the story of five youth (Black and Latino) who were arrested in New York City in 1989. Watching the documentary takes you back to a time when crime in New York was high, and racism cast a shadow over the...
Child care costs have nearly doubled in the last quarter century while the percentage of families who pay for child care has declined, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau child report. The annual cost of child care in Wisconsin for a 4-year-old was $9,588 in 2011, and $10,775 for an infant. That's higher than the average annual...
Thirty-six states, including Wisconsin, still allow the process of indiscriminate shackling of juveniles during their interaction with law enforcement and the court. In almost all cases children are not assessed for what danger he or she poses to the court or a police officer, rather it is just part of a “preventive” routine – but a...
Today the Democratic Senate and Assembly leaders and members of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) announced 10 additional budget hearings in order to allow for more public input on the proposed biennial budget. The Democratic leaders are also inviting Republican legislators to attend these hearings. A number of Democrats...
As we have indicated before, the budget bill contains a provision that would end BadgerCare coverage of pregnant women over 133% of the federal poverty level. As introduced, the bill would make those women eligible for prenatal care via the current coverage for “unborn children,” which is known as BadgerCare Plus (BC+) Prenatal. WCCF...
Head Start and Health Care Offer Examples of Rationing Resources by Lottery I wrote a Budget Project Blog post Monday about how some Head Start programs in Indiana recently used a random drawing to determine which preschool students will be removed from the education program for low-income families. Head Start is heading backwards...
There are many ways to potentially keep kids safe in school. Thank goodness this topic is finally being discussed at great length! In fact, President Obama has called for an increase of school resource officers (SROs), providing funds to hire up to 1,000 SROs across the nation. But we, along with others, have some concerns that this may...
“Righting the Rules” Could Start with a Legislative Rule if Lawmakers Approve SJR 5 For 12 years, the Wisconsin Legislature has been operating under a rule that ignores a statutory change enacted in 2001. The law requiring bills to have fiscal estimates was changed at that time to eliminate the exemption for bills relating to criminal...
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