First, the good news. The Joint Committee on Finance unanimously approved the Governor’s proposal for a $3.9 million increase for home visiting in each year of the biennium. The support for home visiting is encouraging. Now, the bad news. Two critical proposals to improve child care were rejected. The implications are serious. No...
A Step Forward for Juvenile Justice-Hope Springs Eternal
Per the Coalition for Juvenile Justice: House Passes HR 1809 to Reform and Reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Today, in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, and enhance the focus on prevention, was passed by voice...
Children Learn by Playing
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has released a video Play is the Way! to emphasize the importance of play in early learning and development. The short video, starring Sheila Briggs, Assistant State Superintendent, describes how young children learn and develop through interaction and play. Here is the link again Play is the...
Changes to the Affordable Care Act: What’s At Risk In Wisconsin
Enactment of the House health care plan, known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), would affect most Wisconsinites. But even if it is not enacted, actions taken by Congress and President Trump imperil the subsidized Marketplace insurance plans that provide health care coverage to about 240,000 Wisconsinites. Over the long term, the...
Numbers You Need To Know – Health Insurance in Your County
Find your county below to see trends in the rates of uninsured kids and adults, the percentage of people using Medicaid, and the impacts of the Affordable Care Act. Adams County Ashland County Barron County Bayfield County Brown County Buffalo County Burnett County Calumet County Chippewa County Clark County Columbia County Crawford...
Steep Decline in Regulated Family Child Care
The decline of family child care was a topic recently when the Joint Finance Committee members discussed issues with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) on March 29, 2017. Senator Sheila Harsdorf was concerned about the sharp decline of family child care. She has heard from her constituents that the decline may be due to the...
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections Office of Detention Facilities releases their 2016 annual report
Trends in Adult and Juvenile Detention The Wisconsin Department of Corrections Office of Detention Facilities released their annual report for 2016. The report shows data relating to the population of Wisconsinites in secure facilities. As has been highlighted by previous reports, arrest rates are down throughout Wisconsin and have been...
Former Green Bay Packer Supports Wisconsin Home Visiting in USA Today
The Packer great, Ahman Green, says in his USA Today column that home visiting can help parents and children live better, healthier, more self-sufficient lives. The article, Green: Renew, expand funding for home visit programs, was published in USA Today on April 29, 2017. Green says, “This research-backed investment will help ensure...
DHS Proposes New Impediments to BadgerCare Participation
Many Wisconsinites could lose their access to health care services if a new set of Walker administration proposals is approved by federal officials. The proposals formally unveiled today by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) would adversely affect thousands of childless adults who have incomes below the poverty level and...
The Costs of Governor Walker’s Proposed Medicaid Changes
The Walker administration is seeking federal approval to make sweeping changes to BadgerCare, Wisconsin’s Medicaid program. What will those changes mean for Wisconsin? Learn more by reading "The Costs of Governor Walker's Proposed Medicaid Changes."
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