We have known for some time that Wisconsin’s gap between black and white students in graduation rates and fourth –grade testing are the largest in the nation. A new study, Kindergarten Readiness in Wisconsin, provides a first-time look at inequalities in school readiness among Wisconsin’s kindergarten students with a large sample size....
The Senate has only a few working days to decide what it is going to prioritize. It can focus on renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and stabilizing individual health insurance markets to protect people from rising premiums --both of which are popular ideas and have broad bipartisan support. Or it can attempt another...
Wisconsin families still haven’t recovered economically from the recession, according to new figures on poverty and income released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week. Here are five charts drawn from the Census data that describe the number of Wisconsin residents who have incomes too low to meet basic needs. 1. Years after the...
Throughout our nation’s history, the great American story for so many immigrants is finding a better life, building a stronger future, and achieving their dreams in this great nation. At Kids Forward, we are committed to building the best future possible for every child and every family in Wisconsin. This includes over 7,500 young...
Since Congress failed to pass a bill repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Republican lawmakers have been in a quandary. Because they have been predicting for so long that the ACA was going to fail, some Republicans seemed to be determined to make that happen. However, others realize that the part of the law they can sabotage – the subsidized marketplace for private insurance – is critically important for millions of Americans and also a centrist approach for increasing access to health care.
This analysis is looking at the trends in YoungStar over two years, from January 2015 to January 2017. Our primary focus includes two questions: (1) Are more subsidized children receiving higher quality child care over time? (2) Are more child care programs reaching higher quality ratings under YoungStar? Trends for Children: More...
As an organization committed to standing up for every child, every family, and every community, Kids Forward strongly condemns the hate, violence, and acts of racism ignited by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. Like you, we are horrified about what occurred and we are equally horrified by the response, or the lack of response, from many of our nation’s leaders.
A June 2017 national poll found that 79% of voters—including 80% of Trump votes and 79% of Clinton voters—want Congress and the administration to work together to improve the quality of child care and preschool, and make it more affordable for parents. “ Investing in quality early childhood education from birth through age five has...
A very thorough research report examining Wisconsin’s YoungStar program was published in June 2017, completed by Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and written by Rob Grunewald, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Grunewald also co-authored the 2012 report just as YoungStar was getting launched, “The Economic...
While the debate around the fate of the Affordable Care Act has dominated the news over the past few months, other threats to health care have been brewing. In Wisconsin, advocates, providers, lawmakers, and individuals and families affected by mental health challenges know that every dollar is crucial when it comes to ensuring that the...
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