The Coalition for Juvenile Justice, a network of state’s advisory groups, has responded to President Obama’s budget which consolidates Title II and JABG funds into a new bucket called Juvenile Justice System Incentive Grants. While supporting the positives of the incentive grant approach – and there are some – CJJ suggests using that pot of fund to create a two-tier system in which Tier I funds support on-going core compliance work and Tier II funds would be available to states as incentives to promote other reforms, assuming they are in compliance. While the overall funding level is of concern, this CJJ suggestion seems to be a positive alternative that solves some of the concerns that relying on incentive grants alone could result in state’s backing out of or being unable to provide the core compliance work that is critical to sustain several decades of change.
Early Care & Education: Supporting Wisconsin Families During Children’s Early Years
Regardless of race, place, or income, every child in Wisconsin deserves a strong start in life. This early foundation plays a critical role in life-long health and wellness. But systemic racism and poverty destabilizes families and communities and creates unhealthy conditions and barriers that harm children in their early development. This process of destabilization not only prevents children from having a strong start but can persist over the course of their lives.
