March 23 - March 27
It’s Children’s Week at the state capitol. Colorful cut-out hands are streaming down in three-story tall columns inside the rotunda, information booths are set up, and a variety of educational seminars and luncheons are underway.
In past years, it’s an event intended to be a celebration of progress being made while acknowledging the work and outcomes yet to be accomplished to improve conditions for Florida’s 4-million plus children.
Instead, the feeling among many of the faithful is one of dread rather than excitement or even hopeful anticipation. This year optimism about actions that can be taken to better serve Florida’s children have been displaced with anxiety over how much ground will children lose. Speculation is not about how far Florida will rise but how many slots will we fall in the national rankings?
Florida already is mired in the bottom tier of all states regarding the spectrum of child education, health and protection indicators. We certainly can’t afford to lose any more ground. We rank 48th in children without health insurance, next to last in pre-k quality, and 43rd in the number of children in juvenile detention or jail. We are not moving in the right direction in terms of childhood obesity or maternal health.
A common denominator exists to explain why Florida is low where it should be ranked high, and high where it should be low: lack of investment in children as related to the percentage and size of the state budget.
At a time when strong voices for children are more pivotal than ever before, even some of the state’s formal coordinating bodies appear to be losing momentum. After a sluggish start, the Children’s Cabinet’s latest attempt to draw attention to the crisis appeared to be muzzled. Their designated leader watered down a letter for fear it would offend the very people who needed to receive it.
How much worse does it have to get before it is acceptable to bluntly portray the facts to the policy-makers who delivered us to this sad state of affairs?
It’s time to Tell the Truth – as the Children’s Campaign is doing each and every day – working families are leaving Florida. They are choosing other states where children have better supports and access to programs, services and educational opportunity. It does not come as a surprise to the advocates that Florida’s population growth is falling. Failure to create an environment where parents want to birth or raise children is having a downward economic ripple effect, one that is going to plague the state long after the national economy rebounds.
It will take more than optimism and the rhetoric intrinsic to Children’s Week to turn it around.
For starters, the executive and legislative branches in the coming weeks can move substantive bills that would improve Florida’s services with little or no fiscal impact. There are a number of good pieces of legislation stalled or barely alive.
Reinventing government isn’t accomplished by focusing only on finding ways to reach the constitutional requirement of a balanced state budget. Now is the time to do it better, using a combination of progressive legislation, revenue enhancements and investment strategy to move the state in a better direction.
In spite of the dismal circumstances we congratulate the participants of Children's Week. Welcome to Tallahassee.
A Mother’s View: by Amanda Ostrander
It is easy to get lost in numbers, seeing policy impacts instead of children. As a staff member of the Children’s Campaign, and as a young mother, I have the chance to see both. The numbers can be staggering, but when they transform into the face of my 16- month-old son they are hard to fathom.
These economic times are hard for everyone; parents especially are trying to stretch their dollars to do more with less, so their children still have all of the opportunities they deserve. Every time I read another article about the budget being balanced on children’s backs, it feels like my hard earned dollar shrinks.
By the time my son is in pre-k, will he have 25 children in his class because it costs less? Will he go to a public school that focuses only on math and reading and have a sub-par teacher because they are being paid less than a living wage? Will there be a quality after-school program he can attend if I need to go back to work full-time? If he gets in with the wrong crowd and ends up being referred to the juvenile justice system, will he be sent directly to detention, because budget cuts have decimated all of the prevention programs?
As a parent, you expect it to be hard. I don’t want or need a hand out, but I would like to know that what the government has promised to provide is there, and not just available but meaningful and of high quality.
I am sure other parents have concerns. Share your stories, comments and thoughts. I would love to hear what you have to say.
Bills:
SB 2218: Blueprint Bill
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee, chaired by Paula Dockery (R-Lakeland) unanimously passed SB 2218, sponsored by Senator Stephen Wise (R-Jacksonville) at the request of the Children's Campaign, on Wednesday.
Senator Wise opened the presentation with a few historical points and underscored the pressing need to initiate reform. He then turned the podium over to citizen leader Bill Sublette, a member of the Juvenile Justice Blueprint Commission, who presented the major sections of the legislation.
Senator Frederica Wilson (D-Miami), vice-chair of the committee, acknowledged Sublette for representing the Blueprint Commission along with the advocates and for elevating the dialogue.
This is the first time in recent years that a juvenile justice reform bill of this scope and magnitude was either heard or passed out of committee.
The House version, 1135 sponsored by Rep. Schwartz (D-Hollywood) has yet to be calendared.
Senate Bill 2128, sponsored by Senator Crist, also passed the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Its focus is more modest than the larger reform bill reported above. Its House counterpart was amended with a provision opposed to a majority of its proponents.
SB 1540 and HB 997: Zero Tolerance
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee also unanimously passed SB 1540, sponsored by Sen. Wise. During debate Sen. Wise made it clear that he did not have “tolerance” for the misuse of the zero tolerance policies. The similar House bill, HB 997 sponsored by Rep. Carroll (R-Duval), passed unanimously by the PreK-12 Policy Committee. Next for the bills; Senate Judiciary Committee and House Public Safety & Domestic Security Policy Committee chaired by Rep. J.C. Planas.
HB 1439 and SB 126: Foster Care Records
Bills which provide foster children with access to their own records passed through committees in both the House (HB 1439 by Rep. Nehr -R-Pinellas) and Senate (Sen. Paula Dockery - R-Polk) this week.
For other bills, continue reading:
Promise 1 (child health, including; maternal health, KidCare, mental health, etc.)
Promise 2 (child protection, including; foster care, adoption, independent living, etc.)
Promise 3 (early learning and care, including; pre-k, child care, etc.)
Promise 4 (after school, including before and after school programs, summer school, etc.)
Promise 5 (juvenile justice, including juvenile justice reform, girls issues, minority overrepresentation, etc.)
Legislative Connection was brought to you by:
Amanda Ostrander, Webmaster
Roy Miller, President
Children’s Campaign, Inc.