Thank you for standing strong with children through this bruising effort to defeat the terrible American Health Care Act that Republican leaders passed in the House of Representatives by a razor thin margin of 217 Republican yes votes to 213 NO votes. Twenty Republicans, including Texas Congressman Will Hurd, joined 193 Democrats who were united in opposing the bill. A statement from Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund, was released minutes after the final tally. Even though the outcome is not what we wanted, know that your calls, tweets, and resistance DID make a difference and we remain committed to working together to defeat the American Health Care Act in the Senate.
Yes, we can. Together we will urge our Senators to Do No Harm and #KeepKidsCovered. Remember, we never give up.
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For the first time, this new report on the Texas high-quality pre-K grant program established by HB 4, provides focused regional analysis of Rio Grande Valley participation in the grant program, with research-based policy recommendations to strengthen and expand pre-K in Texas.
Established by the Legislature and Governor Greg Abbott last year, the new pre-K grant program is providing participating school districts with grants for the 2016-2017 school year to improve pre-K effectiveness for currently eligible children.
The report, “Analysis of Rio Grande Valley Participation in the Texas High-Quality Pre-K HB 4 Grant Program,” was produced in partnership with Texans Care for Children and with the support of the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC). In collaboration with TEGAC and Texans Care, Children’s Defense Fund-Texas and five other nonprofit, nonpartisan groups working in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and Waco conducted locally-focused assessments of HB 4 implementation and community Pre-K priorities to inform policy efforts in the 2017 legislative session. The groups' preliminary statewide report can be found here.
If asking parents this simple question could help ensure children stay healthier, do better in school, and even save a child's life, should schools do it? More and more districts around the country are answering with a resounding yes! CDF and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, have just released Happy, Healthy and Ready to Learn: Insure All Children! a toolkit to help schools and districts connect children to health care coverage as part of routine school enrollment. The toolkit offers a clear set of steps, useful tools, tips and lessons learned that we hope superintendents, school districts, teachers and parents across the country will embrace and make connecting uninsured children to health coverage through schools routine in America. Get started now to help #InsureAllChildren.
The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a nonprofit child advocacy organization that has worked for more than 40 years nationally -- and since 1999 in Texas -- to ensure a level playing field for all children. CDF-Texas provides a strong, effective, and independent voice for all the children of Texas who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves.
CDF and AASA, The School Superintendents Association have released an exciting new #InsureAllChildren Toolkit with proven strategies, tips and practical tools school districts can use to help children everywhere come to school happy, healthy and ready to learn. InsureAllChildren.org
Modeled after civil rights efforts, a new Dallas ISD program empowers children with literacy
July 3, 2017, The Dallas Morning News
Rep. Green holds town hall meeting on Medicaid concerns
July 1, 2017, Houston Chronicle
Crowds gather at Texas Capitol to oppose efforts to replace Obamacare
June 30, 2017, Spectrum News