Our Response to Proposed Changes to How We Calculate Poverty

by Dana Hepper | Jun 20, 2019 | Action Alerts, Federal Policy

Dana Hepper is Children’s Institute’s director of policy and advocacy. Below is her public comment on behalf of CI in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to how we calculate the federal poverty threshold.

The Children’s Institute is writing in opposition to the proposed changes to the way the Office of Management and Budget calculates the Official Poverty Measure (OPM). The Office of Management and Budget should continue to use the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U) as their inflation measure.

We are concerned that proposed changes would reduce the OPM over time. This would have an impact on millions of Americans who participate in publicly funded programs to make ends meet and improve the well-being of their families. Critical programs that support the healthy development of children include eligibility criteria related to the OPM. These programs include Head Start and Early Head Start, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Free and Reduced-Price School Meals, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for Women, Infants, and Children, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. If the inflation index for OPM changes to a number that rises more slowly than the current inflation factor, over time fewer and fewer families would have access to support families need to thrive.

Our experience is more families would benefit from access to publicly funded support, beyond those who are currently eligible under the existing OPM. The Office of Management and Budget should therefore consider changes to the way you calculate the OPM to increase the OPM and the number of families considered to be living in poverty. The cost of housing and child care has risen much faster than wages since the OPM measurement was created. A more accurate measure of poverty would factor in real costs for housing and child care.

Oregon has passed legislation this year to expand access to Free and Reduced-Price School Meals and with Women, Infants, and Children program. We are also increasing our investment in Head Start and Early Head Start. We have committed to expanding Medicaid to more children. And we are seeing the results of these investments for children and families, with more children receiving preventive well-child visits, more children enrolled in proven early childhood programs, and a plan to reduce child hunger. The federal government should be similarly exploring how to reach more families who need this support.

Submit Your Own Comment Opposing This Change

Action Alert: Support Measure 101 at the Portland Kick-Off

by Dana Hepper | Nov 21, 2017 | Action Alerts, News

Your income shouldn’t determine whether you can visit a doctor or nurse, or get medicine when you’re sick. Measure 101 protects health care for vulnerable Oregonians, including seniors, people with disabilities, and 400,000 children. That’s why Children’s Institute has joined more than 100 other organizations in endorsing a YES vote on Measure 101 this January.

Getting out the word about Measure 101 is critical. Please join supporters to help spread the word about Measure 101:

Yes on 101 Portland Kick-Off and Canvass
Sunday, December 3 from 12:00-4:00 p.m.
Oregon AFL-CIO (3645 SE 32nd Ave, Portland, OR 97202)

RSVP

Supporters of Measure 101 of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities are welcome to attend for snacks and a rally from 12:00-1:00 p.m. and then we’ll hit the streets together to do some door-knocking! Rain ponchos will be provided. First-timers are very welcome!

Voting Yes on Measure 101 Will Ensure That:

Every child in Oregon has access to healthcare.
Working families, seniors, and people with disabilities keep the care they need.
Health care costs and insurance premiums for hard-working Oregonians are stabilized.
Funds are dedicated by law to health care programs.

Ways and Means Memo on Early Learning Reductions

by Dana Hepper | Apr 24, 2017 | News, Announcements

To: Joint Committee on Ways and Means Co-Chairs – Senator Devlin and Representative Nathanson

From: Black Parent Initiative, Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub, Building Healthy Families, Children First for Oregon, Children’s Institute, Clackamas County, Early Learning Alliance, Early Learning Hub of Central Oregon, Early Learning Washington County, Eastern Oregon Community Based Services, Fact Oregon, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Marion and Polk Early Learning Hub, Northwest Early Learning Council, Oregon AFSCME, Oregon Alliance for Early Intervention, Ready Nation, South Coast Regional Early Learning Hub, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, Yamhill Community Care Organization

Cc: Governor Kate Brown, Senate President Peter Courtney, House Speaker Tina Kotek, Joint Committee on Ways and Means, Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education

Subject: Ways and Means Co-Chairs’ 2017-2019 Target Reduction Lists

Date: April 24, 2017

We write to you with deep concern about the Ways and Means Co-Chairs’ 2017-2019 Target Reduction Lists. The proposed cuts to programs including Preschool Promise, Healthy Families Oregon, the Kindergarten Partnership Fund and the Early Learning Hubs will fundamentally disrupt the system of early childhood that supports high-quality early education and healthy development for the most vulnerable children in Oregon. Currently, 75 percent of vulnerable children are either not being served or not receiving adequate early childhood services. Nor are we providing Culturally Specific Early Learning which can improve outcomes and eliminate structural barriers to learning for children of color.

These reductions will further undermine the state’s ability to ensure Oregon’s children are adequately ready for school. With the third worst graduation rate in the nation, Oregon cannot risk investing less in early education and healthy development. Vulnerable children who do not access high-quality early education are 25 percent more likely to drop out of high school, 50 percent more likely to need special education intervention, and 60 percent less likely to attend college. The graduation rate cannot improve when 25,000 low-income young children still lack access to high-quality preschool.
The cognitive and social-emotional skills learned in preschool are essential for third grade readiness. Reading proficiency by the end of third grade is one of the most important predictors of high school graduation. Of the 2.5 million kids who dropped out of high school nationwide in 2015, over half received the lowest reading scores on the third-grade literacy exam. A third-grader who reads proficiently is four times more likely to graduate from high school than a third-grader reading below grade level.
We understand that revenue and cost savings are necessary to create a budget that meets the needs of Oregonians. The fiscal reality does not negate the state’s responsibility to its children.

The programs and services that help young children are intrinsically connected to programs that help parents remain healthy and ready to work. If parents have steady health care and reliable childcare, they are more likely to participate in the workforce. Their children are also more likely to thrive. Removing 350,000 low-income adults from Medicaid and cutting $20 million from Employment Related Daycare will have the unintended consequence of removing people from the workforce and creating devastating conditions for thousands of Oregon families.

While the target reductions lists thankfully and appropriately maintains funding for EI/ECSE, Head Start, and Relief Nurseries, the proposed cuts destabilize the healthy development of young children who face significant barriers to opportunity. It is incumbent upon the Ways and Means Committee to find sustainable budget solutions that preserve Oregon’s promise, not squander the future of Oregon’s children.

Download this memo as a PDF file

Take Action: Keeping the Promise

by Dana Hepper | Feb 4, 2016 | Action Alerts, News, Oregon Policy

The 2016 legislative session In 2015, the Oregon Legislature made a promise to Oregon’s children. They invested in Preschool Promise, a program that will provide high-quality preschool to more than 1,000 kids from low-income families.

This critical investment is now being threatened and we need your help!

Pick up the phone and call the leaders of the Ways and Means Committee. We hope you’ll help us ensure that Oregon keeps its promise to underserverd children.

Here’s your talking points, including who to call.

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