35,000 Families in Oregon Could Lose Food Stamps

by Melissa Duclos | Aug 1, 2019 | Action Alerts, Federal Policy

You may have heard that the Trump administration is seeking to change how states enroll people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as food stamps. Learn more about the impact this will have on people—including children—across the country and here in Oregon, and find out what you can do to help.

Submit a Comment Opposing This Change

The Administration’s Proposed Changes

Currently in more than 40 states, people who already receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are automatically enrolled in SNAP. The Trump administration wants to change this, limiting automatic enrollment into the program and disqualifying low-income families who have some assets such as a home or money in savings. The change would eliminate SNAP benefits for three million people nationwide.

According to The Washington Post:

“Current rules give states latitude to raise SNAP income eligibility limits so that low-income families with housing and child care costs that consume a sizable share of their income can continue to receive help affording adequate food. This option also allows states to adopt less restrictive asset tests so that families, seniors and people with a disability can have modest savings or own their own home without losing SNAP benefits.”

The Impact on Children

The New York Times reported this week that 500,000 children living in households that receive SNAP benefits would also lose automatic eligibility for free meals at school.

“Children in households with gross incomes between 185 percent and 200 percent of the poverty line would no longer be automatically eligible for any food assistance at school. And children in households with gross incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty line would be eligible for only reduced-price meals.”

Not surprisingly, research shows that hunger negatively impacts children’s academic achievement and behavior at school.

What Does It Mean for Families in Oregon?

Oregon’s Department of Human Services estimates 35,000 families in Oregon will lose access to SNAP benefits. According to OPB:

“If the rule is passed, it would immediately push anyone in Oregon earning between 130 percent and 185 percent of the federal poverty level—a range of about $33,500 to $47,600 for a family of four—off the assistance program.”

“This really hits home,” says Erin Helgren, Children’s Institute’s site liaison at our Early Works program in Yoncalla. “Nearly 35 percent of our Preschool Promise children will no longer qualify for SNAP benefits.” The Yoncalla School District is busy completing paperwork to receive a USDA Community Eligibility designation in order to ensure children in the district at least continue to receive free breakfast and lunch at school.

This really hits home. Nearly 35 percent of our Preschool Promise children will no longer qualify for SNAP benefits.

Erin Helgren

Early Works Site Liaison

You Can Help Stop These Changes

The Food and Nutrition Service Agency is accepting public comment on proposed changes to SNAP eligibility until September 23. Use the link below to submit your comment urging the government not to change SNAP benefit eligibility. Three million people—500,000 of whom are children—need us to speak up.

Say NO to Changing Food Stamp Eligibility

Early Works Families to Visit Umpqua Community Health Center

by Melissa Duclos | Jul 25, 2019 | CI in the News

News Radio 1240 KQEN reported today on an upcoming visit to the newly opened North Douglas County Family Medicine Clinic. Families participating in our Early Works initiative at Yoncalla Elementary School will visit the clinic on August 1.

Umpqua Community Health Center said the tours are designed to provide health and wellness education, dampen fears commonly associated with clinic visits, and create awareness in the community for services that are offered at the facility. That clinic opened up earlier this month to address unmet healthcare needs in the region, according to the release.

UCHC’s Outreach and Enrollment staff will also be on hand to serve as a resource for community members who do not currently have health insurance to assist them with sign up.

KC Bolton, CEO of UCHC said the opportunity to interact with families is “yet another chance for us to engage, educate and in many ways demystify the experience patients have when they walk through our doors”.

Task Force Recommends Improving Preschool Access

by Melissa Duclos | Jul 24, 2019 | What We're Reading, Preschool

Multnomah County’s Preschool For All Task Force has issued a report calling for better access to affordable, high-quality preschool. In their work, the task force sought to address the following issues:

Limited access to preschool, particularly for families of color, families who speak English as a second language, those experiencing poverty, and those who don’t qualify for public supports but still can’t afford preschool
Shortage of early childhood educators and a poorly paid and undervalued existing workforce
Shortage of preschool classrooms and facilities
Lack of a connected system to support and ensure quality

Children’s Institute Director of Policy & Advocacy Dana Hepper applauded the leadership of County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson for convening the task force and the Multnomah County Commission for providing funding and staff to research the issue. Hepper served on the task force along with CI President & CEO Swati Adarkar, Director of Research & Strategy Dr. Marina Merrill, and Senior Early Education Advisor Soobin Oh.

Oregon is the fourth least affordable state in the country for preschool, according to the report, and public funding reaches very few families who need it. The task force recommends changing income criteria to determine eligibility for access to free preschool, moving from the federal poverty level to the “self-sufficiency standard” that takes into account the costs of housing, child care, and other elements. “This recommendation shows that the task force included people who really understand some of the challenges with existing programs that use the federal poverty level as the primary marker of eligibility,” says Oh.

Other recommendations in the report include developing a mixed-delivery model for preschool that includes culturally specific early learning programs, increasing preschool teacher salaries, strengthening the professional development systems, establishing public funding sources to build new preschool facilities and improve existing facilities, and developing incentives to support preschool infrastructure.

“We now have a clear plan for what Multnomah County needs to do to provide access to preschool for all children in our region and prioritize children of color, those in low-income families, those with diagnosed disabilities or delays, and those who speak a home language other than English,” Hepper explains. “We’re eager for the next phase.”

Read the Full Report

Lane County Recognized as a Grade-Level Reading Pacesetter

by Melissa Duclos | Jul 8, 2019 | Successful Students, Grade Level Reading

“The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) included Lane County, Oregon among its 2018 Community Solutions Pacesetters. According to Ralph Smith, managing director of CGLR, “Recognizing Pacesetters is our way of applauding and thanking the civic leaders, organizations, and agencies that have joined forces to build brighter futures for children in their communities. We are learning with them and from them what it takes to move the needle and close the gap. Mobilized communities—like these Pacesetters—are essential to ensuring school success.”

Lane County was recognized as a pacesetter in two categories: building stronger data systems and focusing on funder collaboration.

Better Data Demonstrates the Impact of Early Education

The data sharing system implemented in Lane County will allow United Way of Lane County, the Lane Early Learning Alliance, Head Start of Lane County, Early Childhood CARES, and five local school districts to track students’ preschool experiences, helping to demonstrate the impact of early childhood programs over time.

“This data sharing … will help us understand better how pre-Kindergarten experiences impact children and prepare them for school as they enter kindergarten as well as longer term outcomes with third grade reading and math scores.”

New Funding Allows for Program Expansion

The Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program, local to Lane County, has been shown to improve school readiness skills for participating children.

“The KITS program … boosts children’s early literacy, numeracy, self-regulation, and social skills just prior to kindergarten through 24 school readiness classes, 12 parent/family workshops, and extensive professional development sessions for school staff.”

The program has received funding from the State of Oregon’s Department of Education, a federal social innovation fund, and community and national foundations. In 2018 the program served 450 children and their families at 25 elementary schools.

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The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a national initiative that seeks to disrupt generational poverty by mobilizing communities to promote early school success for those children currently on the high-risk side of the achievement gap.

Learn More

Oregon’s Legislature Makes Young Kids a Priority

by Melissa Duclos | Jul 3, 2019 | Oregon Policy, Health and Development, Preschool

Oregon’s legislature adjourned on June 30 at 5:30 p.m., just six and a half hours before the constitutionally mandated close of the 2019 session. As we previously reported, the Student Success Act passed in May included historic investments in early childhood programs and services. The bill allocates $400 million in new investments in high-quality preschool, Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE), Relief Nurseries, Early Head Start, parenting education, early childhood workforce development, and an Early Learning Equity Fund. The legislature protected previous funding, so these investments represent an additional commitment to improving the lives of kids and families in Oregon.

We’re very pleased that other priorities listed on the Early Childhood Coalition legislative agenda, including bills to fund universally available voluntary home visiting and address the child care crisis, also passed in the final two days of the session.

Steps to Resolve Our Child Care Crisis

Reflecting a growing awareness of Oregon’s child care crisis, a bill that will create additional infant-toddler care under the program “Baby Promise” and a bill to establish a child care task force championed by Rep. Karin Power both unanimously passed the Senate. Continued funding for child care subsidies were also included in the Department of Human Services budget, which passed the Senate by a vote of 23–4.

Oregon Legislature Gives Families a Boost

With votes of 25–2 in the Senate and 41–10 in the house, the legislature passed an Oregon Health Authority budget that includes funding to implement universally available voluntary home visiting. The funding, championed by Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, will go to expand the successful, evidence-based Family Connects program. This means that all parents of a newborn who want to participate in the program will have the option to receive home visits from a nurse. Families with infants can also celebrate the passage of paid family and medical leave in Oregon. Starting in 2023, House Bill 2005 will allow workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave following a birth, adoption, or illness. Oregon is the eighth state to pass paid family and medical leave. The legislature also passed a bill that included an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for families with at least one child under the age of 3.

Listen In

Dana Hepper, our director of policy & advocacy, and James Barta, strategic director of Children First for Oregon, provide a legislative recap to close out the 2019 session.

There’s Still Work to Be Done

While we celebrate these strides toward funding the proven programs and services that serve young kids and families, we know our work isn’t done yet. Opponents of the Student Success Act have 90 days to collect enough signatures to refer the bill to the ballot. With the passage of SB 116 over the weekend, we now know that if enough signatures are gathered, the ballot measure will go to voters in January 2020.

Oregon’s Full Commitment to Kids and Families

The list below includes bills of interest to the Early Childhood Coalition that passed the legislature this session:

HB 2005 – Paid family & medical leave (this was HB 3031 earlier in session).
HB 2024 – Creates Baby Promise Program (contracted slots for infant-toddler child care).
HB 2025 – Revises the state’s preschool statute.
HB 2027 – Expands what office of child care can consider in a background check.
HB 2262 – Modifies membership of Early Learning Council.
HB 2346 – Establishes a task force on child care.
HB 2897 – Early Childhood Equity Fund. This entire bill was included in the Student Success Act (HB 3427).
HB 3394 – Modifies requirements of Child Care Research and Referral providers.
HB 3427 – Student Success Act.
HB 5015 – Oregon Department of Education, Grant in Aid Budget.
HB 5026 – Department of Human Services Budget, including child care subsidy.
HB 5525 – Oregon Healthy Authority Budget, including public health dollars to implement universally available home visiting (Family Connects).
HB 5047 – Allocates the funds raised in the Student Success Act.
HJM 3 – Urges Congress to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. PASSED.
HJR 15 – Encourages state agencies to follow Child and Early Parenting Principles.
SB 13 – Updates language on special education eligibility for developmental delay to comply with federal law.
SB 116 – Sets special election for the Student Success Act for January 21, 2020.
SB 490 – Prohibits individual with substantiated child abuse from providing child care.
SB 526 – Implements universally available voluntary home visits.
SB 813 – Directs office of child care to follow up on complaints about providers.