SPEAK OUT FOR CHILDREN - GET INVOLVED

Parents... Home care providers... Teachers... Employers... Communities of people

Your opinion on early care and education for young children is important and needed.  Our job at the Child Development Council is to help you know the current trends and opportunities for providing input.  A list of lawmakers - local, state, and federal - can be found in our Resource Section.  You may also want to check out our data report, "Trends and Opportunities." On this page you will find "hot topics" and public policy under discussion:

Increase Support for Vulnerable Infants and Toddlers - The Child Development Council recently learned that it will lose $400,000 for services to infants and toddlers.  Family Support Services (parents over the age of 21) and Teen Pregnancy/Parenting program provided parent coaching, self-sufficiency, and access to basic needs including health care 193 families in their homes in 2010.  State legislators need to know the value of prevention and early intervention with families at risk. 

New York State Office of Children and Family Services reduced the Tompkins County allocation by 70% retroactive to October, 2010.

New York State Department of Health has eliminated reimbursement for pregnant and parenting teens from Medicaid Comprehensive Case Management funding. 

These two programs save the community money today (healthy mothers and babies) and in the long run (school and job success, e.g.).

Tompkins County Budget is under Construction - Public hearing on the Tompkins County Consolidated Plan will be held on September 12 at 10:30 a.m. at the Bev Livesay Conference Room at the Human Services Building.  The Plan outlines child welfare services and child care subsidies. 

The County will review the Health Care Budget impact on September 12 at 12:30 a.m. at the Health Department on Brown Road.

Weigh In on the Federal Deficit Negotiations - Negotiations are under way to close the federal deficit - with major cuts in domestic programs under consideration. We have to act now so that cuts don't negatively impact children and families.   (NACCRRA and Winning Beginnings NY)

Universal PreK Needs Public Support - Support the development of Universal PreK spaces in community programs. The infusion of new funding into the early care and educational system is a good thing and children in community-based settings should benefit. (Winning Beginnings NY)

Expand Quality of Care Options - Support the development of a statewide system to rate child care (Quality Stars NY).