Across the country, in every state and U.S. territory, literally thousands and thousands of community events were planned this spring as part of a massive effort – sometimes coordinated, sometimes not – to ensure an accurate count of young children in the 2020 Census. Then the coronavirus pandemic happened. So child advocates, hoping to avoid the massive undercount of young children that occurred ten years ago, have had to adeptly shift to adjust strategies. Here’s a snapshot of how advocates in Alabama, Indiana, Nevada, New York, and Oklahoma are quickly pivoting.
Archives: Voices
Nearly 400 groups tell Congress: Invest in robust spending to improve Americans’ lives
Nearly 400 groups, including the Coalition on Human Needs, this week urged leading appropriators in Congress to allocate a greater share of funds in fiscal year 2021 to programs controlled by the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. Even as Congress grapples with special funding to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, it remains necessary to support the basic programs that protect health and provide the tools for economic recovery.
Coronavirus and immigrant detainees: ‘All locations in this jail are communal’
Across the United States, advocates like Never Again Action and Amnesty International are urging for the immediate release of 38,000 detained immigrants in order to protect them from COVID-19. Numerous detention facilities are holding children for more than 200 days, 10 times what is allowed under a long-standing settlement agreement. Children are spending their first birthdays, speaking their first words, and taking their first steps detained in petri dishes
Counting All Kids Amid COVID-19: How Early Education Advocates Are Supporting the Census
In late February, a panel of experts at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Public Policy Forum highlighted the tremendous efforts underway to ensure that all children and babies are counted in the 2020 Census. Across the country, early childhood educators were preparing to engage families in conversations about the importance of being counted and teach students about the decennial tradition. Providers and directors were setting up stations at the entrance of facilities for parents to complete the census before dropping off or picking up children. Advocates were planning census parties, printing flyers, designing census onesies and bibs, and more. Then, the COVID-19 crisis hit.
CHN calls for reopening comment period on Trump Administration poverty proposal; says any change to current measurement must be based on science and careful analysis
CHN this week asked the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to extend or reopen the comment period on a Trump Administration proposal to change the way poverty is measured, and emphasized that any change should be based on scientific research and careful analysis of how vulnerable Americans would be affected. In a letter written and submitted by CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein, CHN emphasized that the comment period should be extended or reopened till at least one month after the conclusion of the current state of emergency relating to the coronavirus pandemic.
What the U.S. can learn from the Norwegian “Dugnad”
March 16th, I arrived safely at home in Norway after my internship in Washington, D.C. was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. As soon as I arrived at home in Norway I could see and feel clearly that the Norwegian government was taking the situation seriously. Every press briefing treated the COVID-19 virus with the solemn attitude that such a serious situation demands. From the beginning of March, the Norwegian government initiated the strongest measures that the country has experienced since World War II. It was a stark contrast to leaving a country where the leader had continuously downplayed the severity of the situation.
Coronavirus and front-line workers: ‘If they are required to work, they must be kept safe’
If you examine the difference between the current crisis and previous crises our nation has faced – such as the Great Recession of 2008 – one thing that stands out the most is fear for our personal safety. Not just the fear of personally contracting the virus – although there is certainly that – but also deep-rooted fears that loved ones might get sick because they are not properly protected at work.
Coronavirus and homelessness: A ticking time bomb
Robbie is a homeless man living in Polk County, Florida. He has faced serious physical and mental health challenges and now, in the wake of coronavirus, he feels misunderstood and underrepresented. He notes, “[the government has] already failed us, I believe they should look out for us while this pandemic is going on. It’s a nightmare on top of a nightmare and we feel left out.” How do you self-isolate if you don’t have a home?
Now more than ever: We can’t count fewer people in poverty!
Right now, the Trump administration is trying to change the way poverty is measured so fewer people are counted. They’re asking for public comment on their proposal to change the way poverty is measured by April 14. Changing the way poverty is defined under these circumstances is a bad idea: The poverty measure allows for research to show the extent of poverty and leads to standards used to determine who gets benefits like food assistance, housing vouchers, health benefits, and more.
Urgently Needed to Protect Our People and Our Economy: The Next Steps Congress Must Take to Counter the Pandemic
The health crisis and economic crisis are intertwined. The economy will not improve until people can be safe enough to leave their homes. For that, we need COVID-19 testing, treatment, and time. And the economy will not improve if the testing, treatment, and time out of work have buried people in debt and caused them to lose their jobs or homes. In every economic downturn, ensuring that low- and moderate-income people have money to spend is the most effective way to jump-start the economy. That is especially true in this deep crisis.
Coronavirus and xenophobia: ‘When people look at us, they just don’t see us as American’
The global panic surrounding the novel coronavirus has incited widespread anxiety, helplessness, and even panic-buying hundreds of rolls of toilet paper. However, another pandemic response has reared its ugly head: prejudice. COVID-19 panic has exposed deep-seated xenophobia within Western culture and it has led to a disgusting display of hostility toward Asian Americans. This xenophobia has manifested itself in a very racist coronavirus narrative, one that has been perpetuated by some Americans as well as the Trump Administration.
Urgent: CHN April 3 Webinar — Congress and COVID-19: What Passed and What Comes Next. Register Today.
Register now: On Friday, April 3, from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET, CHN will host a webinar entitled, “Congress and COVID-19: What Passed and What Comes Next.” Learn about the historic $2.3 trillion relief and recovery legislation enacted by Congress, and how it responds to the massive public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation enacted so far takes some important steps towards protecting people and shoring up the economy. But it does not do enough, and Congress will have to return to ensure that the people most in need get adequate help. Advocates and service providers nationwide need this information!