April 16, 2020 COVID-19 Support Programs Webinar Join MomsRising, along with experts from CLASP, National Employment Law Project (NELP), Food Research and Action Council (FRAC), and National Immigration Law Council, on April 21 for “COVID-19 Support Programs Webinar” to learn what you need to know to apply for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. About This online webinar will provide information on how to access the new COVID-19 programs recently passed by Congress, including paid sick days, paid family leave, unemployment insurance, and nutrition assistance. Presenters will also discuss the impacts of these programs on immigrant families. The webinar will take place on Zoom and will include both Spanish and English language options. Registration To register, please visit the event webpage. If you are unable to attend the day of the event, a recording of the webinar and a resource page will be sent out as well after the conclusion of the event.
April 7, 2020 Paying Yourself, Your Staff, and Your Bills: Helping Child Care Programs Are you interested in learning about the different options child care programs can access to get financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic? Join the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on April 9 for the webinar, “Paying Yourself, Your Staff, and Your Bills: Helping Child Care Programs Understand and Navigate SBA Loan Options.” About In addition to the $3.5 billion for CCDBG provided by Congress in the recent CARES Act, there are multiple options for child care programs across states and settings to get financial support to survive this crisis. Since these processes may be complex, NAEYC is bringing together experts from the banking, business, and child care industries for a webinar featuring lessons from the first few days following the opening of the Paycheck Protection Program. By attending, participants will learn how the different options work, which options may work best for them, and what precise steps individuals need to take to apply for them. Register To register, visit the event webpage.
May 7, 2019 Email Congress in Support of the FAMILY Act This week, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on paid family and medical leave, with testimony from expert witnesses, including advocates, a business owner, a state official, and researchers. But without your expertise, they will miss the voice of crucial stakeholders – babies! What You Can Do In advance of the hearing, babies need you to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support comprehensive paid leave for working families – the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act. The Family Act is: Inclusive: Provided to all working people, no matter where they live or the nature of their job; Comprehensive: Offers extensive coverage of personal family caregiving and medical needs; Meaningful: Gives a meaningful duration of leave to allow people sufficient time to meet their care and health needs – at least 12 weeks – and a wage replacement rate and benefit level that makes taking leave financially possible for everyone; Sustainable: Funded in a way that is affordable for workers, employers, and the government without harming other essential programs; and Secure: Protects workers from retaliation or adverse employment consequences for requesting or taking leave. With public demand for comprehensive national paid leave stronger than ever before, now is the time to urge your Members of Congress to cosponsor the FAMILY Act. Take Action Email your Members of Congress now in support of our nation’s babies and families! *Information provided by Zero to Three
February 4, 2019 Ask Congress to Increase Federal Child Care Funding Trying Together and our partners are advocating for greater investments in federal child care funding, and we need your organization to join us. What is happening? Your voices helped achieve historic increases in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds in federal fiscal years 2018 and 2019. We need to build off that success and advocate for increased discretionary CCDBG funding in the federal fiscal year 2020 so that we can continue to address unmet needs. Advocates across the country are asking Congress to increase CCDBG funding by $5 billion. To accomplish this goal, the Budget Control Act caps on non-defense discretionary spending would need to be lifted to provide for such an increase in the Labor/Health and Human Services/Education appropriations bill. Why does it matter? The additional funding would help Pennsylvania children and families access and afford high-quality child care and further support child care programs and teachers. Trying Together, along with our partner early care and education advocacy organizations in Pennsylvania, is gathering signatures for a letter to our congressional delegation. Sign-On Your Support To support an increase in federal child care funding, sign your organization on to the letter by Wednesday, February 20th!
October 2, 2018 Thank Congress for Increased CCDBG Funding The U.S Senate and House of Representatives voted in favor of a Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Defense 2019 spending bill. This measure not only maintains the historic increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in 2018 but includes a $50 million increase! The legislation also includes support for other critical early care and education programs. On September 28, the President signed the bill into law. Why Does It Matter? With increased funding for the 2018 federal fiscal year, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning is able to lift the rate freeze for STAR 1 and 2 providers and increase base rates for all providers by two percent. In addition, the funding will support a pilot to contract for quality slots for infants and toddlers participating in the subsidy program and will further support professional development for child care teachers. The continued support and increase of this line item is critical for Pennsylvania to improve access to high-quality care for children. Take Action Please join us in thanking our members of Congress for understanding the importance of early care and education investments for our youngest children!
