Home > WCCF 2009-11 National Policy Priorities

Wisconsin Council on Children and Families’
2009-2011 National Priorities

Wisconsin depends on federal funding to provide vital children’s services from healthcare to child care to nutrition assistance, which means that decisions made in Washington DC can have a big impact on state and local programs.

Juvenile Justice

Reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) remains a  priority for WCCF and juvenile justice advocates.  The Policy Brief titled “Reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act – a Big Step Forward” contains highlights of the proposal that both affirm a national commitment to fair and just treatment of youthful offenders and enhances the federal commitment to promoting cost-effective services that benefit communities and offenders.

Federal investments in various juvenile justice programs may be at risk in the new fiscal climate, including funding for Title V (Prevention) funds, Formula Grants to states for juvenile justice programs, and the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program.  All of these programs saw significant reductions through the past decade, unfortunately during a time when most states and local jurisdictions have made great progress in implementing practice changes that are producing better-than-ever results.  WCCF encourages continued support of these vital juvenile justice programs and a process for awarding grants that is based on the best practice research about what works with youthful offenders.

WCCF supports the National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention’s policy priorities for the Obama Administration and for the 112th Congress.  These priorities establish a vision and direction for juvenile justice policy and investments that will support community safety, ensure developmentally appropriate interventions for youth, and encourage investments in prevention and proven community-based programs.

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Early Education and Care

WCCF supports federal funding for these crucial supports for early care and education:

Child Care and Development Block Grant. Funding for states to ensure that low-income working parents have affordable access to child care and to improve the quality of child care services. Federal child care funding provides crucial support for the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program and for YoungStar, the state's child care quality rating and improvement system.

Head Start and Early Head Start. Expand Head Start and Early Head Start services for low-income children and families. Sustained federal funding is needed to prevent new programs from closing and to maintain services to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Early Learning Challenge Fund. A grant program to states for building comprehensive, high quality early learning systems for children birth to 5. Wisconsin has a strong opportunity to build on recent efforts for quality early learning if this initiative is funded.

As the Congress deliberates on 2011 and 2012 budget levels, there are widely divergent proposals on the table, from significant funding increases to drastic cuts. WCCF strongly believes that investment in early learning and development is cost effective, with an impressive return on investment when quality standards are met.

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SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program)

“Wisconsin Priorities Regarding Congressional Reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).” -- This policy brief summarizes the most important issues for Wisconsin in the Congressional debate this year over SCHIP.  (January 9, 2009)

"Congress Supports Health Care for Millions of Children, Bill Will Help Wisconsin Strengthen BadgerCare Plus," -- WCCF press release summarizing what the new law means for Wisconsin (January 30, 2009).

Child Tax Credit

"Reforming the Child Tax Credit: Will Congress Extend the 2008 Reform?" This 2-page issue brief examines the consequences of not extending the change made in the fall of 2008 to make more low-income families eligible for the child tax credit.  (October 15, 2008).

"What Did the Bank Rescue Package Do for Wisconsin Families? Change in Child Tax Credit Will Benefit Thousands in the State," –- WCCF press release (October 7, 2008).

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Federal Stimulus

If You Missed the Webinar Last Week (2/11/09) ...an archived version of that presentation is now (and will be) available for a few days by clicking on What's the Latest on the Federal Economic Recovery Plan and What Does It Mean for Wisconsin?

Comparative Summary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Its Implications for Wisconsin (February 18, 2009)

Center for American Progress
- See state-by-state data and graph showing the close relationship between unemployment rates and poverty rates in "Recession, Poverty, and the Recovery Act, Millions at Risk of Falling Out of the Middle Class."
- Also, How the Recovery Works."  

Highlights of the House Economic Recovery Package – This 2-page paper summarizes the current House version of the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, focusing on the parts relevant for children and families and for state and local aid.  It includes preliminary estimates of Wisconsin’s allocations if the federal funding is approved (Jan. 27, 2009).

ColorLines – the National News Magazine on Race and Politics. Dominique Apollon, Ph.D,  research director at the Applied Research Center, developed a chart that accesses the racial equity impact in the House stimulus bill. See Assessing Racial Equity Impacts in the House Stimulus Bill.

First Focus has pulled together this good summary of the provisions in the Recovery and Reinvestment Act that would be particularly helpful to low-income families with kids: Child Friendly Stimulus Provisions.

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Federal Budget

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The Citizens for Tax Justice

Resources on National Issues

First Focus

Voices for America's Children

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Who Are My Legislators?

Senator Herbert Kohl

Senator Kohl's Offices:

Senator Ron Johnson

Senator Johnson's Offices:

Find Your Congressional Representative

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