Message from the Deputy Director:
Reflections on Change, the New Constant in our World
by Jim Moeser
The Council, like so many people, communities and organizations, is learning to cope with change on many levels, from the nonprofit funding landscape to internal leadership. In this column, Jim reflects on the need in this evnironment to embrace change and see within it the seeds of opportunity.
________________________________________

New Opportunities to Protect and Improve BadgerCare Plus
by Jon Peacock
The federal government's passage of the CHIP Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) has provided opportunities for Wisconsin to build on the success of BadgerCare Plus by offering additional resources and financial incentives to make positive adjustments to the program.
________________________________________

Virtual Schools: The Current Round of the Educational Technology Debate
by Bob Jacobson
Wisconsin is at the epicenter of the conversation about virtual schools, with more districts offering off-site instructional opportunities for students, more families applying to participate in these virtual programs, and more public dollars up for grabs as the virtual educational landscape evolves.
________________________________________

Poverty Report Card: Wisconsin Shows Promise But Still Underachieving
by Martha Cranley
WCCF has released the second edition of the "Vision 2020 Report Card," outlining the states progress, or in come cases lack thereof, toward the campains goal of ending child poverty in Wisconsin. ________________________________________

What’s Next for the Adam Walsh Act?
by Julie Wesenberg and Jim Moeser
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, signed into law in 2006, requires states to implement a number of measures aimed at protecting kids from repeat sex offenders, including registering sex offenders as young as age 14. There is considerable debate as to whether the likely impact justifies the cost of impementation.
________________________________________

Don't forget to check out the new WCCF blog at wiskids.blogspot.com!

________________________________________

Did you know that you can access all sorts of useful data about the well-being of Wisconsin's children and families via the WisKids Count portion of our website? There are a lot of tools available for county-by-county comparisons and generating tables, charts, etc. Check it out.

And did you know that WCCF publishes e-newsletters on a variety of specific issues, including health care, early education, economic support, juvenile justice and other youth issues, and budget and tax matters? Well, we do. If you are interested in any of these issues, please consider signing up for one or more of these email bulletins. You can also sign up via that page for action alerts and for one or more of our campaigns. Once you see the impressive volume of work we are doing on the issues that matter to you, you will no doubt feel moved to help support this work by making a donation to WCCF.

---