IN THE NEWS

IVC Fall Forum, Oct. 24th.

Idaho Voices for Children announces the IVC 3^rd Annual Fall Forum which will take place October 24^th at the Grove Hotel in Boise.

Dr. George Askew, Deputy CEO of Voices for America’s Children will provide a keynote presentation on “Social Entrepreneurship” followed by a policy roundtable to discuss advancing IVC’s 2009 policy priorities. View the entire agenda by clicking here. To attend, register by Oct. 17th by emailing Sara Herring at sara@idahovoices.org.

New KIDS COUNT Data &

Policy Reports

Affordability of Child Care in Idaho

Idaho families struggle to pay for child care in Idaho. This policy brief examines affordability of child care as a problem for low-income working families and employers. The percentage of young children living in families with incomes between 150-200 % of the federal poverty level is greater than any other state, yet Idaho is one of very few states that do not make low-income working families eligible for financial support through the Idaho Child Care Program at this level. Click here to read the entire report.

New Other Source Data & Policy Reports

America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline Report

America’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline Report, recently released by the Children’s Defense Fund, sounds a loud siren of alarm about the tens of thousands of children who are sucked into the Prison Pipeline each year. The crisis is underscored by the fact established in the report that the United States of America is not a level playing field for all children, and that our nation does not protect all children’s lives equally. This report explores how prevention is the cost-effective policy answer. For example, Idaho spends an average of $6,081 per pupil compared to $21,763 per prisoner. Click here to read the entire report. You can also view it on the Idaho KIDS COUNT website.

The Well-Being of Children in Working Poor and Other Families: 1997 and 2004

This new report examines the impact of the 1996 welfare system reform which sought to increase employment and income of needy families and to decrease child poverty. The findings suggest that the increase in working poor families’ share of all poor families has not led to deteriorating child outcomes and indeed is more consistent with the reverse--that increased work effort among low-income families is associated with better child outcomes. Click here to read the entire report.

Welfare Reform after Ten Years: a State-by-State Analysis

This new survey assigns grades to the 50 states based on how they implemented the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. It ranks and grades states by the success of their anti-poverty efforts and by the reform policies they adopted. Idaho ranked as one the best states with the most successful anti-poverty programs. View the entire report by clicking here. You can also access the report here on the Idaho KIDS COUNT website.

Pre Kindergarten Education in Idaho

This new research study conducted by Boise State University Center for Business and Economic Research assesses the extent of pre-k activity in public schools in Idaho. It provides data on pre-k and kindergarten enrollment, discusses legal barriers to public pre-k education, provides an overview of a quality pre-k service system and makes recommendation for policy change. Read the entire report.

Kids’ Share 2008

This annual report on the state of the children’s budget looks comprehensively at trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children. The report reveals that children are a declining priority in the federal budget- a trend that shows no signs of stopping. Read the entire report online or access it on the Idaho KIDS COUNT website.

Visit us on the web at