The State of Preschool 2008, released by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), ranks all 50 states on the percentage of children served and spending per child for 2007-2008.  It also compares the number of quality benchmarks met.

The Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) met seven out of 10 NIEER quality standards benchmarks and recent advances will have a positive impact on the other benchmarks.

For example, during 2008, Voices for Virginia’s Children co-led the campaign to foster public and legislative support for the governor’s expansion of VPI.  In response to effective advocacy, legislators allocated $23 million so that an additional 7,000 low-income four year olds (2,000 in Northern Virginia) now have access to quality preschool.  During the current governor’s administration, the number of slots has increased by 34 percent and state funding has increased by 40 percent.

During the 2009 General Assembly session, officials demonstrated further commitment to the program.  Despite needing to make severe budget cuts, the General Assembly supported the governor’s request to preserve current VPI spending.

Given the strong public and legislative consensus in Virginia that pre-k for low-income four-year-olds is a sound investment, further expansion is likely once the state’s revenue picture improves.

Kathy May is Director of the Northern Virginia Office of Voices for Virginia’s Children, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation through the Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative.

A new study, "Predicting Poverty in the Commonwealth,” released by The Commonwealth Institute and Voices for Virginia’s Children forecasts that children will be hardest hit by the current economic recession and rising unemployment rates.

As unemployment worsens in the state, there will be a significant increase in the number of children living in poverty.  Unemployment could push an additional 122,000 to 218,000 Virginians into poverty this year, with children accounting for between 44,000 and 73,000 of this increase. 

This would represent up to a 30 percent increase in the child poverty rate in the state. The poverty threshold for a family of four in Virginia is a yearly income of just over $21,000.

Though the effects of the current economic downturn and rising poverty will be felt more deeply in regions already troubled by chronically high unemployment and poverty, additional families pushed into poverty will further strain local economies in our current safety net system across the state.

Northern Virginia hasn’t experienced the high unemployment rates that other regions have.  January 2009 unemployment in the region is a relatively low 3.9 percent. 

However, of the 250,000 children already living in poverty statewide, nearly 28,000 (or 13 percent) of them live in Northern Virginia.  As unemployment rates rise, another 6,000 to 9,000 children in the region will join their ranks. (Northern Virginia is composed of Alexandria City and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties).

Living in poverty exposes children to multiple risks to healthy adjustment. 

Evidence indicates that children pushed into poverty by a recession are likely to remain poor for at least several years after the recovery starts.  The cumulative impact across time often has harmful impacts on child development, reducing the prospect the child will reach full potential and causing higher rates of many social, behavioral, educational and occupational problems.

Studies have shown that the long-term impacts of child poverty show up most strikingly in three areas: lower educational attainment, occupational status and earnings; poorer health status; and, higher rates of criminal behavior.

In addition to the human toll exacted by childhood poverty, the economic toll is substantial: diminished human capital and higher rates of costly social problems limit economic growth and future prosperity.

The report notes that increases in food stamp caseloads, food bank demands, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Medicaid enrollment are early indicators of economic vulnerability.

During 2008, the first year of the recession, food stamp caseloads in Virginia increased sharply.  In Northern Virginia, caseloads rose by 12 percent over the previous year.

This is important to note because food stamps are a reliable early indicator of increasing economic distress and poverty. The impact on Virginia’s children is substantial, as 57 percent of Virginia households receiving food stamps include children.

During the same period, TANF caseloads in Virginia increased by 8 percent.  The increase in Northern Virginia was 5 percent. 

Based on this early rise in caseloads, and on the percentage increase in TANF cases during the relatively mild 2001 recession (10 percent), we can expect TANF cases in this recession to increase by more than 10 percent, and for that increase to persist for several years beyond the start of the recovery.

Enrollment in Medicaid and Virginia’s children’s health program, Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS), has increased by 4.8 percent from December 2007 to December 2008.

Kathy May is director of Voices for Virginia’s Children Nothern Virginia office.  Voices for Virginia’s Children is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

President Obama signed the economic stimulus package into law yesterday afternoon.  Many people in the nation’s capital and state capitals around the country will be combing through it in the days and weeks ahead to understand the scope and breadth of what it does – and doesn’t – do.

At The Women’s Foundation, we wondered: What does this historic legislation do to help women and girls in our region preserve and even increase their economic security?

Nationally, according to the White House, the bill will create or save about 3.5 million jobs in the next year.  The President’s economic advisors estimated (before he was inaugurated) that that about half of those jobs would go to women.

More locally, also according to the White House, the bill will create or save at least 12,000 jobs in the District of Columbia, 16,000 jobs in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties (Maryland), and 8,300 in Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the City of Alexandria (Northern Virginia). 

If half of these jobs are held or filled by women, that means about 18,000 jobs saved or created for women in our region.

A quick look at some of the investments in economic security-related programs in the bill also gives us much to be hopeful about, including:

Investments in skills training. The new law adds nearly $3 billion to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which supports job training and other services, which, in our region, go primarily to women. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that $9.7 million of the funds will flow to the District of Columbia, $29 million to Maryland, and $32 million to Virginia.

Of the $3 billion, $500 million is for the WIA adult program, and the law requires states to give recipients of public assistance and other low-income individuals priority access to training. Many of those helped by this provision especially are likely to be women, particularly single women with children.

Increases for child care assistance.  The new law adds $2 billion to the Child Care and Development Block Grant.  The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) estimates that the District of Columbia will receive nearly $2.7 million of these funds, Maryland will receive $24 million, and Virginia will receive $37.9 million.

Improvements in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program.  Changes in the UI program are likely to increase significantly the number of women workers (as well as part-time and low-wage workers) eligible for benefits.  The law also includes a $25 per week increase in UI benefits, which the National Employment Law Project (NELP) estimates will help more than 35,000 people in the District, 241,000 in Maryland and 247,000 in Virginia.

Expansion of programs to help trade-affected workers.  The stimulus expands eligibility for the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to service sector and public sector workers who lose their jobs as a result of trade and doubles the program’s funding for training. This could significantly increase the number of women who receive income support, training and other benefits through the program.

Funding for training and other services for women in highway construction.  The law includes $20 million for training and related services to help women and minorities pursue careers in highway construction (through the US Department of Transportation).

Increase in funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly Food Stamps).  The law adds $20 billion to increase benefits through 2013. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that this will help about 99,000 in the District, 412,000 in Maryland, and 594,000 in Virginia.

Taken together, these investments in the stimulus package are a sign of hope. Not only will they channel much-needed dollars into our region, but also they are an acknowledgement that our nation’s leaders recognize what we have known all along: Investments in women and girls are the best, fastest, surest way to ensure the economic stability of a family, a community and a nation.

Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation.

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Mary’s Center to learn about the work done by our organization for families and children in the nation’s capital. 

Her first official visit to a D.C.-based nonprofit was a great honor for all of us who have been involved in Mary’s Center. She recognized our accomplishments over the last 20 years, providing a safety net and improving the health and well being of thousands of families in our community.

During her time with us, I talked with Mrs. Obama about the multiple needs of our clients and the uniqueness of the Mary’s Center model of comprehensive services. She was deeply touched by the powerful personal accounts of several of our participants, who spoke about the impact that Mary’s Center has had on their lives and how we have helped to strengthen their communities in countless positive ways.

The First Lady read Brown Bear Brown Bear to a group of toddlers from our Family Literacy Program and inspired our Teen Program participants with her words of hope.

We at Mary’s Center are on the front lines of the most critical issues facing our country today.  Every day, through our work, we are proving that transformational change is possible.

I hope that through this visit, Mrs. Obama deepened her understanding of the issues affecting our nation’s most vulnerable families and children.  I also hope that she views our comprehensive social change model as a solution that could be replicated throughout the country to improve the health and well being of our underserved citizens.

As all of you know, the stimulus package before Congress includes aspects of many health services provided by organizations like Mary’s Center.  Moving forward, we look forward to advising Mrs. Obama’s staff on how to implement the policies that will result from the package, particularly those that directly affect women and children.

As we cherish the opportunity of being the first community organization officially visited by the First Lady, we also look forward to the Obama Administration’s initiatives to improve health access through a comprehensive health reform that will benefit the communities we serve.

For photos and more information about the First Lady’s visit to Mary’s Center:
DCist coverage
Washington Grantmakers coverage
Mary’s Center Web site

Maria S. Gomez, RN, MPH, is president and CEO of Mary’s Center, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

The fourth annual Washington Area Women’s Foundation Stepping Stones Research Briefing will be held the morning of Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at The Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

The Women’s Foundation and The Urban Institute co-sponsor the annual research briefing.  This year’s will highlight research on issues relevant to low-income, women-headed families.

Stepping Stones is The Women’s Foundation’s multi-year initiative focused on increasing economic security and financial independence for low-income, women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan area. The Stepping Stones Research Briefing provides an opportunity for The Women’s Foundation and its partners to learn about the latest research that can inform their work supporting this population.

The first three research briefings each drew audiences of over 100, including representatives from community-based organizations, funders, government agencies, and research institutions.

Persons interested in participating in this year’s research briefing should submit an abstract of their research and findings (no more than 1,000 words) to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 13, 2009.  Abstracts should make clear how the research is relevant to issues facing low-income, women-headed families and those who are working to assist these women.

We are particularly interested in abstracts related to how best to protect women’s economic security in a recession, including submissions on:
• Changing Demographic and Economic Conditions for Women
• Increasing Income, Building and Preserving Assets
• Workforce Development and Emerging Employment Sectors
• Job Retention and Work Supports (including public benefits)
• Early Care and Education
• Health and Safety

Final selection of presenters will be made by March 31, 2009.

Copies of all presentations, as well as audio recordings of the entire event, will be posted on The Urban Institute’s Web site after the event.  Presentations from last year’s research briefing can be found here.  More information on the 2007 and 2008 research briefings is available at The Women’s Foundation.org.

Questions about the research briefing should be addressed to Peter Tatian or Gwen Rubinstein at The Women’s Foundation.

Please share this announcement with anyone who may be interested.

The Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative is thrilled to announce grants totaling $300,000 for area nonprofit organizations to expand access to and improve the quality of early care and education for low-income children in the region.

Six local groups are each receiving $50,000 grants – the first set of grants made by the Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative.

Launched last October by The Women’s Foundation, the Collaborative is a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership between foundations and corporations to improve early care and education programs by investing in partners focused on strategic advocacy and industry building efforts.

The six organizations receiving the first grants are:

• DC Appleseed, to increase the wages of child care workers in the District;
• CentroNía, to increase the number of bilingual trainers and advisers in Maryland who can help entry-level teachers get their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential;
• Empower DC, to define a policy agenda and train grassroots leaders to serve as advocates to ensure early care and education is a priority for District leaders;
• Fairfax Futures, to expand school readiness partnerships in the county so child care professionals can prepare low-income children to start kindergarten ready to learn and succeed;
• Hopkins House, to help low-income women in northern Virginia earn their CDA credential and partner with Northern Virginia Community College to ensure their CDA credits can be applied toward an associate’s degree in early childhood education; and,
• Voices for Virginia’s Children, to advocate on behalf of young children, families and child care programs to expand the Commonwealth’s quality rating systems to more Northern Virginia child care programs.

Current members of the Collaborative include PNC Bank, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Boeing Co, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, CityBridge Foundation, Freddie Mac Foundation, Meyer Foundation and Rocksprings Foundation.

More information:
Complete grant docket. 
Full press release.
Washington Business Journal article highlighting the grants.

HyeSook Chung is The Women’s Foundation’s program officer overseeing the Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• A New York Times editorial calling for more rights for caregivers mentions that most are impoverished women.

• The Washington Post profiles a group of young women who have moved to a troubled D.C. neighborhood to do missionary work for the poor.

• The Miami Herald covers a school that brings engineering and robotics to low-income girls.

• The Knoxville News Sentinel runs an editorial arguing for pro-life policies from the new Administration, saying that they will benefit the poor.

• Following a personal appeal from President Obama, who was seeking bipartisan support for his new stimulus bill, House Democrats cut family planning benefits for the poor, as reported by the Associated Press.

• A Montana plan developed in response to teen pregnancy would allow CHIP to cover the cost of birth control, as reported by the Associated Press.

• An Associated Press article cites experts claiming that poverty in Mississippi is attributable to single parents.

• As noted by the Associated Press, a new mobile cancer screening lab for low-income Louisiana residents will offer mammograms.

• The Lincoln Journal Star focuses on single moms pursuing degrees.

• An Idaho food bank unknowingly gave out fish tainted with mercury, which the Associated Press indicates is dangerous for pregnant women.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

As the economic stimulus package inches closer to Congressional approval and President Obama’s signature, many have focused on who is in and who is out – especially men versus women.

While predictable, this is not particularly productive.

Yes, men’s unemployment is rising faster than women’s.  Losses in the manufacturing and construction sectors have hit men particularly hard.

Still, unemployment among women is also rising, just not as fast. 

As usual, the losses are falling particularly hard on women-headed families, many of whom were also struggling before the recession. 

In addition, if history is any guide, we know women’s unemployment is likely to increase later in the recession.

In the work of repairing the economy, our policymakers need to find the wisdom to focus on the totality of the challenge for all Americans and the courage to question their assumptions.

One assumption I nominate for the recycle bin is that infrastructure jobs (and, for that matter, “green” jobs) are not and cannot be jobs for women.

Here at The Women’s Foundation, through investments made in our Stepping Stones Initiative, we have generated a lot of learning about how to support women in training for non-traditional occupations, such as construction.  Women who have completed these programs have gone on to good jobs with family-sustaining wages and benefits.

Here is one example from Washington Area Women in the Trades (a joint project of the Community Services Agency of the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, Wider Opportunities for Women and the YWCA of the National Capital Area.

J. H. started in June 2008 as a ‘Transformer Tester Helper’ in general utility operations training at the PEPCO facility on Benning Road. The experiences she gained at the Washington Area Women in the Trades program helped her attain this very competitive job, which will put her on a solid career path, allowing her to help support her family and eventually to purchase a home. She starts at a great pay grade – double the minimum wage – and with a generous employee benefits package. After 12 months and after successfully completing the PEPCO exam, she will make even more.

Of course, this kind of success requires more than a physical program. To be successful, women need a rich and stable array of supports to sustain them during training and on the job, including child care, transportation, access to health care and access to financial education to help them reduce their debt, improve their credit and save for the future.

(I’m guessing men probably need some, if not all, of this, as well.)

Because Stepping Stones is a comprehensive and long-term initiative, it invests in all of these services to support low-income, women-headed families in our region.

Even in difficult economic times, we have continued to see our investments reap benefits for these women, their families and our community. I can only hope that our national leaders will look out of the windows of their Washington offices and into our greater Washington community for inspiration and help.

Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation.

On the day after President Obama was sworn in just a few blocks from our office, the staff of The Women’s Foundation thought we’d offer our congratulations, along with (of course) a few items for our wish list of action on the part of the new President. 

So, in the spirit of, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America," we respectfully ask:

Dear Mr. President, Please be holistic in your policies to improve the economic security of low-income women with children. We know what works – although we don’t always act as if we really do. Good policies and programs include income support (or paid time off for participating in training or re-training), child care and transportation (critical work supports), access to health (including dental and biopsychosocial) assessments and services, financial education (debt reduction, credit repair, savings) and access to other needed social services. They also cannot stop when the woman walks out of the training program and into a new job."  Sincerely, Gwen Rubinstein

Dear Mr. President, I urge you to take immediate action to reverse the damage done by new rule adopted in the 11th hour of the Bush Administration, which allows individual health care providers to deny critical information to patients based on the providers’ personal biases. The patient may not even know what’s missing. This rule is particularly damaging for low-income women whose access to health care is already limited.  Please, tell congress to withdraw this damaging rule.  I also ask that you invest in a new green economy. Not only will you work to stop global warming, but you can revitalize our economy through new job growth. We know the best way to improve the lives of communities is to stabilize family income. New jobs in high-growth industries such as this one will go a long way to improving our homes and country, inside and out.  Thanks!  Allison Mitchell 

Dear President Obama, My wish for your administration is that every time you consider a policy or program, you think about the amazing and strong women in your life – your wife, daughters, sister, mother-in-law, mother and grandmother – and think about what that policy would mean for them. Would it keep them safe or put them at risk?  Would it open the door to new opportunities for them or shut them out?  Given the incredible impact on your life that all of these women have had already, their continued guidance can only ensure that your message of hope, inclusiveness and understanding becomes a reality during your administration.  Sincerely, Sharon Levin

Dear President Obama, I would ask you to keep in mind in your staffing and appointments the importance of women’s leadership, which does make an impact in ensuring that decision-making reflects the needs, concerns and realities of women and families.  In addition, just as you are a model of leadership for a new generation who will no longer see race as a barrier to achievement, so too is it important to have similar models for young women showing that gender need not pose a challenge or deterrant to any of their dreams and choices.  Sincerely, Lisa Kays

Dear Mr. President, I hope that all little children to have access to quality early education programs so that they may succeed in school and life.  Sincerely, HyeSook Chung 

But most of all, we congratulate you, and wish you the best as you and your Administration work to lead our nation at a time of such challenge and opportunity.

Do you have any ideas or requests of the new President and his Administration for how they can work to improve the lives of women and girls?  Leave them in comments!

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• The Washington Post writes that a day care center’s relocation will create a burden for low-income mothers.
• The Washington Times summarizes what an Obama administration might mean for feminism, abortion rights, and domestic violence legislation.
• Struggling moms and an elderly woman are the focus of a Chicago Tribune piece on homeless families.
• The Los Angeles Times considers popular television programs’ portrayals of teen pregnancy.
• A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial calls for stronger marriage to cut down on the number of families run by single mothers.
• The Miami Herald writes that teen pregnancy has increased for the first time in over a decade.
• The recession might force a breast cancer hotline for low-income women to shut down, according to New York Newsday.
• As noted by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the new Missouri Secretary of Health and Human Services has inspired controversy over her pro-choice views.
• The Associated Press announced that a new health program for low-income women has been started in Missouri.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.