California's Children

Kid nutrition bumped to lame-duck session; First Lady's efforts don't sway LibDems

UPDATE: SEPT. 30: Writing in The Packer, Tom Parst announces that the child nutrition bill, which expires today, was not put on the schedule for a vote by House leadership because there were not enough votes to pass the legislation -- which had become controversial, as some of the monies to fund it were coming from the food stamp (SNAP)  program. In a continuing resolution, the existing bill was extened for two months; at that time, a lame-duck Congress is expected to reconsider the bill. 

As quoted in the Washington Independent, Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger: “I’ve been pulling my punches, and my progressive colleagues have been pulling their punches, because we’re rooting for this administration to succeed,” he said. “But honestly, if George W. Bush did what they’re trying to do, we’d be camping out in front of the White House. Goodwill only goes so far when tens of thousands of children need food.”

  SEPT. 27: The House has scheduled votes on legislation only on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The vote on extending the child nutrition bill, expected last Friday, was postponed because House leaders were "unable to secure the needed two-thirds of the members to vote for the measure." The existing child nutrition bill expires Thursday. If the House does not pass extension legislation, Congress, in order to keep the program from expiring, would have to pass a "continuing" resolution, according to Lorelei DeSogra, at left,  vp of nutrition and health for the United Fresh Produce Association in Washington, D.C.(Reported in The Packer.)

  The blog Politico calls the struggle between the White House (specifically First Lady Michelle Obama, who views the bill as a cornerstone of her anti-childhood obesity campaign) and House Democrats (who oppose taking SNAP $ to pay for the bill) as a "food fight."

Oakland/Kidango child care protesters assured child care will survive budget ax

UPDATE: September 30: Kidango-led child care protest covered by KGO Radio:

Kidango protest

 

KGO also reported that "hundreds" of parents and children marched in yesterday's protest:

...the money runs out in November. State budgets have been overdue in the past and non-profits like the preschool have borrowed from banks before, but this year is different.

"The difference this year is that the Republicans and the governor are saying, 'We're no longer going to fund child care.' So banks look at that and say 'OK, well then we're not going to lend you money because we are not going to get paid back,'" said Assembly Member Mark Chekal-Bain, District 14.

At noon on Wednesday St. Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, joined the parents as they moved to Oakland for a rally near the state building.

Corbett assured that California's child care program will survive.

"The major cuts the governor proposed in the May revise, so far are off the table. So there are

Professional resource: guidelines for preventing child maltreatment

The guidelines issued in the October issue of Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is specific to people in direct patient/family contact in the medical profession, but can be easily adapted (and adopted) by educators, caregivers, social workers, probation officers, psychologists, counselors, etc.

1. Throughout childhood, a thorough social history should be obtained periodically as well as at the first visit. The Bright Futures tool and resource kit contains a parent-screening tool that may facilitate screening for risk factors and family problems, as well as recognizing and enhancing family strengths, resilience, and mediating factors. In addition, this instrument may help identify and address parents' concerns and reinforce effective parenting, which improves strength and feelings of competence.
2. Clinicians should acknowledge that parenting may invoke feelings of frustration and anger, and they should therefore counsel parents about developmental stages that may cause stress or trigger for child maltreatment. This counseling may be incorporated into the health supervision visit or be scheduled as recommended by the Connected Kids counseling schedule.

The List: Fisher-Price recalls 10m toys, including 7m tricycles

Link to exact product numbers and names, today's recall from Mattel/Fisher Price, here.

List, product numbers and names, from all prior Mattel/Fisher Price recalls, here.

As reported by everyone today, including Bloomberg News, where we picked it up:

Fisher-Price, bought by Mattel in 1993, had notified the [US Consumer Product Safety Commission] of certain design and manufacturing flaws, triggering an investigation of the company’s products that found additional defects, said Scott Wolfson, CPSC spokesman. Fisher-Price wanted to do the four resulting recalls at the same time, Wolfson said.

The recalls are led by 7 million Fisher-Price tricycles, after 10 injuries were reported when children struck a protruding plastic “ignition key” on the toy, the agency said. East Aurora, New York-based Fisher-Price also is recalling 2.8 million infant toys, including the Baby Playzone Crawl & Cruise, for choking hazards, the CPSC said.

The toymaker will recall 950,000 high chairs after reports of 14 injuries, including seven children who needed stitches and one treated for a tooth injury. The recalls also cover 100,000 toy cars with wheels that may detach, the agency said.

The agency urged consumers to stop using the toys immediately and contact Fisher-Price at 1-800-432-5437 for repair kits or replacements.

California budget update: still...and still... no cigar

 

UPDATE: Sept. 29: Aides spent two more days ironing out "details of the framework" of the budget deal supposedly reached last week -- two more days with no legislative negotiations, bringing to 91 days the amount of time the state has gone without a budget. According to Reuters, aides said "talks would resume" on Thursday. The Legislature, lest we forget, formally adjourned on September 1, although they will return to vote on the budget when the time comes.

The Associated Press reports:

...Thousands of vendors are owed nearly $3 billion for the first three months of the fiscal year, according to [State Controller John] Chiang's office, but they won't even get IOUs until a budget is approved. That's because state law prevents any sort of payments — even IOUs — without an appropriation from the Legislature, [Controller office spokeswoman Hallye] Jordan said.

That's different from last year, when vendors were paid in interest-bearing IOUs for just the second time since the Great Depression, because the state had a budget but simply ran out of cash.

Until a budget is in place, the pay-you-later warrants would be used, under the law, to pay lottery winners, people owed tax refunds, workers compensation claims and some child development benefits, Jordan said.

Friday, September 24: Despite late-night TV hoopla and misleading headlines, there is still no budget. What there is, is an announcement that the Big Five has had a "breakthrough", they've reached a "framework for agreement." As the Los Angeles Times reported this morning:

As Schwarzenegger and lawmakers began meeting Thursday, how much to spend on K-12 education and how to repay schools what they are owed from past years were among the key sticking points. It is unclear how those issues are being resolved.

Republicans were amenable — for a price — to the suspension of a corporate tax break allowing businesses to deduct losses in one year from taxes paid in another, according to two people close to the negotiations. The sources, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said those discussions were ongoing.

As the summer budget impasse has crept into the fall, a growing number of California's bills are going unpaid — a projected $6 billion through September, according to the state controller.

"It's horribly frustrating and devastating," said Jeremy Tobias, executive director of the Community Action Partnership of Kern, which provides child care services in the Central Valley.

His organization is owed more than $900,000 by the state, he said. As a result, services for more than 3,000 children have been reduced or eliminated. Staff has been laid off or had hours reduced, he said.

"We're expected to carry the state during this period," Tobias said, "and we're just not in a financial position to be able to do that."