What’s New?

Newark Kids Count report shows progress made, more work needed

Posted on March 16, 2017

For the roughly 68,000 children that call Newark home, improvements in key areas of child health and an increase in both preschool enrollment and high school graduation rates point to progress in the state’s largest city, according to the Newark Kids Count 2017, released today.

The annual data report by Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ), which tracks trends in child well-being in Newark, found a decrease in uninsured kids, births to teens and admissions to the hospital for asthma.

While this is encouraging, 70 percent of Newark children live in low-income households – compared to the state average of 32 percent, and 62 percent of families spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent.

“What’s also troubling is the limited child care options for working families,” said Cecilia Zalkind, ACNJ president and CEO. “With more than 7,300 Newark children receiving child care subsidies, it’s imperative that parents have access to reliable care, without having to worry about missing work or whether their child is well-cared for.”

Since 2012, the number of licensed child care centers in Newark declined dramatically, from 190 to 144, and the overall capacity fell by 11 percent. Fewer family day care providers are caring for children in their own homes, a decrease of 9 percent since 2012.

On the positive front, a significant increase in the New Jersey Earned Income Tax Credit from 20 percent to 30 percent in 2015 helped 22,000 Newark families with children receive an average credit amount of $950 from $620.

“Higher than average refunds mean more money in the pockets of Newark’s working families to help them make ends meet,” Zalkind said. “This was a welcomed boost, especially when you consider the high costs of raising a child in New Jersey.”

Some key Newark findings follow.

Health. In 2015, only 6.5 percent of Newark’s children lived without health insurance. As of March 2016, nearly 70,000 children received health insurance through NJ FamilyCare – a 26 percent increase from 2012.

Newark’s infant mortality rate rose to a rate of 11.6 in 2014, up from 8.6 the previous year. The city has consistently maintained higher infant mortality rates than the state,  but the disparities in infant mortality appear to have grown over the past two years for which data was available – 2013 and 2014.

Early Education. For the 2015-16 school year, 6,821 students attended full-day public preschool in Newark – a 9 percent increase from 2011-12 school year.

During this same period, kindergarten enrollment decreased for Newark’s district schools, but increased dramatically for its charter schools.  As a result, the overall public kindergarten enrollment increased by 13 percent for Newark.

Chronic Absenteeism. Newark’s rates of chronic absenteeism for the 2015-16 school year show higher rates of absenteeism for high school students at 48 percent, with 38 percent of ninth graders  and 59 percent of seniors chronically absent in Newark’s district schools. Newark’s K – 8th grade chronic absenteeism rate in district schools was 23 percent.

School breakfast. During the 2016-17 school year, 59 percent of Newark students in both district and charter schools started the day with a healthy morning meal at school.

Between the 2011-12 and 2015-16 school years, Newark’s charter schools saw their number of students qualifying for school meals nearly double. Enrollment in Newark’s charter schools increased substantially during this same time period, contributing to the charters’ notably higher numbers in school meal eligibility and participation. Still, while 83 percent of charter students eat lunch at school, fewer than half—46 percent—start the day with school breakfast, compared to 65 percent in Newark’s district schools.

Juvenile Arrests. Juvenile arrests decreased from 533 arrests in 2011 to 394 in 2015, in addition to the annual number of admissions to juvenile detention, although African American youths continue to be overrepresented in the detention population.

Access report.

###

Advocates for Children of New Jersey is the trusted, independent voice putting children’s needs first for more than 35 years.  Our work results in better laws and policies, more effective funding and stronger services for children and families.  And it means that more children are given the chance to grow up safe, healthy, and educated.  For more information, visit www.acnj.org.  Follow ACNJ on Twitter @acnjforkids and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/acnjforkids.

KIDS COUNT® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Follow Annie E. Casey Foundation on Twitter @aeckidscount and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KIDSCOUNT.

Tackling Absenteeism in Plainfield: Early Childhood Taking the Lead

Posted on March 8, 2017

Behind every student absence is a story. Behind chronic absenteeism data are the daily challenges of teachers, families and children.
Peter Chen, Staff Attorney

As districts have taken action and recognized that student attendance is essential to student success, ACNJ has been invited to districts across the state to present chronic absenteeism data and strategies. During ACNJ’s visit to Plainfield’s early childhood directors’ and family workers’ meeting, educators told us about chronic health issues, irregular work and child care schedules, and inadequate transportation for young children to get to school.

My colleague Cynthia Rice and I call it our “traveling roadshow,” presenting ACNJ’s findings on chronic absenteeism to schools, professional groups, and parents across New Jersey. Chronic absenteeism (the rate of students missing more than 10 percent of school days) has become a core issue for ACNJ.

These trips serve two functions – one, to educate folks about the importance of improving school attendance with possible solutions, and two, to hear from people on the ground about successful strategies to get students to school every day.

In Plainfield, Early Childhood Programs Director Evelyn Motley saw the issue firsthand, noting that what the Plainfield preschool providers see eventually trickles up through the public schools. The district saw that attendance was a consistent issue and that excessive absences could be tamed by strategic effort.

The early childhood directors highlighted that preschool classrooms face additional hurdles in ensuring regular attendance:

  1. Dispelling “It’s just babysitting/day care.” We know how powerful high-quality preschool can be in helping kids succeed in elementary school and beyond. The evidence for the value of preschool is overwhelming. But for families, the link between story time and a lifetime of reading is less tangible.
  2. Small obstacles are bigger for young children. If a parent’s car breaks down, an older child may be able to take public transportation or walk to school on their own, while there is less flexibility with a 4-year-old. In addition, if a parent’s work schedule changes and he/she cannot acquire before-school child care for the youngest child, fewer care options are available to that parent. These small obstacles can become insurmountable for families in poverty, especially if they have young children.
  3. Little kids get sick. Health is often listed as the top reason why preschoolers and kindergartners miss school. But behind each “sick day” is a deeper story of a child’s health. Educators in Plainfield discussed the disconnect between schools and the health care system, as well as poor understanding by parents of when a child should stay home (such as experiencing high fever or vomiting) and when a child should still go (headache, seasonal allergies). (PDF flyer “When Is Sick Too Sick”)

Taking a look at its attendance numbers, Plainfield has put in place exciting new policies and practices to reduce absenteeism, including:

  • better attendance data-tracking and regular feedback to directors,
  • calls home from family workers after only two absences,
  • incentive programs for regular attendance, and
  • inclusion of attendance data in health, behavioral intervention, and teacher feedback.

ACNJ looks forward to seeing the results from Plainfield’s effort to give kids a good start with good attendance in preschool. The early childhood directors and family workers voiced a strong commitment to integrating attendance into all the work they do. This kind of strategic approach to addressing chronic absenteeism can help turn the curve and create a culture of school attendance throughout the district.

Cynthia and I always learn a lot from our absenteeism roadshow, and we’re heartened by the daily changes taking place throughout the state to tackle this critical issue.

Sincerely,

Peter Chen
Staff Attorney

NJ serves up more summer meals in 2016 Sites

Posted on March 7, 2017

Sponsors sought for 2017

New Jersey Department of Agriculture data show that New Jersey communities served up summer meals to nearly 84,000 children on an average day in July 2016 through three federal summer meals programs. That means an average of about 4,700 more children received a summer meal each day, translating to 6 percent increase over July 2015, according to a report by Advocates for Children of New Jersey.

In addition, the number of sites where children living in low-income communities could receive a meal increased 21 percent from 1,113 in 2015 to 1,351 in 2016, according to state data.

Read release.

Read report.

Resources to help undocumented families understand their rights

Posted on March 2, 2017

ACNJ has received calls related to immigration and the impact of recent executive orders on undocumented families here in New Jersey. Below are helpful resources to help families understand the executive orders and ensure their children are cared for in the case parents are unable. If you or your organization is aware of other resources, please share them with us and post to ACNJ social media. ACNJ will continue to share other resources as we learn of them.

The National Immigration Law Center –   Share their Know Your Rights fact sheet which is also available in Spanish.

Child Advocacy Clinic, Rutgers Law School –  They have prepared a fact sheet with tips for undocumented parents that includes a Power of Attorney parents can use to ensure their children are cared for in the case they are unable.  View Spanish bilingual version.

Read their Frequently asked questions on Power of Attorney.

Immigrant Legal Resource Center – This website provides community resources, including a family preparedness plan. View Spanish version.

US Department of Education – View their fact sheet for families and school staff on limitations on Department of Homeland Security immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations or “Safe Zones”.  This DHS guidance is also available by accessing the link at https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/sensitive-locations-faqs

ACNJ highlights on proposed NJ FY2018 Budget

Posted on March 1, 2017

State Budget Highlights for Children and Families
Governor Christie unveiled his proposed FY 2018 budget on Tuesday, February 28. Details are still sparse and will emerge in the coming weeks. The budget will be debated in the state Legislature over the next few months and a final budget must be adopted by June 30. Changes could occur during that time. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Here is what we know so far:

State Aid to Schools
The Governor recommended a small increase (0.2 percent) for direct state aid for schools bringing the total amount to $9.2 billion. Direct school aid represents approximately 26 percent of the $35.5 billion proposed budget. Formula aid remains at the FY 2017 level ($7.9 billion). While Governor Christie did not recommend any direct changes to the formula at this time, he strongly urged the legislature to work with him to create a new funding formula within 100 days

Preschool
While some previous budget proposals have included increased funding for districts with state-supported preschool programs, the FY 2018 recommendation does not. Preschool funding remains at the same level as FY 2016 and FY 2017: $655.5 million

School Breakfast
New Jersey school districts continue to receive additional federal funding to feed breakfast to hungry students.  Actual FY 2016 federal revenues received were $94.5 million – an increase of 16 percent from FY 2015 when revenues were $82.6 million. The budget estimates FY 2017 revenues will be $98 million, while FY 2018 revenues are projected to be $105 million

This is the result of schools serving more children that all-important morning meal. ACNJ has led the NJ Food for Thought School Breakfast Campaign, which has succeeded in convincing more districts to serve breakfast during the first few minutes of the school day, rather than before school when students have not yet arrived. Actual federal revenues increased by 104 percent since the campaign began in 2010.

Known as “breakfast after the bell,” this approach significantly increases student participation in this federally-funded child nutrition program. This is great news for New Jersey students, schools and the communities they serve. And it means that New Jersey is bringing back more of the federal dollars we already send to Washington, while addressing childhood hunger — a major barrier to learning.

NJ FamilyCare
The proposed budget continues the expansion of Medicaid for certain parents/caretakers and single adults without children, ages 19 to 64 under NJ FamilyCare. Since the expansion took effect on January 1, 2014, 487,000 low-income residents have gained health insurance through NJ FamilyCare (including Medicaid enrollment). The FY 2018 budget estimates monthly enrollment (adults and children) at 1,804,507 – a two percent increase over FY 2017 average monthly enrollment (1,770,366). The budget assumes no reductions in federal health care funding.

Earned Income Tax Credit
The governor’s budget provides for an increase in the EITC from 30% to 35% of the federal benefit amount beginning in tax year 2016. This increase follows an increase from 20% to 30% in 2015. The credit for an average working family is projected to rise to approximately $800.

Mental Health/Addiction Services
Governor Christie’s recently announced addiction initiatives include expansion of the Department of Children and Families’ residential services for 18- and 19-year-olds who are struggling with substance use. In addition, the FY 2018 budget recommendation provides $1.5 million in funding for on-campus housing for college students in recovery. This program provides students with a sober environment, counseling and additional supports, all of which are useful tools in the life-long battle to maintain sobriety

Lead Regulations and Testing
The FY 2018 budget recommends $10 million in additional State funding to meet the funding needs required by new regulations to identify elevated blood-lead levels in children consistent with those of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FY 2017 budget provided $10 million to reimburse school districts for costs related to lead testing between July 13, 2016, and July 13, 2017. While this appropriation is not continued in FY 2018, school districts that tested their water during that time period can continue to seek reimbursement in FY 2018 from unexpended fiscal 2017 balances.

Advocates for Children of New Jersey will continue to comb budget documents for more details as they are issued. The schedule and registration for Senate and Assembly Budget Hearings is on the NJ Legislature website.  Please be on the lookout for future updates and opportunities to influence the budget process.

Read Gov. Christie’s budget address.

Read FY 2018 State budget summary.