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Remind Congress federal programs help NJ kids everyday.

Posted on February 21, 2017

This week (February 20-24), members of Congress will be on recess and back in their home districts.  This is the perfect time for them to hear from you and members of your community about how federal programs help kids and families! Look up your U.S. Representative here.

email-congress

send-tweet

 

 

Attend a town hall or public meeting hosted by your U.S. Representative. 

Wednesday, Feb 22, 2017

Leonard Lance, 7th District, Republican

Town Hall  7:00 PM
Raritan Valley Community College, Edward Nash Theater
118 Lamington Rd, Branchburg, NJ 08876

For more information, please call Congressman Lance’s district office at 908-788-6900 (Flemington) or 908-518-7733 (Westfield).

Thursday, Feb 23, 2017

Tom MacArthur, 3rd District, Republican

Tele-Town Hall 7:00 PM
Ask the Congressman on WOBM 92.7. Call in 732-237-9626.

Click here to learn more.

 

Donald Norcross, 1st District, Democrat

Town Hall 6:30 PM
Oaklyn Municipal Bldg- Court Room 500 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn, NJ 08107

Click here to learn more.

 

Donald Payne, Jr., 10th District, Democrat

Coffee and Conversation 7:30 PM
Maplewood Municipal Bldg., 574 Valley Rd., Maplewood

Click here to learn more.

 

Saturday, Feb 25, 2017
Josh Gottheimer, 5th District, Democrat

Meet & Greet 9:30 AM
Hampton Diner, 36 Hampton House Rd., Newton

Meet & Greet 11:00 AM
Vernon Constituent Service Center, 21 Church St., Vernon, NJ 07462

 

Leonard Lance, 7th District, Republican

Town Hall 9:00 AM
Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg 118 Lamington Rd, Branchburg, NJ 08876

For more information, please call Congressman Lance’s district office at 908-788-6900 (Flemington) or 908-518-7733 (Westfield).

Sunday, Feb 26, 2017

Donald Payne, Jr., 10th District, Democrat

3:30 PM
Union Chapel AME Church, 209 Wainwright St., Newark

 

 

Monday, March 6, 2017

Donald Norcross, 1st District, Democrat

Town Hall 6:30 PM
Belmmawr Ballroom, 29 Lewis Ave., Bellmawr

 

 

 


Send a tweet to your representative. All it takes is one click!
Look up your U.S. Representative here.

[ctt title=”1st Congressional District: U.S. Rep Donald Norcross” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @DonaldNorcross” coverup=”6eZ3a”]

[ctt title=”2nd Congressional District: U.S. Rep Frank LoBiondo” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepLoBiondo” coverup=”7cZh2″]

[ctt title=”3rd Congressional District: U.S. Rep Tom MacArthur” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepTomMacArthur” coverup=”s2h96″]

[ctt title=”4th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Chris Smith” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepChrisSmith” coverup=”wB0mK”]

[ctt title=”5th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Josh Gottheimer” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepJoshG” coverup=”aPckb”]

[ctt title=”6th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Frank Pallone” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @FrankPallone” coverup=”U8736″]

[ctt title=”7th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Leonard Lance” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepLanceNJ7″ coverup=”cWfyt”]

[ctt title=”8th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Albio Sires” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help 1000s of NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepSires” coverup=”Dqct1″]

[ctt title=”9th Congressional District: U.S. Rep William Pascrell” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @BillPascrell” coverup=”ecdeJ”]

[ctt title=”10th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Donald Payne, Jr.” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepDonaldPayne” coverup=”xMG55″]

[ctt title=”11th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Rodney Frelinghuysen” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @USRepRodney” coverup=”2dZcr”]

[ctt title=”12th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Bonnie Watson Coleman” tweet=”Be a champion 4 kids! Federal programs help NJ kids everyday. #schoolmeals #childcare #preschool #healthcare #NJVotes4Kids @RepBonnie” coverup=”C4TQf”]

 


Tips for reaching out out to your representative:

  1. In-person > Calls > Letters. A person sitting in an office is harder to ignore than a phone call or a letter. Your Congressional Representative works for you. Make an appointment and be polite and kind when you meet with the Representative or their staff.
  2. Calls. If you call, you should be ready to provide your ZIP code and address to make sure you are part of their district. Your call should be short (aim for no more than 1 minute), polite, and to the point. This will make the call easier for you and for the person answering the call.
  3. Go where they are. Most Representatives have public schedules for town halls, public events, and call-in time on radio stations. Call their office and ask if they have upcoming events in your area.
  4. Tell your personal story. Organizations such as ACNJ can bring the numbers, such as how many kids benefit from a program or policy. But it’s only through the individual stories of constituents that Representatives get to know the real impact of federal policy on day-to-day life.

If you or your group would like to learn how to contact your elected representatives, ACNJ can help provide training on advocacy to elected officials.

New Jersey recognizes student attendance as a benchmark for school success!

Posted on February 17, 2017

ACNJ Blog

Cynthia Rice, Senior Policy Analyst
Cynthia Rice, Senior Policy Analyst

New Jersey’s Federal Education Plan Recognizes that Showing Up Matters

Students cannot learn when they are not in school. Yet each year, thousands of New Jersey students miss so many school days that their academic future is threatened. During the 2014-15 school year, 136,000 or 10 percent of our state’s K-12 students were considered “chronically absent,” meaning that they missed 10 percent or more days of instruction. All it takes is a few absences a month, every month to place a student’s educational future at risk.

Absences impact students at every grade level—from kindergarten through 12th grade, but children of color and children from low-income families have the highest rate of absences, making them more likely to fall behind.

When grades and attendance are two critical indicators to student success, one cannot improve without the other. That’s why it is so exciting that the New Jersey Department of Education has made improving student attendance a focus of its federal education plan. The new federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), replaces the former education accountability law – No Child Left Behind, and allows states more flexibility to shape their education policies. Under ESSA, in its recent draft proposal, New Jersey has included chronic absenteeism as a benchmark for its accountability system for measuring school quality, climate and safety. The state’s proposed plan addresses the importance of attendance as a predictor of student success and requires schools that fall below attendance benchmarks to prepare a plan to reduce absences.

Improving attendance has long been overlooked as an educational strategy to enhance student performance. Some school administrators might feel it is beyond their control and there is little they can do to get kids to show up to class. But reducing absences is achievable.

When it comes to chronic absenteeism, what schools do matter. And we don’t have to look beyond our state borders to find school districts taking the lead. A number of schools are already using data to drive decisions and best practices. Interventions like providing mentors to at-risk students or incentives like pizza parties for best classroom attendance are just a few examples. Another key is cultivating a school climate that is both warm and engaging, so that kids want to come to class.

While there will always be students that remain chronically absent, the state’s bold step requires schools to be more intentional about how they identify students struggling with attendance and address it.  No education reform initiative will ever be successful if kids are not in school.  In the development of its federal education plan, New Jersey has taken a giant step in recognizing the strong link between attendance and academic achievement and the role schools have towards that end. This increased accountability provides students with the best chance to make chronic absenteeism a thing of the past.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Rice
Senior Policy Analyst

This Valentine’s Day, Remind Congress to Give Kids Some Love!

Posted on February 14, 2017

Did you know the federal school breakfast program serves 230,000 children every school day? In fact, New Jersey is now in the top 20 nationwide for ensuring that more low-income students start their school day with a healthy morning meal, according to a FRAC report released today.

Look up your Representative hereand share with Congress New Jersey’s tremendous progress in tackling child hunger.

[ctt title=”1st Congressional District: U.S. Rep Donald Norcross” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000 kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @DonaldNorcross” coverup=”hcslx”]

[ctt title=”2nd Congressional District: U.S. Rep Frank LoBiondo” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @RepLoBiondo ” coverup=”93y81″]

[ctt title=”3rd Congressional District: U.S. Rep Tom MacArthur” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program.#NJVotes4Kids @RepTomMacArthur” coverup=”fXz0f”]

[ctt title=”4th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Chris Smith ” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @RepChrisSmith” coverup=”qQ1uR”]

[ctt title=”5th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Josh Gottheimer” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @RepJoshG” coverup=”dA2Tv”]

[ctt title=”6th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Frank Pallone” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @FrankPallone” coverup=”W3cAU”]

[ctt title=”7th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Leonard Lance” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @RepLanceNJ7″ coverup=”E0a6b”]

[ctt title=”8th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Albio Sires” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @RepSires” coverup=”ESUbz”]

[ctt title=”9th Congressional District: U.S. Rep William Pascrell” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @BillPascrell” coverup=”4jkNf”]

[ctt title=”10th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Donald Payne, Jr.” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @RepDonaldPayne” coverup=”96Es9″]

[ctt title=”11th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Rodney Frelinghuysen” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @USRepRodney” coverup=”reOyh”]

[ctt title=”12th Congressional District: U.S. Rep Bonnie Watson Coleman” tweet=”NJ now 19th for #schoolbreakfast. 229,000+ kids access healthy morning meals tx to federal #nutrition program. #NJVotes4Kids @RepBonnie” coverup=”wRsJI”]

ACNJ thanks Gov. Christie for signing bill to protect children exposed to lead.

Posted on February 7, 2017

Dear Governor Christie:

Thank you for signing S-1830/A-3411, and for proposing new regulations for childhood lead poisoning interventions, which will together bring New Jersey in line with national recommendations on the level of lead in a child’s blood needed to trigger intervention.

Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) has for decades advocated for the strongest standards to protect children from lead poisoning. The lifelong effects of a tiny amount of lead can be devastating for a child.

ACNJ welcomes and supports the long-needed changes to the blood-lead level requiring state action. Experts now recognize that even very low levels of lead in blood can affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. And the effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected. As a result, ACNJ is pleased to see that state statutes and regulations are conforming the definition of an “elevated blood lead level” to that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which adopted a five micrograms per deciliter reference level for elevated blood lead level in 2012.

The amended statutes and regulations will require interventions for an additional estimated 3,000 children in New Jersey. These children will need case management and home visits to assess their risks and reduce lead hazards in their homes and environments. Local health departments tasked with addressing this issue need sufficient sustainable funding to support lead-poisoned children and their families.

In addition, ACNJ applauds the additional funding that your administration has already provided for lead remediation and abatement and urges you to allocate additional long-term funding to get the lead out of homes, child care centers, schools, and parks.

As with other health issues affecting young children, if New Jersey does not pay to reduce lead hazards now, the state will be paying much more in higher costs later. Every dollar spent on reducing lead hazards results in $17-$221 in long-term savings.

Kudos again on taking leadership on this critical issue!

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Cecilia Zalkind