Today, we are highlighting four actions Congress can take to help children

Keeping Kids Healthy

Why tinker with something that isn’t broken?  That’s the question that needs to be asked about PA Rep. Joseph Pitts proposed federal CHIP changes that will cause children to lose health benefits and wait up to a year to obtain health coverage.

Pitts’ proposal spells dire consequences for 11,500 children in Pennsylvania that will either lose their coverage or force their parents to pay high out-of-pocket costs for their child’s health care.

The proposal also allows states to impose year-long wait times for care and require children enrolled in Medicaid who live at or just above the poverty line (between 100% and 133% of poverty) to be dropped back to CHIP.

A better plan put forth by another group of U.S. Senators and Representatives will extend funding for CHIP for four years and keep the nationally heralded program largely running how it is now.  As the saying goes, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.  Congress must act by September 30th to preserve this essential health care program for children.

Call your congressperson and tell them to fund CHIP as-is and not change the rules which could cause chaos for families and cause children to fall through the cracks.

Keeping kids on track for Success

The Prepare All Kids Act will provide access to high-quality pre-k for all children, including 244,000 children in Pennsylvania. The bill, proposed by Senator Bob Casey, provides federal grants to cover half the cost of one year of pre-k for low-income children.  The goal is for the federal funds to be matched with state and local resources.  This bill is a great first step towards increasing access to the proven benefits of high quality pre-k.  Click here to learn more about the Prepare All Kids Act.

Did you see Pre-K for PA Campaign’s new and improved website?  Click here to check it out.

Keeping Kids Fed When School is out

When the school year ends, many of the 275,000 children in our region that get healthy meals through the federal school lunch program may go hungry.

The recently introduced Summer Meals Act will help make sure fewer poor children are hungry in the summer months by:

• Increasing the number of communities eligible to distribute summer meals
• Cover transportation grants to help programs reach children in rural areas
• Providing resources for groups to serve evening meals

PCCY is working with the Washington D.C. based Food Research and Action Center to build local support for the Summer Meals Act.  Click here to get involved.

Keeping Kids Safe in School

One in three children in their formative teen years is likely to be bullied, according to the U.S. Department of Education.  The Safe School Improvement Act also proposed by Senator Casey fights back against this sobering statistic by requiring school districts that receive federal education funds to develop and implement anti-bullying programs and protect vulnerable children.

Preventing bullying is a no-brainer.  Research shows students who are bullied are more likely to miss school, have trouble concentrating in class, suffer from low self esteem and have increased levels of anxiety than their non-bullied peers.

Click here to tell your Congressperson to support the Safe School Improvement Act.

St. Patrick Would Approve of PCCY’s Public Citizen of the Year Celebrationn

You don’t need a four leaf clover to be lucky enough to see amazing children perform at this year’s celebration of the 2015 Public Citizen of the Year. The event takes place on April 29th at 6pm at Vie on Broad Street.  All you need is a ticket to get into the event, which we guarantee will be a night of fun, to benefit PCCY’s research, advocacy and direct services for children in southeastern Pennsylvania.  Click here to buy your tickets.