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Policy Update, June 20, 2014 
Thank you for your interest and support. The Indiana Association of United Ways provides its Policy Update on "odd Fridays" (1st, 3rd and 5th Fridays). Contact us if you have any questions or comments about content (past, present or desired for the future).
Charitable Sector Priority Area
Longest day - Take 5 minutes to assess your volunteer time  
On the longest day of the year, some United Ways around the country promote June 21 with a "Day of Action" to promote volunteerism in local communities. There are 168 hours in a week; how many hours do you volunteer?
 
When was the last time you thought about how you spend your volunteer time? Where do you want to make a difference? How do you model volunteering with your children, grandchildren or neighbors?
Day of Action 

Contact your local United Way, volunteer center, 2-1-1 or favorite nonprofit to explore volunteer opportunities for you and your family. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Read, tutor or mentor a child (1 hour a week makes a HUGE difference in the life of a child).
  • Help United Way with its campaign or review of funded partner agencies.
  • Become a friendly visitor or deliver meals to the home-bound.
  • Volunteer at an event to learn more about an organization and to meet people--summer events, runs, walks and festivals need volunteers to help with set-up and registration.
  • Prepare food, sort donations or distribute at community centers, food pantries and homeless service providers that help neighbors with basic needs. 
  • Share your financial or management skills by joining a board of directors of a nonprofit that shares your passions.

Health Priority Area  Summer Food Programs served more children nationally and in Indiana 
More children accessed the summer nutrition program in 2013 than in years prior, according to
Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation. Summer food programs target areas with high poverty and provide nutritious meals to children who would ordinarily receive lunch (and sometimes breakfast) at school. If the economy is starting to recover and if fewer children are participating in the free/reduced school lunch program nationally, why are summer meals growing? While the economy is starting to recover, childhood poverty is actually higher than during and prior to the recession. Key findings of the report:
  • Summer nutrition programs served nearly 3 million children and reached about 15% of all low-income children who participate in free and reduced lunch program (about 1 in 7 of the target population).
  • Both the number of sponsors (organizations) and sites increased in 2013.
  • Summer Nutrition Programs struggle to serve all summer vacation, as many programs operate only during a portion of the summer.
  • Summer nutrition programs support educational, enrichment and recreational programs that provide safe environments and prevent "summer backslide" over summer vacation.
The number of Hoosier children participating in the Summer Nutrition program increased from 61,756 in 2012 to 75,781 in 2013. This compares to the number of Hoosier children participating in free/reduced lunch from 409,642 and 424,239 children in prior schoolyears.
 
Education Priority Area Early Head Start  - Child Care Partnerships
Teacher and group of children at table with blocks. The Administration for Children and Families has released their new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CC) grant opportunity. Nonprofit organizations can now apply to expand quality care and services for low income children in their communities.  The $500 million grant will fund the creation of EHS-CC Partnerships and the expansion of services of existing Early Head Starts. The deadline to submit an application is August 20, 2014.  Learn more about EHS-CC Partnerships and view available powerpoints/webinars.

Health Priority Area
Health Insurance Reductions in the uninsured during the first open enrollment period
Now that the first open enrollment period for the new health insurance Marketplace has concluded, the analysis begins. By April 15, 8 million Americans enrolled in private health plans, and an additional 6 million enrolled in Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program. Below offers a sample of  findings and reports.
 
  • States that expanded Medicaid had reached 53% of the 2016 projected enrollment increases by April 2014 compared with a rate of 29% for states that did not expand Medicaid. Indiana's Medicaid/CHIP enrollment increased 3%; as of April over 1.1 million Hoosiers total were enrolled. See Measuring Medicaid/CHIP Enrollment Progress Under the Affordable Care Act as published by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute.
  • State of Enrollment: Lessons Learned from Connecting America to Coverage 2013-2104 offers many lessons for those working to help the uninsured. For example, African Americans and Latinos are 43% more likely to seek in-person assistance than their white counterparts. Perceptions about affordability remain the single largest barrier to enrollment; therefore, demonstrating how financial assistance is available is a way to break through the barrier.
Finger with bow tied around it Deadlines - June and July bring several deadlines, including:

Education
Health

Nominations
advocate
IaUW Public Policy
  
IaUW is a nonpartisan organization that works to advance policy principles and compromise solutions for the common good. We focus on programs and policies that help:
  • children prepare for and succeed in school;
  • individuals achieve and sustain financial stability;
  • individuals access quality healthcare; and
  • communities thrive, including a strong 2-1-1 network and charitable sector.
Our policy priorities are developed and guided by our Public Policy Committee and our IaUW members, based on their work in Hoosier communities.
Frequently Requested Links / Documents
  
iauw.org - Learn about the Indiana Association of United Ways, current trainings and conferences and the ways we support local United Ways/Funds, partners and communities.

IaUW Policy / Advocacy info - Review and download IaUW Policy Priorities, Third House calendar, bill lists, fact sheets, talking points and testimony.
  
Advocacy Action Center - Contact your member of Congress or State Legislator, provided through our partnership with United Way Worldwide.

IaUW Policy Update Archive - Read prior issues, special articles and key documents produced by IaUW related to public policy and advocacy.

NEW - Community Report Card - Check out key indicators in Education, Income and Health for your neighborhood, county or region.

IN211.org - Search for human service information available through the referral database or by calling 2-1-1. Download reports about resources, needs, gaps and trends from Indiana 211 Partnership.
  
NRN Calendar - Register for high-quality and affordable training for nonprofit staff and volunteers by the Indiana Nonprofit Resource Network.

Funding and Other Opportunities - Explore current requests for proposals, funding and recognition opportunities.

Indiana General Assembly
 - Check the hearing or floor schedule, watch a live or recorded hearing or floor session and look up your legislators. 

Library of Congress
 - Look up bills introduced in Congress. Note that the THOMAS site will be maintained through 2014 and fully replaced by Congress.gov.

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