Policy News and Information for South Carolina's Children
Policy Post
Jan. 12, 2016  
Children's Trust Looks to Advance Prevention Policies in New Legislative Session
The ECCA will be a focus of Children's Trust as S.C. lawmakers return to the State House for the start of the 2016 session.
The S.C. General Assembly returns to Columbia today, Jan. 12, for the start of the 2016 session.
 
The legislative priorities for Children's Trust include policies that seek to prevent child abuse, neglect, and accidental injury as well as support the Early Childhood Common Agenda (ECCA).
 
To track all child well-being bills introduced this session, visit the legislative tracking page on our website. Here is contact information for current members of the Senate and House
South Carolina Kemp Forums Brings National Focus to Child Policy Issue
The Kemp Forum, held in Columbia on Saturday, was moderated by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). The forum provided an opportunity for Republican presidential candidates to offer their solutions to poverty and inequality. Jack Kemp, former Republican U.S. representative and vice presidential candidate, was a conservative who championed anti-poverty and opportunity initiatives. Robert Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, offers a recap of the forum

Children's Trust CEO Sue Williams and the United Way Association President and CEO Tim Ervolina offered encouragement in a recent blog post to candidates to broaden the campaign discussion to include child well-being and opportunity. 
DSS Public Hearing for Child Care State Plan to Take Place Feb. 5
The federal Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 requires that each state design a plan to be implemented during a three-year period (FY 2016-2018). 

The plan describes how the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program will be administered. Key provisions include assisting low-income families in obtaining child care so they can work or pursue education, improving the quality of child care, and promoting coordination among early child development and after-school programs.

As the lead agency administering CCDF, S.C. Department of Social Services (DSS) will hold a public hearing Friday, Feb. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m., at 1535 Confederate Ave., Room 310. Draft copies of the 2016-2018 plan will be available Jan. 12 at scchildcare.org and abcquality.org.
 
For additional information, contact Leigh Bolick, the director of Child Care Services for DSS, at [email protected] or 803-898-7134.
Report Ranks States in Early Education
South Carolina Rated in Bottom 10 Percent
New America, a non-profit and nonpartisan public policy institute, recently compiled a report called "From Crawling to Walking" that identifies state policies and indicators central to ensuring children are on the right trajectory toward developing strong literacy skills and reading on grade level by the end of third grade.
 
South Carolina received a ranking of 42 (or "crawling") that highlights education requirements for child care directors at licensed centers, lack of K-12 social-emotional learning standards, and equitable K-12 funding.
Child Welfare Around the Country
Georgia House Subcommittee Offers Kinship Care Recommendations
Stemming from the work of the Grandparents Raising Grandkids and Kinship Care Study Committee, Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, the committee chair, is calling for informal kinship caregivers to get benefits similar to those of foster parents.
 
The Augusta Chronicle wrote a story about the issue. The full report from the Georgia House committee is also available.

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Policy Post is published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina is the only statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury. The organization trains and educates professionals who work directly with families and also funds, supports and monitors proven prevention programs. Children's Trust is the voice for South Carolina's children and advocates for strong, well-founded policies that positively impact child well-being. Children's Trust is home to Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, KIDS COUNT South Carolina and Safe Kids South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina  |  [email protected]  scChildren.org