Improving investments in children, including funding
for a quality public education, is top 2005 priority
Representatives of Governor's office, House leadership, join
NH CAN to celebrate release of 6th annual agenda
January 18, 2005
Child advocates packed the lobby of
the Legislative Office Building in Concord this morning as the New Hampshire
Child Advocacy Network (NH CAN) released its 2005 Children’s Agenda.
This year, advocates will be closely watching the state budget process.
For the first time, the network has made improving investments in children,
including state funding for a quality public education for every child,
its top, or "foundation," priority.
Other NH CAN priorities for 2005 include ensuring health insurance coverage
for all New Hampshire children, accrediting the state's child protection
system, increasing the state’s reimbursement to child care providers,
and defining and assessing the cost of educational adequacy at a level
that ensures high-quality education for all children.
“Children know how to connect the dots,” said Ellen Shemitz,
President of the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire and Chair
of the Steering Committee of NH CAN. “It is time for New Hampshire
leaders to do the same, by supporting strategic investments in education,
health, child safety, and workforce success.”
Representative Liz Hager, Vice Chair of the House Finance Committee,
voiced strong support for a state budget that invests in children and
families. “Investing in children today means spending less in
the long term to deal with sickness, crime and unproductive workers.”
She called for bipartisan efforts to identify long-term solutions to
the state’s budget woes: “Let’s work together to avoid
quick fixes and to create a sustainable funding plan.”
Thomas Raffio, President and CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, praised
NH CAN, saying, “through its extensive statewide network of partners,
the New Hampshire Child Advocacy Network helps us 'connect the dots'
of public/private involvement that make our state a healthier and more
secure environment for children.”
Speaking as the dental coverage provider for New Hampshire Healthy Kids
Silver, Raffio said, “New Hampshire Healthy Kids has helped make
thousands of New Hampshire’s most financially vulnerable children
healthier by providing some of their basic medical and dental needs.”
He asked lawmakers, “please don’t let the positive momentum
of this program be lost.”
This year's Children's Agenda is the sixth created by NH CAN, statewide
coalition comprising nearly 200 organizational partners and advisors.
The priorities were nominated during a series of workshops in October
2004, and voted upon at the 7th annual Children’s Summit in November.
The network works collaboratively to identify the most important and
immediate issues faced by New Hampshire’s children and families
propose solutions and create and harness public and governmental support
for those solutions.
NH CAN’s priority action steps for 2005 are:
Foundation priority:
Promote
the health and well-being of all NH children by supporting:
a) a state budget that improves investments in children and families,
and
b) state funding for a quality public education for every child.
Health priority:
Ensure
health insurance coverage for all New Hampshire children by preventing
reductions to Medicaid and SCHIP benefit and eligibility levels and
by identifying and enrolling all currently eligible children.
Child safety and protection priority:
Improve
care for abused and neglected children by achieving and maintaining
accreditation of the state child protective system.
Economic security priority:
Remove
barriers to work for low-income families with children by increasing
the state’s reimbursement for child care providers.
Education priority:
Ensure
the right of all New Hampshire students to a high quality public education
by:
a) supporting efforts to define adequacy at a level that ensures high
quality education for all children;
b) supporting efforts to assess the cost of adequacy at a level that
ensures state funding of high quality educational services for all students;
and
c) monitoring and opposing legislative efforts aimed at diverting public
funds from public schools and/or providing public funds for private
purposes while not meeting current funding obligations for public schools.
Other action steps included in this year’s Children’s Agenda:
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Children's Alliance President Ellen
Shemitz's remarks at Agenda release.
