Voices for Utah Children Articles

  • What Utahns Really Think About Full-Day Kindergarten

    For years, state leaders have not prioritized the expansion of full-day kindergarten opportunities for interested Utah families. This has resulted in very limited and uneven access to full-day kindergarten across the state. Some have justified their...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • NEW REPORT: Who's Helping Kids in Utah Courts?

    We are proud to release a new report on Utah's system for ensuring that all children appearing in juvenile delinquency court are represented by a defense attorney. And we are happy to report that there is some good news to celebrate in this area of our...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Voices for Utah Children Statement on DACA Ruling

    We are disappointed and disheartened by the ruling from U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen no longer allowing new applications to be approved. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed more than 600,000 immigrants, including...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Moe Hickey
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • How Can We Strengthen Mental Health for New Parents? Address Gaps in Coverage from Pregnancy through Postpartum

    Thousands of Utahns are uninsured during pregnancy or after childbirth. A lack of health insurance coverage is associated with short and long-term health challenges, including postpartum depression and anxiety. In Utah, approximately 54 new moms every...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jessie Mandle
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Utah KIDS COUNT Data Links Publication, July 2021

    Utah is seeing an ever-increasing proportion of our parents in the workforce. This Data Link provides data on families and working parents by county and provides policy recommendations in the workplace. Utah Kids Count Data Links: July 2021

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Martín C. Muñoz
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • 2021 Kids Count Data Book is Now Available!

    We are pleased to announce that the Annie E. Casey Foundation has released the 2021 Kids Count Data Book. Access the book today at www.aecf.org/databook Background For 15 years it has been the priority of the Utah KIDS COUNT Project to ensure that...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Martín C. Muñoz
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Happy DACA Anniversary!

    Today we are celebrating nine years of DACA by sharing more information about this program and HR6: The Dream and Promise Act. Who are Dreamers? Dreamers are immigrant youth, who entered the U.S. before their 18th birthday. This name comes from the...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Abigail Pina & Ciriac Alvarez Valle
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Good News and Bad News for Utah in New Census Report on State Education Investment

    On May 18, 2021, as it always does around this time of year, the US Census Bureau released its Annual Survey of School System Finances. This report is the authoritative source of state education finance data and rankings, including the one we are all...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • American Rescue Plan: Now is the Time to Invest in Health Coverage, Care and Equity for All Kids!

    Last week the Utah Legislature accepted $1.7 billion (yes, billion) in federal COVID relief funds through the American Rescue Plan Act. Legislators have stated plans to allocate these funds towards Utah’s biggest challenges and opportunities. As a...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Ciriac Alvarez Valle
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • American Rescue Plan: Let's Invest in Full Day Kindergarten and Pre-School Expansion!

    Beginning this Summer 2021, Utah Local Education Agencies (LEAs) will be receiving approximately $615 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER) funds from the American Rescue Plan. Now is the time to use this funding to...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN: Let's Invest in Early Education!

    Local education authorities, the state Office of Education, and the Office of Child Care have received hundreds of millions of dollars that can and should be spent to invest in what is best for Utah’s children. We must work together to put these...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Utah Economic Benchmarking Project 2021: Utah vs Arizona

    New Economic Benchmarking Report Finds Utah Ahead of Arizona in Most Key Metrics of Economic Opportunity and Standard of Living Salt Lake City, May 6, 2021 - Voices for Utah Children released today the fourth in its series of economic benchmarking...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Senator Mitt Romney, We Urge You To Take Action On Major Immigration Reform!

    Senator Mitt Romney Washington, DC 20510 April 1, 2021 Dear Senator Mitt Romney: Last week, two major immigration bills HR6: The Dream and Promise Act and HR1603: The Farmworker Modernization Act passed the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives!...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Ciriac Alvarez Valle
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • The 2021 Utah Legislative Session: Was It Good For Kids?

    We appreciate the many legislators that supported bills affecting children. In summary, it WAS a good year for kids, but we still have plenty to do and we look forward to working together to #investinutahkids! Early Childhood Early childhood care and...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Sara Gunderson
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Voices has supported and continues to support SB214 “Official Language Amendments”

    During the 2021 legislative session, Voices has supported and continues to support SB214 “Official Language Amendments” as a positive initial step forward to ensure highly impacted communities can receive the information they need. In the last days of...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Ciriac Alvarez Valle
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • The High Price of Lower Taxes

    Legislative leaders have said that 2021 should be “the year of the tax cut.” Numerous public opinion surveys show that Utahns disagree. This may come as a surprise to policymakers, who have been in the habit of handing out tax break after tax break for...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Tax Cut Survey

    Detailed description of the 7 tax cut options in the survey above: * Refundable means that it’s like the federal EITC – you get the credit even if it’s larger than what you owe on your income taxes, in which case you get a rebate. Non-refundable means...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Analysis of Retirement Tax Credit Proposals Before the 2021 Utah Legislature

    The Utah Legislature is considering including $40-$50 million of retiree tax credits in a package of tax cuts this session. But an important question has arisen as to whether these credits are actually designed properly to help the people that the...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Coverage for All Utah Kids: A Look at the Benefits and Estimated Costs

    When kids have health insurance, they experience many short and long-term benefits: better health outcomes, improvements in their educational achievements-- even higher wages in in adulthood. We know from a significant body of research that kids do...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jessie Mandle
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Should 2021 Be "The Year of the Tax Cut"?

    Snow on the mountains, inversions in the valleys, and talk of tax cuts at the Capitol: It must be January in Utah. Reports are accumulating that the state’s political leaders are looking to make 2021 “the year of the tax cut.” But, as always with...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog
Results 121 - 140 of 377