Voices for Utah Children Articles

  • Vouchers 101: The Basics of Utah's New School Privatization Program

    For the first time, during the 2024-25 school year, Utah parents are able to access public taxpayer funding to enroll their child in private religious schools, or to cover home-schooling expenses. In this post, we’ll talk about the basics of how the...

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

  • How the Kentucky Model Would Help Utah’s Child Care Providers Help More Kids

    This year, the Utah State Legislature passed House Bill 461 with overwhelming support. Sponsored by Rep. Ashlee Matthews and Sen. Luz Escamilla, HB 461 aims to recruit and retain more child care professionals using the “Kentucky Model.” This model...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Tracking Utah's K-12 Education Funding

    It’s official: Utah returns to ranking last in the nation for per-pupil education spending. While the national average is $15,633, Utah’s spending stands at $9,552 per student, placing the state 51st for Fiscal Year 2022.[i] Let’s dive into the data to...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams, Taylor Throne
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Bad for Kids: Important Information on Amendment A

    The well-deserved negative attention to Amendment D–ruled void by a Utah judge for being “false and misleading”–has more people asking, “What exactly is in Amendment A?” To start, there are several similarities between Amendments A and D: Voices for...

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

  • Embracing Every Student: The Importance of Supporting Multilingual Learners in Utah

    Multilingual students are a vibrant and enriching part of our school communities. In Utah, 59,147 students in the K-12 system are Multilingual Learners (ML), also known as English Language Learners or English Learners. They bring diverse backgrounds...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Liliana Bolaños
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • What the Legislature’s New Constitutional Amendment Means for Education

    As the November elections approach, one crucial issue on the ballot is the proposed amendment to end the constitutional mandate Utah voters passed decades ago, directing the legislature to use state income tax to fund public education. This proposal...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Abdikadir Eftin, Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Promising Child Care Bill Faces Roadblock in Agency Implementation

    Our childcare system has been in crisis for years. Families can't afford to pay, and costs keep climbing. Childcare providers struggle to make a living, with only their passion for kids to keep them going. So, what is the state government going to do...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams, Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • 2024 State of Kids Coverage Report: The Path Taken & the Journey Ahead

    Much has changed since the 2019 State of Children's Health Coverage Report. Over the past five years, we have made significant strides at the local and federal health policy levels shaping access to healthcare for children in our state. The journey has...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Ciriac Alvarez Valle, Thaiss Del Rio, Laneta Fitisemanu
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • A Rough Legislative Session for Utah Kids (Again)

    The 2024 Utah Legislative Session ended at midnight on Friday, March 1. For the Voices for Utah Children team, this session included supporting a lot of community engagement, working hard to protect the programs that protect Utah kids, and trying not...

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

  • What Happened With Child Care During the 2024 Legislative Session?

    As we entered the 2024 session, supporting families with young children remained a top policy priority of Voices for Utah Children. At the forefront of our advocacy efforts is the urgent need to address the critical child care needs of these families....

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • FAQs on HB 153: Child Care Revisions

    Representative Susan Pulsipher’s HB 153: Child Care Revisions narrowly passed the Utah State Legislature on February 28, 2024, and was signed by the Governor on March 14, 2024. Initially proposed as a child tax credit expansion initiative, HB 153 has...

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

  • Voices Opposes Legislative Efforts to Suppress Public Ballot Initiatives

    Our organization recognizes the importance of standing against policies that jeopardize the well-being of Utah’s children. We believe that regular community members have the right and responsibility to influence decisions about policies that affect...

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

  • Child Care for Utah's Future: A Call to Action for Elected Officials

    This open letter was released on January 31, 2024, by Neighborhood House and Voices for Utah Children, two non-profit organizations working together with other community partners to create a better childcare system in Utah for the benefit of all the...

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

  • Tax Cuts Hurt Kids

    Why Voices Opposes Proposed Income Tax Cuts Over the past four years, Utah's Legislative Leadership has consistently prioritized tax cuts above the needs of Utah's families. Despite a $400 million tax cut passed last year that benefited the most...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Take Action on EITC Awareness Day 

    January 26th is Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day! The EITC is a vital tool in reducing child poverty, and improving the long-term outcomes for children across our state. Some tax policies - like the EITC - promote fairness and equity....

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Abdikadir Eftin
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Our 2024 Legislative Agenda

    At Voices for Utah Children, we always start with this guiding question: "Is it good for all kids?" That remains our north star at the outset of the 2024 legislative session, and is reflected in our top legislative priorities. So, what’s good for all...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • The Governor’s 2024 Budget: Hits and Misses for Utah Families

    Governor Cox unveiled his budget last week, and the general direction of the budget is positive. Voices for Utah Children is interested in some specific components of the budget that directly impact Utah children and their families: Public Education...

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

  • Tax Policy 101: Tax Refundability

    Tax policy is complicated. Talking about taxes involves jargon, and concepts that can be confusing. For example, what is a 'refundable' tax credit? What exactly does that mean, and how does it help families? We answer these questions here with a quick...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Making Utah Taxes Fair for All Families

    Most of us don't enjoy paying taxes. We do it, though, because pooling our money together through taxes makes it possible for us to have roads, schools, libraries and parks, fire fighters and law enforcement, and so many more public goods that none of...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Taylor Throne
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Higher Child Care Costs and More Stress for Families Coming This Fall

    When the pandemic hit, child care was one of the first sectors in crisis. But action in the form of federal aid and swift state program implementation prevented widespread program closures. The nearly $600 million Utah received in federal child care...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog
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