Voices for Utah Children Articles

  • 2025 Legislative Recap

    Was this year's legislative session good for kids? We answer this and more in our 2025 Legislative Recap! In this latest brief, we break down what happened during the legislative session, what we accomplished alongside our partners, and why staying...

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

  • Rethinking Congress' Budget Proposals

    Invest in Communities, Not Deportation The latest budget proposals in Congress threaten to remove essential programs that support our communities while ramping up immigration enforcement. These decisions will have devastating consequences, particularly...

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

  • Property Taxes Fill the Gap

    When we cut income taxes, it's property taxes that help cover our schools. Utah’s public schools serve over 670,000 kids in more than 1,000 public schools. For a long time, Utah was praised for its fair school funding system, making sure high-poverty...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Taylor Throne, Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog
  • A phone that has FAQs being answered on them.

    Voucher and School Privatization FAQs

    As part of our Vouchers and School Privatization in Utah Series, we’ve put together a list of frequently asked questions that may help to address key concerns—like why vouchers are so controversial and what’s really at stake. As parents and caregivers,...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas and Moana 'Ulu'ave
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • How to Strengthen Utah's Child Tax Credit in 2025

    In 2023, Utah introduced its own child tax credit (CTC) marking a positive step forward. In 2024, the credit was slightly expanded. However, the credit's limited scope falls short of providing real assistance to families raising young children....

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

  • Preserve Medicaid for Utah Families: Vote NO on SB 257

    Senator Brammer's SB 257, Medicaid Accounts Amendments, seeks to introduce a broadly defined "Medicaid shortfall," which could trigger unnecessary budget cuts to essential healthcare services. Even though the existing budget processes already allow the...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Thaiss Del Rio
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • How Proposed Federal Medicaid Cuts Could Harm Utah Families

    When Cuts Don’t Heal As the 119th Congress begins its new term, proposed cuts to Medicaid are once again a major point of discussion at the federal level. Republicans in Congress are preparing to introduce sweeping budget and policy changes through the...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Thaiss Del Rio
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Support HB 30 The Indian Family Preservation Act

    This legislative session, Utah has the opportunity to support Native children and families by passing HB 30, the Indian Family Preservation Act Amendments. This bill would allow tribes to establish foster home standards and oversee child custody cases,...

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

  • SB 221: Stand Up for Safe Child Care

    Utah lawmakers could do many things to alleviate the child care crisis families are facing. In fact, there are 33 expert-recommended ones right here, thanks to the state’s newest child care solutions study. Endangering kids' safety by lowering...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Moana 'Ulu'ave
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Protecting State CHIP: Vote NO on HB178

    37 ORGANIZATIONS, ENTITIES, AND BUSINESSES HAVE SIGNED ON TO PROTECT STATE CHIP The 37 undersigned organizations and entities dedicated to the health and well-being of children and 90 individuals are writing in response to the recently introduced HB178...

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

  • Five Cuts In: How Utah Lawmakers Are Dismantling the Income Tax

    Key Takeaways Minimal Savings, Major Loss: Another tax cut in 2026 will remove $87M from essential services, pushing total cuts to about $1.5B annually – funds that could strengthen schools, childcare, and healthcare. Wealthy Win, Families Lose: From...

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

  • Tax Policy 101: State Child Tax Credit

    What is the State Child Tax Credit? Utah’s Child Tax Credit (CTC) allows eligible families to claim up to an additional $1,000 per qualifying child each year on their state taxes. Whether a parent stays home or both parents work, this tax credit can...

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

  • Another Year, Another Tax Cut: Who Benefits?

    Key Takeaways Minimal Savings, Major Loss: Another tax cut in 2025 will remove about $100M from essential services, pushing total cuts to about $1.3B annually—funds that could strengthen schools, childcare, and healthcare. Wealthy Win, Families Lose:...

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

  • What Happened With Child Care During the 2025 Legislative Session?

    This 2025 session, supporting families with young children remained a top policy priority of Voices for Utah Children. The urgent need to address families' critical child care needs remained at the forefront of our advocacy efforts. This session was...

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

  • Fellow Reflection: Alejandra Martinez

    Hello! My name is Alejandra Martinez. I am originally from Mexico and a mother of three beautiful children. I'm currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Economics at the University of Utah and will graduate this spring. I am deeply committed to giving...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Alejandra Martinez
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Fellow Reflection: Pablo Cruz-Ayala

    Building a Garden for Community Resilience When I began my fellowship with Voices for Utah Children, I couldn’t have imagined just how transformative the experience would be. As an undocumented immigrant navigating higher education in Utah, I’ve faced...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Pablo Cruz-Ayala
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • The Real Costs of Erasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

    Since 2023, anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) bills have become law across multiple states. These bills typically target restricting DEI offices and staff, DEI training, diversity statements, and identity-based hiring practices. On January...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Alejandra Martinez
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Voices for Utah Children 2025 Legislative Priorities

    Looking to the 2025 Legislative Session, Voices for Utah Children remains committed to speaking out for all those Utahns who can’t vote but are greatly impacted by public policy: our kids! Despite an increasingly difficult state policy climate, we...

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

  • Utah Has a New Plan to Fix Childcare

    There’s a bright spot of news in the childcare advocacy world this week! The Women in the Economy Subcommittee of the Governor’s Unified Economic Opportunity Commission recently released a new 84-page plan to address the childcare crisis in Utah. The...

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

  • 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
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