Voices for Utah Children Articles
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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Series: Vouchers and School Privatization in Utah
Utah’s expansive school voucher program was unceremoniously pushed into existence by the Utah State Legislature in 2023. Since then, $82.5 million in Utah taxpayer money has been diverted into the program, with no evidence that 1) Utahns want to pay...
- Type: Article
- Author: Anna Thomas
- Category: Updates & Blog
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Voices for Utah Children hosted a webinar in partnership with the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), Immivisa Law Group, and Utah’s Department of Professional Licensing. The event provided insights into visa options based on skills,...
- Type: Article
- Author: Liliana Bolaños
- Category: Updates & Blog
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Insights from Our Southern Utah Engagement Events Medicaid is a lifeline for many families in Utah, especially in rural areas where access to healthcare is often limited. This year, we organized two Medicaid-focused engagement events in Southern...
- Type: Article
- Author: Thaiss Del Rio
- Category: Updates & Blog
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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
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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
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Update: Health Coverage Access for DACA Recipients in Utah
03/11/2025 Update: CMS Proposed Rule Threatens Health Coverage for DACA Recipients On March 11th, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a proposed rule that, if finalized, would remove DACA recipients’ access to the ACA...
- Type: Article
- Author: Thaiss Del Rio
- Category: Updates & Blog
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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
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Panel Explores Immigration Pathways, Challenges, and Community Support
Voices for Utah Children Co-Hosts Lunch and Learn on Newcomers’ Immigration Pathways and Community Resources On August 8, 2024, Voices for Utah Children joined forces with the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Access and Belonging and the Salt Lake...
- Type: Article
- Author: Liliana Bolaños
- Category: Updates & Blog
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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
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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
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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
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Utah Immigrant Advocacy Coalition Statement on DACA's 12th Anniversary
On DACA's 12th anniversary, the undersigned members of the newly rebranded Utah Immigrant Advocacy Coalition (formerly Utah DACA) join communities nationwide to commemorate this vital program's profound impact and advocate for a more just and inclusive...
- Type: Article
- Author: Liliana Bolaños
- Category: Updates & Blog
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Utah Child Care Affordability Calculator
In Utah, raising a family with children is expensive. Whether or not a family can afford child care depends on income remaining after paying basic household expenses. To help policymakers understand these challenges, we're introducing the Utah Child...
- Type: Article
- Author: Jenna Williams
- Category: Updates & Blog
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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
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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
