Alliance Public Policy Agenda: Tier Three

Tier three issues are important to the Alliance for Children and Families, but present few opportunities to create meaningful policy outcomes at the present time. This may be due to lack of timeliness or sufficient staff resources in the joint public policy office of the Alliance and United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA).

Issues also may be classified as tier three because they are not fully consistent with the Alliance’s public policy criteria. Other times, tier three issues are those on which there is significant disagreement within the Alliance or UNCA memberships.

The public policy office continually monitors tier three issues. Staff may participate in actions that require minimal time or resources. These include occasionally issuing position statements, signing letters of support or opposition that are initiated by allied organizations, and making reports to members.

Tier three issues may become higher priorities if warranted by current events.

Child Care

• Support increased funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant.
• Support expanded training for child care workers.
• Support funding for technical assistance, accreditation, and renovation subsidies for child care providers to bring their facilities up to standard.
• Support policies that encourage states to provide special-needs care, sick-child care, after-school care, and care during nontraditional hours.

Community Services Block Grant

• Oppose cuts and support increased federal funding for the Community Services Block Grant.

Earned Income Tax Credit & Child Tax Credit

• Support expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
• Support expansions of the Child Tax Credit.

Education (K-12) & No Child Left Behind

• Support changes in federal education law that make allowances for children with mental disabilities and special needs.
• Support increased funding and improvements for after-school programs, with allowances for children with mental disabilities and special needs.
  • Support increasing authorized funding levels and appropriations for 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Supplemental Educational Services.
  • Oppose diversions of after-school funds to other services, such as an extended school day or school year.
  • Support increased accessibility of Supplemental Educational Services funding for nonprofit after-school providers.
  • Oppose limiting Supplemental Education Services to “high-priority” schools if such limitations reduce or eliminate services for low-income or special needs children in other schools.
  • Support improving sustainability of 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs by renewing grants for preexisting programs based on merit.
  • Support policies that increase education, training, and investment in the after-school workforce.
  • Support testing and evaluations that measure the educational progress of individual children and schools, such as growth models, rather than comparing all children and schools to arbitrary external standards that are unrelated to available resources or barriers.
• Support increased funding for English as a Second Language (ESL) and ESL-related programs, emphasizing universal eligibility and community-based services.

Federal Youth Coordination Act

• Support Federal Youth Coordinating Act funding.

Food Stamps, Food & Nutrition

• Support expanded access to the food stamp program.
• Support increased food stamp benefit levels.

Head Start

• Support increased funding for Head Start.
• Support training, certification, workforce development, and a competitive wage for Head Start teachers.
• Oppose moving Head Start from the Department of Health and Human Services in order to preserve the program's social services to families, such as nutrition and medical care.
• Support merging Early Head Start and Head Start.

Housing

• Support the creation of an Affordable Housing Fund to produce and preserve rental housing for low-income families.
• Support legislation that addresses the housing needs of victims of natural disasters.
• Support funding and related services for Supportive Housing Program permanent and transitional housing programs.
• Support increased funding for the Section 202 housing program for seniors and support changes to reduce the program’s complexity for provider program applicants.
• Support increased funding for Section 8 housing vouchers.

Immigration

• Support comprehensive immigration reform legislation that creates a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and ensures that immigrant families have access to supports from government programs.
• Support legislation that increases access to higher education for immigrants, such as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act and American Dream Act as they were introduced.

Individual Development Accounts

• Support increased federal funding for individual development accounts.
• Support allowing for withdrawals for automobiles.
• Support allowing states to create individual development accounts that are funded by child support payments for youth in out-of-home care.

Juvenile Justice & Criminal Justice

• Support reauthorization of and increased funding for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
• Support the expansion of prevention and intervention services, including educational, medical, and mental and behavioral health services.
• Support the expansion of workforce development services for agencies providing such services.
• Support prevention and intervention services that address issues of racial disparity and inequity.

Minimum Wage

• Support an increase in the minimum wage.
• Accept a related tax package for small businesses that is not too expensive and includes the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.

Older American Issues

• Support increased funding for Older Americans Act programs and support changes to the Older American Act that promote aging in place.
• Support legislation and funding for programs to recruit, train, and retain a quality nonprofit workforce to serve older adults.
• Support changes in Medicaid, including Medicaid waivers that support aging in place.
• Support guardianship programs for seniors.

Social Services Block Grant

• Oppose cuts and support increased federal funding for the Social Services Block Grant.

State Children’s Health Insurance Program

• Support funding sufficient to increase the number of children receiving State Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage.
• Support changes to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid that would end the five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children.

Teen Pregnancy

• Support funding that would decrease the incidence of teen pregnancy within the foster care community.
• Support programs that provide education to youth and families about teen pregnancy.

Welfare & Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

• Support the establishment of state performance indicators under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program that measure poverty reduction.

Workforce Investment Act

• Oppose converting Workforce Investment Act programs into a block grant to fund vouchers for job training.
• Support increased funding for English as a Second Language (ESL) and ESL-related programs, emphasizing universal eligibility and community-based services.
• Support summer youth employment and other employment programs for youth.

For more information, contact the staff in the Alliance Public Policy Office.