skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

How to Help Florida's Children? Go Back to Their Roots

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 12, 2014   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida often focuses its efforts on helping the state's youngest residents, but a new report indicates helping their parents and caregivers at the same time will return big dividends. The Annie E. Casey Foundation report on creating opportunities for young families outlines a two-generation approach including job training, affordable child care and housing support.

Patrice Cromwell, director of strategic initiatives with the Casey Foundation, says offering parents the tools to improve their finances and stress levels helps them better support their children, financially and emotionally.

"Kids succeed when their families succeed," says Cromwell. "So it's not enough to invest in early childhood and parenting skills, but to help parents bring up their children in a stable environment."

In Florida, the report says almost one-third of children have no parent in their household working full-time, year-round. And, of nearly 1.2 million Florida families with children ages eight and younger, half of them are low-income.

Susan Weitzel, director with Florida KIDS COUNT, says it's also important to educate Floridians of all ages about the ways that better support families living in poverty will also help those in higher-income brackets.

"One of the ways it affects them is the stability of the employee or their staff when someone is forced to be absent because they need to take care of their children," says Weitzel.

Cromwell says the recommendations in the report are based in research and real-world experience.

"We see beneficial long-term outcomes for kids, both in terms of academic achievement and long-term earning potential," she says.

Cromwell adds, finding affordable housing is a major factor in a family's success. The report says more than 44 percent of Florida families with young children have to spend more than 30 percent of their monthly income on housing.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021