skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

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

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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.

New Report Confirms IA Families Hurting During Crisis

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 15, 2020   

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The crushing weight of the pandemic and economic crisis is showing its effect on Iowa families, according to a new national report on children's well-being.

When the pandemic began, public-policy experts worried families living on the margins would experience even more struggle. This week's report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation looks at all states, using weekly Census survey data to get a better sense of what families are experiencing. Anne Discher, executive director at Iowa's Child and Family Policy Center, said the results show the state isn't immune from what's going on.

"We found that about 21% of Iowa households with children said they had 'slight or no confidence' that they would be able to make the next rent or mortgage payment on time," Discher said. "It also looked at food security - and in that case, 14% said they 'sometimes or often' did not have enough to eat."

The report also focused on mental health, noting 1 in 5 Iowans in households with children described feeling "down, depressed or hopeless."

Discher said the concerns are even more pronounced in communities of color, and as policymakers carve out short and long-term solutions, they need to ensure equity and diversity of voices.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Casey Foundation, said the report is a reminder that all children need access to key elements that produce positive outcomes.

"All children, in good times and in bad, should have their basic needs met," Boissiere said. "Children should not be hungry. They should have safe, secure housing. They should have access to quality education. Parents should have access to childcare, so that they can work to support those families."

Discher said in addition to a new relief package from Congress, policy leaders should be ready to respond to troubling trends in the months and years to come.

"We think about child development, and we know that there will be long-term challenges," Discher said.

She said some of those issues are surfacing from distance learning. Recommendations in the report include guaranteeing any COVID-19 vaccine be available without cost; improving access to such programs as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; boosting investments in education and ensuring schools are more equitably funded.

Disclosure: Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Education, Juvenile Justice, Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

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…

 

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