Voices for Georgias Children and The Whole Child Educate. Convene. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

@GeorgiaVoices

Voices for Georgia’s Children and The Whole Child

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@GeorgiaVoices

• We believe that all children deserve to have their Needs Met,

so they can reach their full potential.

• We focus on the “Whole Child,” so we can propose solutions

that benefit children on multiple levels.

• Take a Multi-Generation approach by considering the adults

that surround children when creating policies

Voices for Georgia’s Children

Georgia’s Premier Child Policy and Advocacy Organization

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@GeorgiaVoices

• 2.5 million children live in the state of Georgia.
• Nearly 200,000 Georgia children under age 19 lack health insurance.
• An estimated 1 million (nationally) children under 5 years old were not

counted in the 2010 census.

• 22% of children in Georgia were living at or below the federal poverty

level in 2017 ($25,100 per year for a family of four)

• 16 of Georgia’s 159 counties do not have a dentist and 35 counties do

not have a dentist who accepts Medicaid patients

Ov Overview rview and d In Indicators dicators

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• Ensure that the Georgia Gateway Integrated Eligibility System can

receive completed applications 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

• In partnership with GA Family Connection Partnership, we’ve launched

a coordinated effort to ensure everyone is counted in Georgia.

• Everyonecountsga.org
• Advocate for access to healthcare for all adults caring for or living with

children.

• Prioritize comprehensive school-based health

Po Poli licy cy Recommendat commendations ions & In & Init itiatives iatives

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• Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Georgia children

aged 10-17.

• More than 100,000 middle- and high-school students in Georgia

reported having seriously considered harming themselves.

• Approximately 200,000 Georgia kids have at least one incarcerated

parent.

• More than 13,000 children were in Georgia’s foster care system

as of July 2019.

Ov Overview rview and d In Indicators dicators

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• Nearly half of Georgia’s counties don’t have a licensed

psychologist and one-third lack a licensed social worker.

• Statewide, 108,301 students received out-of-school suspension in

the 2017-2018 school-year.

Ov Overview rview and d In Indicators dicators

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• Improve our ability to address workforce shortages by

collecting and monitoring behavioral health workforce data similarly to our current practices for physicians with the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce.

• Support the development of protocols and standards for

improved and expanded provision of behavioral health telemedicine.

• Trauma-Informed Universities Pilot

Po Poli licy cy Recommendat commendations ions & In & Init itiatives iatives

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• 62% of Georgia third-graders could not read proficiently by the

end of third grade in the 2017-2018 school year.

• 82% was the overall Georgia high school graduation rate in

2019.

• 11% was the graduation rate for Georgia youth in foster care in

2018.

• Approximately 11% of Georgia’s children participated in

afterschool programs in 2018

Ov Overview rview and d In Indicators dicators

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• Expand state funding to afterschool and summer learning

programs to increase access and ensure affordability of care.

• Increase state funding for the CAPS program (childcare

subsidies).

• Encourage technical education, work-based learning, and

apprenticeships to older youth to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow.

Po Poli licy cy Recommendat commendations ions & In & Init itiatives iatives

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• 80,493 four-year-olds, or 60% of all four-year-olds in Georgia,

participate in Georgia’s Pre-K Program

• Georgia now enjoys unprecedented state funding for School-

Based Mental Health

• 35 comprehensive School Based Health Centers across the state
• Admissions to DJJ jails and prisons are down 40% between 2013

and 2018

Go Good

• d News

ws

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• Increased GaDOE training and awareness is positively

impacting school climate

• Obesity rates among 10-17 year olds are down from 18.6% in

2016 to 16% in 2018

• Teen births are down from 28 to 22 per 1,000 teenage girls
• Child poverty is down from 27% in 2013 to 20% in 2018

Go Good

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ws

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• Listen to children and youth
• Become more aware of trauma and how it affects child and youth
• utcomes
• Donate money, equipment, expertise - school-based health and

mental health centers, afterschool programs, affordable housing

• Participate in your local Census Complete Count Committee to

guarantee accurate data for the next 10 years

Op Opportunities portunities to to En Engage gage

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• Read to kids
• Become a foster parent, respite care parent, or adoptive parent
• Develop youth apprenticeship programs
• Support your local food bank
• Implement family-friendly policies and those that support

volunteerism

Op Opportunities portunities to to En Engage gage

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• Host trainings, such as Mental Health First Aid training, Suicide

Prevention, Darkness to Light, and others

• Advocate for developmentally appropriate policies, such as
• Raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from up to 17

up to 18

• Funding for child and family health and mental health
• Increased funding for childcare subsidies and afterschool

programs

Op Opportunities portunities to to En Engage gage

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Qu Questions? stions?

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Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions: Erica Fener Sitkoff, Ph.D. Melissa Haberlen, JD, MPH Polly McKinney Executive Director Policy and Research Director Advocacy Director 404-521-0311 404-521-0311 678-427-5945 Brittney Newton, MPH Policy Analyst bnewton@georgiavoices.org 404-521-0311