Welcome to the latest issue of The Connection, APHSA’s newsletter offering updates and resources pertaining to employment and economic well-being, child and family well-being, and H/HS integration.

Our President & CEO Tracy Wareing Evans took a few moments to share a special message in light of last week's happenings in Washington DC—view it here. As all of us continue to process what happened, we are reminded as to what undergirds and guides our collective work—people and public service. We are humbled and honored to work alongside you, our members and partners, to continue to build common ground and advance well-being for all people across the nation. We wish everyone a safe, healthy, and peaceful 2021.

RFP - Coordinating SNAP & Nutrition Supports, December 2, 2020 - A grant opportunity from Share Our Strength has been released for state SNAP agencies to increase coordination between their SNAP program and other nutrition supports to reduce childhood hunger. The demonstration project will fund 3-5 states and APHSA will serve as the grants administrator to support cohort learning. Proposal deadline is January 29.

NGA Workforce Innovation Fund & Workforce Innovation Network: Request for State Proposals, January 13, 2021 - The National Governor's Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with the Cognizant U.S. Foundation, is launching the Workforce Innovation Fund and Workforce Innovation Network (NGA WIN) to help states respond to COVID-19 impacts on the labor market and help them improve employment and workforce outcomes. Up to twelve states will receive technical assistance from the first round of grants. Proposal deadline is February 11.

How WIC Has Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic - State of Childhood Obesity, 10/14/20

US Consumer Experiences with Food Access During COVID-19 - Johns Hopkins University, 12/20

How are Native Communities Faring During the Pandemic - Urban Institute, 12/17/20

Economy Sees Job Loss in December for the First Time in Eight Months as Surging Virus Takes Toll - CNBC, 01/08/20

GusNIP Request for Applications (RFA) Now Open - The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP, formerly FINI) grant program is an opportunity to bring together key stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems to improve health and nutrition outcomes. This is a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant. Applications due March 16.

Kids, Families and COVID-19, December, 14, 2020 - A new KIDS COUNT report examines how households with children are faring in all 50 states during the pandemic and offers recommendations for leaders on how to prioritize kids and families in response efforts.

Building a More Sustainable, Resilient, Equitable, and Nourishing Food System - The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a brief summarizing workshop sessions from their 2020 Food Forum on global change, access to health and food, resiliency in complex dynamic systems and resiliency for the future, and consumption- and production-oriented strategies that could transform the food system.

5 Part Webinar Series - Comprehensive Strategies to Support a Prenatal-to-Five Fiscal Agenda - Prenatal-to-Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS). Continuing on January 27, February 10, March 3, March 17.

Thursday, January 14, 1:15-2:30 PM EST

Advancing Family Well-Being Through Housing and Economic Mobility - Abt Associates.

P-EBT Deep Dive Webinar: Creating a Robust P-EBT Communications and Outreach Plan - FRAC.

Strategies to Increase School Meal Application Returns - FRAC.

A Job Quality Agenda to Build Back Better – An Action Platform for 2021 and Beyond - The Aspen Institute.

Using Data for Justice: How Changemakers Can Center Racial Equity in COVID-19 Recovery - Urban Institute.

COVID Impacting Wellbeing of Alabama’s Minority Children, Families Most - Alabama Political Reporter, 12/18/20

‘The Workforce Behind The Workforce’: Confronting Colorado’s Critical Child Care Staffing Shortage – Colorado Public Radio, 01/05/21

A Year Ago, Women Outnumbered Men in the U.S. Workforce, Now They Account for 100% of Jobs Lost in December - CBNC, 01/12/21

Children Struggling with Mental Health as Pandemic Continues - WFXRTVFox, 01/13/21

Casey Invests in Multiyear Effort to Support Young Parents and Their Kids, January 11, 2021 - This blog from The Annie E. Casey Foundation details their work with partners in four cities — Austin, Charlotte, Miami and Santa Fe — as well as several national organizations to better support young parents and their children. Called Expanding Opportunities for Young Families, this multiyear effort aims to bolster the educational and economic success of young parents.

Social Work Science for Social Change: Virtual Conference - Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR).

In case you missed it, CMS recently released a letter to describe opportunities under Medicaid and CHIP to better address social determinants of health (SDOH) and to support states with designing programs, benefits, and services that can more effectively improve population health, reduce disability, and lower overall health care costs in the Medicaid and CHIP programs by addressing SDOH.

CARES Act Helped Gov Establish Pandemic Tech: Survey - Governing, 12/04/20

HHS Proposes Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Empower Patients, Improve Coordinated Care, and Reduce Regulatory Burdens - U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Press Office, 12/10/20

How to Help Families and Staff Build Resilience During the COVID-19 Outbreak,

This brief from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University shares resources and guides to help families and staff coping with COVID-19.

Maximizing Medicaid's Potential to Close the Disparities Gap and Improve Health Equity - Center for Health Care Strategies.

Creating the “Next Normal” in Human Services: Redesigning Service Delivery to Increase Capacity and Meet Demand - Change & Innovation Agency.