June is right around the corner and it’s National Hunger Awareness Month. With child hunger soaring to new levels amidst the COVID-19 crisis, several APHSA members were interviewed for
this
New York Times
article
on the Pandemic-EBT program. Visit
Feeding America
for resources and information on the impact of hunger in the U.S.
In the words of Buzz Aldrin:
“If we can conquer space, we can conquer childhood hunger.”
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Executive
Order on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery
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On May 19, the President issued an executive order directing federal agencies to rescind, modify, waive, or exempt regulations that may inhibit economic recovery. It further directs agencies to identify proposed rules and consider temporary enforcement discretion to promote job creation and economic growth.
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House Bill Introduced to Stabilize Child Care Program
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On Wednesday, House Democrats introduced the
Child Care is Essential Act
, which would create a $50 billion Child Care Stabilization Fund within the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. The Fund would be targeted to support child care provider operating expenses and child care workers, prioritizing providers that serve underserved populations.
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House Introduces Rural Broadband Acceleration Act
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On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) announced the introduction of the “Rural Broadband Acceleration Act,” bipartisan legislation that directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fund shovel-ready, high-speed internet projects immediately, allowing unserved consumers access to broadband within a year. In addition to supporting work and education opportunities that require access to the internet for more than five million rural residents, the bill would also create 240,000 new construction jobs.
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Child and Family Well-Being
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Joint Letter from Administration for Children and Families and Maternal and Child Health Bureau
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A Dear Colleague letter signed by the Administration for Children and Families’ Children’s Bureau and by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) was sent on May 28. The letter encourages family support, maternal and child health, and early childhood programs (including Head Start, home visiting, early intervention, and other early care and learning programs) to promote family strengthening and prevention strategies via virtual, electronic, telephonic, or other safe means during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Children’s Bureau Requests Public Comments for Proposed Data Collection for New ACTA Study
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The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) is proposing to collect data for a new descriptive study, Adoption Call to Action (ACTA) Data Collection. The purpose of the ACTA is to engage child welfare agencies to improve the timeliness and likelihood of permanency for children who are waiting for adoption.
Comments are due by July 26.
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Employment and Economic Well-Being
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USDA Announces Grant Funding for SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation
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On May 21, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) announced $5 million in grant funding for states to expand and improve fraud prevention, detection, and investigation efforts using resources outlined in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (
SNAP) Fraud Framework—a collection of procedures and innovative ideas to help States with their fraud response activities.
The submission deadline is July 3.
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Department of Labor Issues Weekly Unemployment Claims Report
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T
he Department of Labor issued its weekly unemployment claims report on Thursday. The report includes information on claimants filing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation claims. Based on adjusted rates, unemployment claims for the week of March 23 decreased from previous weeks.
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The Administration for Children and Families Issues Dear Colleague Letter on Child Support
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On Thursday the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) issued a Dear Colleague Letter describing appropriate modifications for specific timeframes for certain child support services, as well as the ability to provide other flexibilities upon request. Attached with the letter is a document of examples of Modifications of Timeframes in Title IV-D of the Social Security Act and 45 CFR 301-310.
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State HIT Connect Virtual 'Mini-Series'
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The State HIT Connect Summit's in-person meeting has been postponed until December 7-9, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare IT Connect will host the 2020 State HIT Connect 'Virtual Webinar Mini-Series' over the next six months, providing a collaborative opportunity for public and private stakeholders to address the core themes and topics from the in-person conference during this public health crisis period.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
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APHSA Webinar - Expanding Social Services: Using Data to Enhance Benefit Processing During the COVID-19 Crisis
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State agencies need to quickly and accurately identify individuals and families that are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in order to ensure well-being despite the health crisis. Join experts from the Tennessee Department of Human Services, Change & Innovation Agency, Equifax and APHSA to learn how to utilize data, technology, and available federal funds to best support your community during this challenging time.
Thursday, June 11, 2:00-3:00 PM EST
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2Gen COVID-19 Webinar Series: Building a Response for the Future
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Join the Aspen Institute for their last webinar in a series to learn more about what we can do today to build a stronger, equitable future for children and the adults in their lives. This series was designed to tap the insights, expertise and resources of the Ascend Network, the Ascend Fellows, parents, and policy partners so that we all can become smarter on how best to assist families during this economic freefall. The webinars aim to examine how new solutions, anchored in the 2Gen approach, can build and improve long term outcomes that stabilize the health, economic, and education of families as they seek to recover and move forward from the COVID-19 crisis.
Tuesday, June 30, 3:00-4:00 PM EST
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We continue working to ensure our members and partners have meaningful ways to connect with each other throughout the year despite our uncertain times. Taking all factors into consideration, including the health and well-being of everyone, stay-at-home orders and mass gathering restrictions across the nation, we have decided to move both the National Staff Development and Training Association (
NSDTA
) conference and the American Association of Health and Human Services Attorneys (
AAHHSA
) conference to
virtual events.
More details will be forthcoming.
As we continue to plan for the IT Solutions for Human Services (
ISM
) conference, we are carefully weighing all options, including opportunities in which we would incorporate content from the fall conferences we are unable to hold this year. These recently
cancelled
conferences include: The National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement (
NAPIPM
) Education Conference and the American Association of SNAP Directors (
AASD
) / National Association of State TANF Administrators (
NASTA
) Education Conference. We will provide more details on the status of this event as we continue to explore all possible avenues while also closely monitoring public health guidance. Read our full message regarding fall events
here
.
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APHSA Career Center - Post Your Open Positions Today
APHSA serves as a clearinghouse for job opportunities throughout the health and human services (H/HS) field. Employers reach a wide audience of candidates looking for careers in H/HS and job seekers will find a bevy of opportunities throughout the country.
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