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November 2013
NJ First in Preschool, But Thousands Still Left Out
New Jersey is top in the nation for the percentage of children attending preschool, according to a national report just released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Still, an estimated 88,000 New Jersey children lack access to a quality early education that can help them succeed in school and in life.
The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success sounds the alarm that the nation is failing to invest enough in a child’s early years. Preschool is key to securing children’s long-term success.
Read the news release and report.
Health Coverage Available for Foster Youth
Under the Affordable Care Act, New Jersey will begin providing health coverage to certain foster youth until age 26, effective Jan. 1, 2014.
Learn more and spread the word.
Although the state is not providing coverage for youth who aged out of foster care in other states and then moved to New Jersey, these youth may be eligible for NJ FamilyCare if they earn less than $15,282 a year. Please encourage youth you work with to apply at www.njfamilycare.org.
In other healthcare news, New Jersey’s extension of Medicaid to people earning up to 133 percent of the poverty level is open for enrollment. Coverage begins Jan. 1.
Learn more and apply.
NJ kids wait for “forever” home
New Jersey children waiting to be adopted spent an average of 3.1 years in foster care in 2011 before finding a permanent home, according to new adoption fact sheets. Children age 9 and older are least likely to be adopted. The fact sheets were prepared by the State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC), a national initiative that aims to improve outcomes for children and families involved with the child protection system, and the North American Council on Adoptable Children.
View NJ’s adoption fact sheet.
Tweet for Preschool Creates Buzz!
Thanks to all of you, our Tweet for Preschool last month generated 256 messages that were seen by more than 25,000 Twitter users on the day of the last gubernatorial debate. Each of those messages also went directly to the two NJ gubernatorial candidates participating in the debate -- Governor Christie and Senator Buono. Stay tuned for more opportunities to elevate this critical issue for kids.
Tweet ACNJ!
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