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Child Welfare

NEWS RELEASE: Advocates Renew Call to Protect Youth in Custody

NEWS RELEASE  Advocates Renew Call to Protect Youth in Custody  For Immediate Release  April 3, 2020 1 P.M. CDT  LINCOLN, Neb. – Friday, following news yesterday that a YRTC-Kearney staff member tested positive for COVID-19, Nebraska advocacy organizations and individuals sent a second cosigned letter to Nebraska Supreme Court Chief…...

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Stand up for Kids in 2020!

The legislative session is well underway, and the Voices for Children team has been busy reviewing bills and working to ensure that state lawmakers have what they need to make decisions that best support all Nebraska kids. Over 400 bills were introduced this year, and dozens of carryover bills from…...

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Statement: Nebraska Sees New Historic Lows for Child Poverty Rate

Despite progress, significant disparities remain for Nebraska’s children of color Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released new data from the American Community Survey that provide state and local data on child poverty. The data show good news with the percent of children in Nebraska living in poverty falling 1.2 percentage…...

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New Federal Rule Would Increase Child Hunger in Nebraska

Last month, the Trump administration announced a new proposed rule that would take away food assistance from working families who are struggling to make ends meet. The proposed rule would make an estimated 3 million Americans ineligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). What the proposal doesIf adopted, the…...

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Pro-Kid Legislative Recap

The Nebraska Legislature wrapped up the 2019 session last Friday, adjourning for the year. Thank you to all who stood with us this year to ask our policymakers to put Nebraska kids first. Here’s a recap of some of our pro-kid policies this year: Victories for Kids Paid family and…...

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Paid Family Leave Helps Families and Business

This is a guest post from Hilary Dessouky, a Nebraskan who now works for Patagonia, a company that supports families by offering generous benefits like paid family leave and on-site child care Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska was pretty close to perfect.  My brother and I went to great public…...

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Proposed Federal Rule Threatens the Good Life for Nebraska Kids and Families

Our country is one that offers the promise of opportunity for all. Here in Nebraska, we know that our state is stronger when all families can reach their full potential and contribute to our communities. This weekend, the Trump Administration announced a proposal that, if implemented, would be a direct…...

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New DHHS Business Plan Neglects Safety Concerns

This week, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released the agency’s business plan for 2018-2019. While we are pleased with several elements of the plan including working to improve maternal-child health and implement a system of care, Voices for Children is gravely concerned about the ongoing disregard…...

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Kids in the 2018 Nebraska Legislature

Last week, the Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die, marking the end of this year’s legislative session. Each year, Voices for Children works to set legislative priorities, driven by data and research, to make Nebraska the best place to be a kid. Here’s a recap of how kids fared this session.…...

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2018 Pro-Kid Legislative Scorecard

Our state senators make a lot of choices over the course of the legislative session, and the 105th Legislative Session (2017-2018) was no exception. During the two year session, 15 of Voices for Children’s priority bills made it to a final vote before the full body. We present our third…...

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