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Children & the Federal Budget: What's the Connection? Budgets are the single best indicator of a government's priorities. Large increases or drastic cuts in funding for programs or other services for kids are clear indicators of what policymakers value. All states depend on federal funding to provide vital children services from education to child care to nutrition assistance, which means that budget decisions made at the federal level can have a big impact on state and local programs. For years now, child advocates have been active participants in budget analysis and advocacy at the state level to ensure adequate state funding for vital children's services and programs. In order to protect the important gains for children achieved in the states, advocates for children must also engage in the federal budget process.
America's Children and Families in Crisis: An Analysis of the President's FY2011 Budget This budget comes at a particularly critical moment for the nation. Unemployment is close to 10 percent nationally, and in many states the jobless rates are significantly higher. The conditions families face have worsened alongside the economic outlook since the recession, which began nationally in September of 2008 but was felt in many places much earlier. Read Voices' FY2011 Budget Analysis
Kids & Federal Spending – A Declining Priority! Federal spending on children is falling according to a 2008 study by the Urban Institute. Research shows this trend has solidified over time and is likely to continue without significant new investments in children's programs. Budget data indicate that between 1960 and 2007, the level of domestic federal spending – spending that excludes defense and international affairs – dedicated to children has declined from 20% to 16%, a clear indication that children are not a priority in the federal budget. This trend can be reversed, but it will require advocates to be engaged and vocal. Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy wants to ensure that the federal budget makes kids a priority by appropriating necessary funding for services designed to meet the critical needs of our state's and nation's children. Source: Voices for America's Children |
