Children's Services
The USDA summer food service program provides free meals to low-income children and teens when school is not in session The USDA summer food service program provides free meals to low-income children and teens when school is not in session

Summer Food Programs Face Challenges in Rural Areas

Paperwork, administrative burdens and transportation issues can lead to lower participation among children in rural areas, experts said at a House subcommittee hearing.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Summer Food Programs Face Challenges in Rural Areas

Paperwork, administrative burdens and transportation issues can lead to lower participation among children in rural areas, experts said at a House subcommittee hearing.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
The USDA summer food service program provides free meals to low-income children and teens when school is not in session

Watchdog Projects Ongoing Drop in Share of Federal Spending on Kids

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released its estimates as the nation's debt and deficits are on the rise.

  • By Bill Lucia

More Money—and Stricter Scrutiny—for Child Care

“What we’re seeing is an influx of state policymakers starting to wrap their arms around the fact that learning doesn’t start in kindergarten,” said Bruce Atchison of the Education Commission of the States.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts
Grocery store shelves. Grocery store shelves.

Share of Kids Facing Food Insecurity Still Above Pre-Recession Levels

“In 16 states, more than one-in-five children live in food insecure households,” new research from The Hamilton Project notes.

  • By Bill Lucia

Federal Judge Asked to Appoint ‘Special Master’ for Illinois Child Welfare Agency

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Intergovernmental ‘venom’ in S.C. … Colo. to adopt Calif.-style auto emission standards … and coral disease heading to Key West.

  • By Michael Grass
Houston, Texas Houston, Texas

Houston Officials May Try to Foil Trump Plans for ‘Tender Age’ Shelter

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | D.C. voters approve measure to eliminate tipped minimum wage … Del. blood emergency … and a Calif. mayor ends up with 5,000 purple water bottles.

  • By Michael Grass
In this Jan. 29, 2016, photo, Debra Aldridge, right, hugs and recites a prayer with her grandson Mario Hendricks at her Chicago home. The number of children being raised by grandparents has spiked in recent years. In this Jan. 29, 2016, photo, Debra Aldridge, right, hugs and recites a prayer with her grandson Mario Hendricks at her Chicago home. The number of children being raised by grandparents has spiked in recent years.

Will the New Foster Care Law Give Grandparents a Hand?

Some advocates for children being raised by grandparents worry that a new federal law will make it more difficult for caregivers to get help from state agencies and financial assistance.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts
Victoria Castro reads to her son and his friend at the Liberty Family Success Center in Kearny, New Jersey. Victoria Castro reads to her son and his friend at the Liberty Family Success Center in Kearny, New Jersey.

Everyone's Welcome: Saving Families With Movie Nights and Meetups

Can family enrichment centers help keep kids out of foster care?

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

This New Federal Law Will Change Foster Care As We Know It

Most child welfare advocates have hailed the changes, but some states that rely heavily on group homes fear that now they won’t have enough money to pay for them.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

29 Local Governments Selected for Childhood Development Partnership

Communities selected for StriveTogether have demonstrated a commitment to ensuring kids have a strong start in life.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
A grocery store interior in Idaho Falls, Idaho, during June of 2016. A grocery store interior in Idaho Falls, Idaho, during June of 2016.

Food Stamps Fall Short of Meal Costs in Most Counties, Study Finds

The findings come at a time when the Trump administration has proposed lower spending on the program in the coming years.

  • By Bill Lucia

Some Hospitals in Appalachia See Surges of Opioid Babies

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Maine Gov. LePage plans major shift in oversight for county jails; Philly will soon say goodbye to a transit relic; New Mexico’s challenging job-skills gap; and a Silicon Valley mayor is criticized for his housing comments.

  • By Michael Grass
Looking southward in Chicago, Illinois Looking southward in Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Focuses Its Quality of Life Index on Youth

Chronic, concentrated joblessness has caused young, black men to struggle in the nation's third-largest city, and an index will assist officials in refining services to help them be successful.

  • By Dave Nyczepir
The United States Capitol Building. The United States Capitol Building.

The CHIP Reauthorization Saga Is Over But the Damage Has Already Been Done

State officials aren’t likely to forget this episode of Congressional paralysis—and the precedent it set—any time soon.

  • By Quinn Libson

Temporary CHIP Funding May Run Out Sooner Than Expected

That means hard conversations like when and how to freeze enrollment or terminate coverage altogether will be back on the table in some states.

  • By Quinn Libson
The Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. The Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.

Alabama to Enact CHIP Enrollment Freeze in Two Weeks

The state has also announced that it will be forced to terminate coverage altogether on Feb. 1 if Congress fails to act.

  • By Quinn Libson
Connie Cavara (center) stands alongside her son, Diego, 13 as she waits to speak on behalf of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Connie Cavara (center) stands alongside her son, Diego, 13 as she waits to speak on behalf of the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Here’s What CHIP Means to This Pittsburgh Mom of Three

“I think they need to see the faces of the mothers and children they’re impacting. We’re not numbers or budgets. We’re people.”

  • By Quinn Libson

‘Parents Need to Know’: Virginia Sends Notifications That CHIP Coverage Could End

“[I]f one more congressman tells me ‘no problem, they believe in CHIP and they’re going to fund it’ and still they don’t, I think I’m going to scream. Because promises aren’t paying the bills and keeping kids covered.”

  • By Quinn Libson
Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Emergency CHIP Funds for States Are Nearly Halfway Gone

States may not be able to count on reallocated money from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for much longer.

  • By Quinn Libson

New Maternal Mortality Strategy Relies on 'Medical Homes'

A North Carolina initiative that identifies low-income women whose pregnancies present a high risk to either the baby or mother could be the key to combatting the high maternal mortality rate in the U.S.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts