May 2005

As a business-led organization, Youth Matters adds a powerful and perhaps unexpected voice to the effort to increase State legislative support for early childhood development and ready-to-learn programs.

Youth Matters, an initiative of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, and its partners such as Healthy Families Virginia and CHIP of Virginia, helped secure $51 million dollars for the next biennium in the State Budget.  The Virginia General Assembly approved the budget and Governor Warner signed the legislation, which will take effect July 1, 2005.

Youth Matters, with funding from the business community, hired the highly regarded lobbying firm of Williams Mullen to promote its legislative agenda.  Youth Matters and Williams Mullen engaged in novel attention-getting techniques and traditional lobbying tactics, but the underlying message was always clear:  Greater Richmond’s business community takes these “kid issues” seriously.  Early childhood development and ready-to-learn issues affect the business environment as much as the usual business-oriented issues like transportation and economic development.

“Through our General Assembly work, we are known as a nonpartisan group that provides accurate and unbiased information on early care and education issues,” says Lynn McCashin, executive director for Youth Matters.  “We make the connection between early care and economic development for Legislators.”

Youth Matters lobbying effort revolved around making the case that these are investments that benefit the entire state and its economy:

• The child benefits by having an opportunity to do well in school and succeed in life.
• The Commonwealth benefits by ensuring that more students enter school ready to learn, increasing academic performance and decreasing remediation expenses.
• The society benefits because a better-educated workforce helps attract businesses and creates jobs.
• The taxpayer benefits, as students that succeed are less likely to turn to crime or need public assistance and are more likely to become productive, taxpaying citizens.

A study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis helped Youth Matters persuade Legislators of the bottom-line value of investing in early care and education.  Among many important findings, the study showed that for every $1 invested in ready-to-learn programs, the long-term savings to government and society are between $7-$9.

A portion of the $51 million statewide total will fund programmatic strategies backed by Youth Matters, particularly home visitation services provided by Healthy Families and CHIP (Comprehensive Health Investment Project) of Virginia.  Youth Matters works with these providers to expand the home visitation system and infuse it with literacy promotion services. 

Components of the $51 million include:

• $500,000 for Healthy Families Virginia.  This funding is particularly important, as it represents State support for a program expected to see reduced federal TANF support, and it allows the program to leverage other federal matching dollars.  This amount is an increase from the 2004 budget.  In 2004, the General Assembly reduced the state fiscal support of home visitation.  With the addition of $500,000, Healthy Families will be able to sustain themselves at their current level.  The goal for 2006 is to increase the amount so that additional staff can be hired and caseloads increased.
• $5.5 million for foster care in the State Department of Social Services.  This provides for the hiring of additional social workers, and enhances the delivery of child and family services through the implementation of the Program Improvement Plan (PIP).  PIP outlines various steps the Department will take, such as increasing the number of children adopted from foster care, to comply with mandates set by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
• $1 million for Child Advocacy Centers (CACs).  CACs are places that provide support and services to victims of child abuse.  The funding allows for expanded coverage and services in the state.  This funding is new money.
• $1 million for Early Intervention Services for developmentally disabled children.
• $43 million for child care, via TANF (Targeted Assistance to Needy Families).   This includes an infusion of funds from the State General Fund, which will help Virginia access federal funds available through the Child Care Development Funds.  The state has left potential federal funding “on the table” in the past.

The State Legislature added funding for Healthy Families and child care as Youth Matters requested.  However, Youth Matters promoted more funding for early intervention and foster care than was included in the budget.  On balance Youth Matters rates the state budget as a “good first step” investment in kids. 

(For additional information on this website about Youth Matters, click here.  For additional articles on this website about early childhood development, click here.)