2009 Year in Review
Dear Friends:
No one is more vulnerable in times of economic distress than children.
With job losses, government cutbacks, and charitable giving reductions
this year, more families have been struggling to make ends meet. That is
why The Children’s Partnership is working with a heightened sense
of purpose and steadfast effort.
Here, in our annual Year in Review Summary, are highlights from 2009. As
a nonprofit, we depend upon individual contributions in addition to
our partners
and supporters. We welcome your contributions to support our work.
2009 GAINS FOR CHILDREN
Five million uninsured children are more likely to enroll in the
health insurance for which they qualify. In 2009, President
Obama signed into federal law an Express Lane Eligibility provision,
allowing programs that serve low-income children to share eligibility
information in order to extend health coverage to eligible, uninsured
children more efficiently. The Children’s Partnership was an early
pioneer of this innovation in California that has now been translated
into a federal reform so that children in every state can benefit.
Nearly a million children in California kept their health
coverage throughout a treacherous budget. Hundreds of thousands
of children in California lost and then won back their health coverage
due to the leadership of The Children’s Partnership and our
allies. With health insurance for one in ten children at risk, it was
time for action. Through strong coalitions, hard work, and many late
nights, we were able to make a difference and protect these vulnerable
children. This opinion
piece tells the story.
Countless children in California and beyond will benefit from
groundbreaking R&D that puts technology to work FOR
children.
Child Health and Technology
We have completed a yearlong R&D effort in the area of health
innovations that resulted in Technology-Enabled
Innovations for Improving Children’s Health, a research
brief exploring ways that cell phones, digital games, and social
networking can help youth and families better manage conditions like
diabetes, asthma, and other threats to child health. Based on this
research, we are promoting new policies and incentives to ensure the
benefits of these promising new tools reach all children.
School2Home
Through a collaboration with the California Emerging Technology Fund and
thought leaders from a wide array of companies and sectors, we have
developed a statewide middle school program called School2Home.
This innovative technology immersion program is designed to address both
the persistent Achievement Gap and the Digital Divide in California and
is ready to launch in schools next year. Our partners include Google,
Intel, AT&T, Apple, Comcast, the Governor, the State Superintendent
of Public Instruction, and others from the corporate, public,
educational, and nonprofit sectors who have joined us to turn
School2Home into a reality.
Priorities for 2010
In spite of this progress, much remains to accomplish. Too many
children, particularly those in poverty, continue to be denied the
health and educational opportunities they need and which our country
must invest – not only for their sake, but in order for the nation
to remain globally competitive. It is this dissatisfaction with
today’s realities coupled with our sense of possibility that
drives us to do much more. We would like to share with you three of our
top priorities for 2010.
1. Launch the School2Home Program in
California.
With the California Emerging Technology Fund, we will take this
program to 25 low-performing middle schools in 2010, eventually reaching
500+ schools. School2Home will provide computing devices to all students
to use in school and at home with their families, and will provide
professional development for teachers as well as training, technical
assistance, and affordable broadband service for parents. School2Home
puts into practice the mounting evidence that youth benefit greatly from
programs that extend the school day and connect families and schools, as
well as engage students in new and exciting ways to learn.
2. Create Web-Based Life Records for
Foster Care Children.
The Children’s Partnership is spearheading a pilot
Electronic Record System in Ventura, California to develop ubiquitous,
Web-based records to help generate better health outcomes for foster
youth while maintaining their privacy. This pilot will be designed to go
to scale as our research shows that the 800,000 children in foster care
have substantially more untreated health problems than their peers not
in foster care, despite far more health dollars spent on them.
Electronic records can help bring stability and more effective care to
these children’s traumatic lives.
3. Continue Our Campaign Until
Every Child Can Get Basic Health Care.
Since children spend much of their time in schools and schools
are investing in advanced technology for learning purposes, The
Children’s Partnership is leading the effort to promote the use of
broadband in schools to improve children’s health. Through
school-based efforts that use videoconferencing to connect school nurses
with doctors off-site, many children, especially those without regular
medical attention, can get the care they need while staying in school.
In addition, their parents can be involved while remaining at work.
This article describes
how telehealth in schools can make a difference.
And, despite the major health victory this year for California’s
children, these same children will face threats again in 2010 triggered
by California’s budget crisis. We will continue our frontline work
to ensure that no child loses health coverage during these tough times.
And, we will continue to be the unceasing voice for children as we seek
new handles to secure health coverage for all children.
Contribute Today
These are but a sampling of the results of our work. Please browse
through our Web site for more information about our programs to bring
greater health and educational opportunity to children in need.
As you make your end-of-year donations, please consider The
Children’s Partnership. A tax-deductible contribution will help us
continue to bring greater health and educational opportunity to children
in need.
Donate
online today or mail your donation to:
The Children's Partnership
1351 3rd St. Promenade, Suite 206
Santa Monica, CA 90401
For more information, please contact Carrie Spencer, Administrator,
at (310) 260-1220 or cspencer@childrenspartnership.org.
Best wishes,
Wendy Lazarus and Laurie Lipper
Founders and Co-Presidents
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