We commend Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus for launching a new select committee to examine early identification and treatment of Texans' mental health needs. By setting the stage for action during the 2017 legislative session, the committee can ensure more Texans have the support they need to succeed in our communities, avoiding the hardship and taxpayer expenses that result from waiting until mental health challenges become an emergency.
Rewrite of TX Child Care Standards Is Key Opportunity to Improve Early Education & Child Health
Why the New House Mental Health Committee Should Add Students to Its Agenda
We commend the Speaker of the Texas House, Joe Straus, for launching a new House Select Committee on Mental Health. We will work with the Committee to ensure that the mental health of children -- and particularly students -- is one of the centerpieces of their work. This blog post explains why that's so important.
Lawmakers Call for Improving Support for Kids in Foster Care
Now that the state has improve the safety measures on the front end of foster care, we need to apply that same focus to improving support receive during and their placement in foster care. Fortunately, the Speaker and Lt. Governor directed legislative committees to address services in foster care in preparation for next session.
Three Commonsense Steps to Prevent the Next Viral School Police Incident
From South Carolina to Texas and around the country, stories involving students and school police keep making the headlines and sparking debate. We can all agree that it would be better for the school police officers, the students, and everyone else involved if these incidents never happened in the first place. Here are three steps we can take to reduce the number of incidents.
Ensuring Revamped HHS Advisory Committees Are Step Forward, Not Back
Report Finds 100,000 Fewer Texas Kids Uninsured, but State Still in Dead Heat for Last in the Nation
6 Things You Should Know as Health Insurance Marketplace Opens up Nov. 1
In the News: Patrick Puts Positive Focus on Texas Children, but Not Refugees
Austin American-Statesman - Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick continued rolling out his interim charges for various Senate committees with a welcome focus on health and human services, including foster care children, aging Texans and people struggling with mental illness. Charges also include a monitoring charge to test reforms to Child Protective Services and initiatives to reduce Medicaid fraud.
Seven Takeaways from the Latest TX Early Education Alliance Meeting
We had a terrific turnout and discussion at our Texas Early Education Alliance meeting in Austin yesterday with leaders and experts from education associations, pre-k, child care, and Head Start in attendance from across the state. We were grateful that Howard Morrison from TEA, Jeannie Young from DFPS, and Phil Warner from TWC found time in their busy schedules to share timely updates on executive agency activity related to Texas early education policies.