Kottkamp and Guzman Team with American Children’s Campaign to Rebuild the “Big Tent” for Everyday Children
American Children’s Campaign is bringing together a new multipartisan coalition called TEAM FUTURE, chaired by Florida’s 17th Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp with Latino Leadership Executive Director Marucci Guzmán as Vice-Chair, to generate seamless, best practice-based policies that fix root causes, rather than symptoms, of challenges faced by Florida’s everyday children. Kottkamp points to child welfare improvements such as best interest representation in dependency court, a child marriage ban, expungement of juvenile records and the recently passed Fatherhood Initiative as exceptionally good policy changes in recent years. “But more progress for more children is needed,” he said. “The welfare of our children should be our highest priority in Florida.” The collaboration consists of ...Read More
American Children’s Campaign Expands Board of Directors
Central to our commitment to advance equity for all children and families, we are excited to announce three new members have joined our Board of Directors: Diego Corzo, Jilla Tombar and Shelley Katz. Diego Corzo is a Forbes-featured millennial realtor/investor and TEDx speaker living in Austin, TX; Jilla Tombar is the strategic partnerships officer for the Greater New Orleans Foundation; and Shelley Katz is chief operating officer at Victor Community Support Services/Victor Treatment Centers in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. “Broadening the diversity of our board is critical for American Children’s Campaign to continue staying abreast of challenges faced by everyday children and families,” stated Leon Russell, chair of ...Read More
Update on Florida Child Sex Trafficking
The Good and Not-So-Good News About Florida's Anti-Trafficking Response. First, the good news: Florida leads the nation in a comprehensive approach to addressing child sex trafficking, according to the latest annual scorecard by Shared Hope International and the Institute for Justice and Advocacy. The not-so-good news? Florida only scored a C. In addition, 40 out of 50 states received an F grade and 10 states received a D. When Shared Hope International began releasing its annual state report card ten years ago, it created a legal framework to challenge states to enact comprehensive responses to address child sex trafficking. The latest report card assesses not just criminal provisions, but also the identification ...Read More
File Taxes by April 18th to Receive Full Child Tax Credit
The Child Tax Credit could reach 9 of every 10 children in Florida! Each household could receive up to $3,600 for each child under 6 years old, and up to $3,000 for each child between 6 and 17 years old. Yet, many families still do NOT realize they are eligible for these funds or may not know they must file taxes by April 18 to receive their full tax credit. Your help is needed is helping us spread the word. A staggering total of 3,833,000 Florida children are eligible, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Important Facts EVERY CHILD WITH A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER IS ELIGIBLE (even if the ...Read More
Closing Crumbling, Costly Prisons is the Right Thing To Do
Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson is absolutely on the right path in criticizing Florida’s malfunctioning adult prison system and demanding it be held accountable. He says he’s “doing the math” and his math is blackboard perfect. He and his team deserve the full support of child advocacy groups including American Children’s Campaign. For several years, the American Children’s Campaign has voiced our objection about the adult prison system’s monetary drain on Florida’s budget, its continued waste, and its lack of creativity and originality in achieving better outcomes. Due to the prison system’s extraordinary expense, and the hardships it creates on families, Florida’s children don’t receive resources to meet their needs in an ...Read More
Florida Senator Lauren Book Receives Superhero Award for Bill Eliminating Seclusion and Limiting Restraints for Children with Disabilities
In recognition of her leadership and support for eliminating seclusion and limiting physical restraints on children with disabilities in public schools (SB 192) American Children’s Campaign recently presented a Superhero Protector of Children Award to Florida Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation). The Superhero awards are reserved for people who envision and/or lead transformational change for children. “The common denominator for receiving a Superhero award is the large-scale transformative change that can be achieved,” explained Roy Miller, president of American Children’s Campaign. “It recognizes system reform that fundamentally changes children’s lives for the better.” Florida currently averages over 8,500 incidents of physical restraints being used on children in public schools annually. Most restraints ...Read More