by Emilia Comai
Community and Advocacy Engagement Coordinator
Last week, the 2017 legislative session wrapped after 45 days of intense debate and discourse. Here’s how it worked out for Utah kids and their families:
Early Childhood had a few big wins!
Thanks to Representative Snow, Senator Millner, and Senator Escamilla, early childhood had a successful session!
- HB168 Kindergarten Supplement Enrichment Program will provide new extended day kindergarten slots to students who need additional assistance.
- SB100 Early Childhood Services Coordination Amendments will help us get a better understanding of early childhood services in Utah, including where there are gaps, and how we can better align services to have a greater impact.
- SB135 Maternal and Child Health complements the work done in SB100 by taking a deeper dive into the essential home visiting programs in Utah. This will help us better understand the benefits of the program, how we can increase effectiveness and coordination of services, and how more families can be served.
A First Step in Teacher Recruitment and Retention in High Poverty Schools
Representative Winder worked closely with the Granite School district on HB212 Incentive for Effective Teachers in High Poverty Schools. A highly effective teacher is one of the biggest factors impacting student success in the classroom for students who are low income. The bill is a first step to help recruit and retain teachers in high poverty schools by providing a $5,000 bonus to highly effective teachers in high poverty schools. Most of the schools United Way of Salt Lake partners with will be eligible.
2-1-1 received $650,000 in ONGOING FUNDS!
2-1-1 is an essential part of Utah’s service delivery system, connecting people to resources that will help them meet their basic needs in times of personal difficulty. Ongoing state support ensures greater efficiency and quality in the system, and increases coordination between government and nonprofit service providers.
See how all of the bills we tracked fared during the 2017 Legislative Session!
Join the conversation | #UtahKidsFirst
Find out more at advocate.uw.org
