Looking for inspiration? PA Seniors4Kids Captain Bernard Chatman shared his story in last week's edition of The Chronicle of Philanthropy. You must be a Chronicle subscriber to read the entire article, which includes the following eloquent words from Bernard:
"We must invest in high-quality pre-kindergarten programs to give every child the ability to become more productive in ways that benefit all of us economically and socially as well. Pre-kindergarten programs don’t just help individual children and their families, they provide benefits for generations to come through creating stronger communities, responsible citizens, and successful students.
On my most recent birthday, I turned 59. My contemporaries and I do not see ourselves as old. We believe our lives have just started.
We are blessed with wisdom and the experience of long lives, and we have much to give to the generations who follow us. When we see children who are troubled by difficulties in school or in life, we have learned not merely to say, “What’s wrong?” but also to ask, “How can I help?”
Today, President Obama signed an executive order establishing the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform made up of six presidential appointees and twelve appointees from Congressional leaders. The commission is tasked with reaching an overwhelming consensus (14 of 18 members must agree) on a plan to close the federal deficit by the middle of the decade, as well as making sure the long-term budget outlook of the United States is sustainable. I’ve blogged about the dangers of budget commissions before, but I thought it might be helpful to suggest three positive things the budget commission could do.
1. Strengthen Social Security for all ages. Social Security is the most successful anti-poverty program in this country’s history. It provides invaluable support for current retirees, future retirees and children. Social Security will continue to run a surplus until 2023, but faces a relatively modest long-term shortfall. The commission should reach out to Social Security actuaries and put together a package of reforms that strengthens both the program’s adequacy and solvency.
2. Our children, youth, and seniors need critical investments across the lifespan. Our budget should reflect the values of our nation and our commitment to protect the most vulnerable.
3. Provide a budget plan that raises adequate revenues. A new report from the Center for Economic Policy Research points out that our budget woes are largely driven by the great recession and changes in the tax policy last decade.
In Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, older adults are gathering together to show support for quality early childhood education. Their voices are being heard.
Today in Frankfort, Kentucky, Kentucky Seniors4Kids Captains raised their voices for children at the Capitol Rotunda, meeting legislators, writing letters and participating in an intergenerational activity with AmeriCorps members.
Pennsylvania Seniors4Kids made headlines today with a letter to the editor published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by State Coordinator Yvonne Thompson-Friend.
New York Seniors4Kids State Coordinator Paul Arfin had a letter to the editor published in the New York Times this month as well.
Hello all, Here in D.C. we've been snowed under for about a week now -- but our staff has been working diligently from home and in our Texas office!
Connect for Kids has a great Q&A with Brenda Eheart, founder and CEO of Generations of Hope, which created Hope Meadows, the intergenerational community in Rantoul, Illinois, where families adopt neglected and abused children from the foster care system.
She speaks eloquently about finding intergenerational solutions to challenges faced by people of all ages:
"There is tremendous interest in intergenerational communities, in having older adults play a significant role in solving social problems related to vulnerable people. We recently had a group come to us who wanted to design a community for developmentally challenged adults. There are many other groups that might have need for these kinds of communities – whether it is young mothers with drug addictions or kids coming out of foster care with developmental delays."
"We’re very grateful that the concept has grown enough now that anybody can understand what we’re doing."
Hello all! Early Bird Registration is now open for the 4th International Consortium for Intergenerational Programmes (ICIP) Conference, 26-29 April 2010: "Linking Generations - Family, Work, Community"! This year's conference is in Singapore; GU's Donna Butts will be one of the featured speakers.
Donna hopes to say more about David Brooks’ column today in the New York Times later (there’s a lot to like about it). I do want to respond briefly to his point about spending on children and seniors.
Brooks cites a recent study by Julia Isaacs of the Brookings Institution that lists the ratio of federal spending between seniors and children at 7:1. Various other columnists have picked up this headline-generating ratio. Notice, pundits rarely use the 2.4:1 ratio for all government spending – most government spending on children is at the local and state level – since it plays less into their selected narrative. However, no matter what ratio they cite, this comparison is deeply flawed.
The ratio of spending tells you almost nothing about the actual wellbeing of children and seniors, or how we support families. Programs are not easily divided into those that support children and those that support seniors. Children don’t live in an isolated bubble, they live in families. Robert Gordon, associate director at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently made this point at an Urban Institute event. It is unclear, he said, whether supports designed specifically for children help families any more than those designed to help families care for an aging parent. When creating public policy, it doesn’t make sense to separate children from families.
Further reading:
Henry Aaron wrote an excellent response to the Brookings paper, challenging the value of trying to separate spending by children and seniors.
Also, I want to point folks to the excellent post by Ezra Klein. Klein correctly argues that it’s the structure of Medicare that is actually driving spending, not some intrinsic selfishness on the part of seniors.
The President released his FY2011 budget today. Every year the President prepares a budget and sends it to Congress for consideration. Congress will work to pass a budget by October 1st 2010, though it often takes additional time to complete the budget process. Below are a few highlights of the budget changes the President announced for some key programs affecting children, families, and older adults.
Older Americans Act (OAA), National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), Lifespan Respite Care, and other supportive services The budget proposes $103 million for the Administration on Aging Caregiver Initiative (further details found here):
• $52.5 million toward the National Family Caregiver Support Program to fund caregiver services and the Lifespan Respite program.
• $50 million increase in supportive services for senior services (under Title III-B), including transportation services and adult day care services.
Health Care (further details found here):
• $2.5 billion for health centers to provide affordable high quality primary and preventive care to underserved populations, including the uninsured. This will allow health centers to continue to provide care to the 2 million additional patients they served under Recovery Act and support approximately 25 new health center sites. In 2008, health centers provided direct health care services to 17 million people.
• New Medicare demonstration projects that evaluate reforms to provide higher quality care at lower costs, improve beneficiary education and understanding of benefits offered, and better align provider payments with costs and outcomes.
• $25.5 billion for additional Federal Medicaid assistance to help states maintain their Medicaid programs and ensure access to health care for millions of Americans.
Corporation for National and Community Service The budget proposes $1.416 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service - an increase of $266 million from 2010 (further details found here): • $914 million for AmeriCorps programs
• $60 million for the Social Innovation Fund in order to test promising new approaches to major challenges
• $63 million for RSVP (no change from FY10)
• $111 million for the Foster Grandparent Program ($104,000 above FY10)
• $47 million for the Senior Companion Program ($96,000 above FY10)
Child Nutrition (further details found here):
• $7.6 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to fully serve all eligible individuals.
• $10 billion over 10 years for a strong Child Nutrition and WIC reauthorization.
Child Care, Head Start, and Early Head Start • Will nearly double the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for middle-class families making under $85,000 a year by increasing their credit rate from 20 percent to 35 percent of child care expenses.
• Provides an additional $989 million for Head Start and Early Head Start to continue to serve 64,000 additional children and families funded in ARRA.
• Provides an additional $1.6 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in preparation for reauthorization to expand child care opportunities, and improve health, safety, and outcomes for children.
President Barack Obama issued a strong appeal to lawmakers of both parties in his Jan. 27 State of the Union address to continue their vital work on healthcare reform, an issue that affects all generations.
At Generations United, we are heartened by this commitment to improving America’s health care. We join President Obama in urging Congress to keep working for reform, as he said last night: “Don't walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.”
The current economic crisis has challenged Americans from all walks of life. President Obama rightfully addressed plans to promote job creation and business recovery. However, we must remember that true economic recovery is not limited to the workplace. Our nation’s most vulnerable children, families and older adults – the populations hardest hit by economic losses – need care, resources and support. As we await details about President Obama’s deficit commission and plans for a spending freeze, we caution that any conversation on deficit reduction must be viewed through an intergenerational lens. We hope that the proposed deficit commission and spending freeze do not become part of short-sighted fixes detracting from the far-reaching goals President Obama has pledged to achieve for all Americans.
We are pleased with President Obama’s emphasis on education and child care, recognizing that despite difficult economic times, he is emphasizing long-term investments that benefit all generations. Investing in our youth, and in education across the lifespan, has immediate payoffs as well as long-term gains. So does the announced increase in the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), which provides critical services to support family caregivers, including grandfamilies – grandparents or other relatives raising grandchildren.
“The only reason we are here,” President Obama said, “is because generations of Americans were unafraid to do what was hard; to do what was needed even when success was uncertain; to do what it took to keep the dream of this nation alive for their children and their grandchildren.”
We join President Obama in paying respect to the many generations who have sacrificed and worked for a brighter tomorrow. We also stress that connecting the generations is key in solving the problems facing our country. Intergenerational programs have been shown to successfully fight childhood obesity. Workforce mentoring across generations improves communication and productivity. Grandfamilies provide care and support to our most vulnerable children.
Our country is rich in both history and in opportunity, in wisdom and in possibility. As we move into 2010, we must recognize the interconnectedness of the generations and look to solutions that benefit and engage all ages.
Here's some encouraging news from our policy team:
President Obama will announce a proposed increase in theNational Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP)during his State of the Union address on Wednesday night, January 27, 2010. The NFCSP, part of theOlder Americans Act (OAA)provides critical services to support family caregivers. Up to ten percent of the funding appropriated for the NFCSP can be used to provide support services to grandparents or relatives over age 55 who are raising relatives’ children.
Greetings! Here at GU, we hope your Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday was filled with reflection, rest and service.
Donna Butts was in the Washington Post on Monday with an op-ed about intergenerational service on MLK Jr. Day and the importance of grandparents and older adults in the lives of our children. Grandparents laid the foundation for both King's and Obama's successes as leaders, just as "First Grandmother" Marian Robinson does today in the White House.
Dr. King said, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Let's continue to view the world from that intergenerational perspective in the year ahead.
In this time of heightened conversation about the national debt, Social Security and other vital government programs, we've just released a Fact Sheet illuminating the intergenerational benefits of Social Security. Social Security pays more benefits to children than any other federal program, and serves as a safety net for our most vulnerable children and families. Read, re-read and pass on to your friends and contacts -- we'd love to know what you think about this critical matter.
Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) have introduced a bill in Congress to establish a commission made up of a group of people (mostly from Congress) that would produce a plan to reduce the federal deficit. Congress would then have to vote on the proposal with no opportunity for amendments. Effectively the commission would have the ability to alter all federal policy with limited democratic input. Proponents of the commission frequently say the establishment of the commission is necessary for the future of children in the United States. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The commission is a potentially dangerous vehicle to cut programs like Social Security and Medicaid that serve some of the most vulnerable young people in this country. Social Security, specifically targeted by Conrad-Gregg keeps 1.3 million children from falling into poverty. Additionally, six and half million children in the United States receive assistance from Social Security’s survivors benefits program. These are vulnerable children who have lost a parent and who might otherwise be at risk of slipping into poverty.
Contrary to their alarmist rhetoric, Social Security is not even contributing to the federal deficit. The program is still running a surplus (yes, a surplus). In fact, according to the last Social Security trustees’ report, Social Security will continue to run a surplus until 2023 and will build its reserves to $4.3 trillion. Social Security deserves the consideration of experts that understand the program and its history and know how to strengthen it for future generations – not a 16-member commission.
Happy Tuesday! We're excited to announce the 4th annual Rachel Carson "Sense of Wonder" contest with our friends at the EPA, the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc.
Carson is considered to be the founder of the contemporary environmental movement through her landmark book, Silent Spring. Its publication is credited with reversing the nation's pesticide policy.
The categories are poetry, photography, essays and dance. The contest seeks to instill a sense of wonder for the environment among all generations and spur environmental stewardship.
Entries must be from a team of two or more persons from both younger and older generations.
The deadline for team entries is June 16, 2010.
The winners will be announced in October 2010. The public will have the opportunity to vote among the finalists for the winners in each category. For more information, visit the contest Web site.
2010 promises to be an exciting year at Generations United, with new research, analysis and statistics brought to the forefront. We just released our 2009 GrandFacts report, which looks at a little-known subgroup of grandfamilies -- "skipped generation grandfamilies," families where neither parent of the child is present.
As we look back on 2009, here are the Top Ten Most Requested Resources at GU.org, gleaned from web statistics, member requests and staff input:
We also want to highlight the resource library at the GU Seniors4Kids Web site, www.seniors4kids.org -- S4K's Web site had many downloads and requests for information in 2009.
Happy New Year to you and yours from Generations United! As we welcome 2010, we’re taking a look back at 2009. Here are some major moments in 2009 for GU. How was 2009 for you? Did you celebrate any major milestones? Challenges? Adventures? Share them in the comments below!
January – A Grandmother in the White House We began the year with exciting news – a multigenerational family at America’s most famous address! Marian Robinson, mother of First Lady Michelle Obama, moved into 1600 Pennyslvania Avenue this month. Mrs. Robinson plays a vital role in raising the family’s two young daughters and is a wonderful role model for grandparents everywhere.
February – Intergenerational Solutions for National Needs As the 111th session of Congress convened in Washington, we were finalizing GU’s public policy agenda. Our top priorities: giving priority to communities building facilities that serve both young and old; ensuring that grandfamilies benefit from the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, which became law in 2008; and promoting intergenerational civic engagement and multigenerational activities.
March – Generations Band Together in Tough Economic Times It was a tough month for the economy, as the Dow fell to its lowest point in a decade. The increased unemployment meant that families were increasingly reliant on each other for help. GU was a resource for an April 4 article by the Wall Street Journal about the unique stress on grandfamilies in the weakening economy.
April – Fostering Connections Act Takes Another Step Former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was confirmed this month as the President’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. States waiting to fully implement the Fostering Connections Act – created to assist children being raised by grandparents and other relatives – could move forward in the journey from policy to reality.
May – Who Supports Early Childhood Education? Active, engaged older adults who see the value of giving all children the benefit of a quality start! May was Older Americans Month, the perfect month for GU to spotlight our initiative Seniors4Kids – a civic engagement program that began in 2005, calling attention to the sometimes-overlooked fact that some of the most passionate advocates for pre-kindergarten education are 50+.
June – Up, Up And Away! June saw the nation carried away by Up, the Pixar animated film about a 78-year-old man who ties balloons to his house and flies away – with an 8-year-old stowaway on board. This hit movie was critically acclaimed and highlighted how the young and the old can learn so much from one another. 2009 was a great year for stories in other media, as well, with GU’s resources, expertise and commentary featured in dozens of national and local newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Baltimore Sun, Ladies’ Home Journal and Philanthropy News Digest.
July – The Beat of an Intergenerational Drum GU’s 15th International Conference brought together experts, educators, advocates and speakers who enlightened us all on the “Why,” the “What” and the “How” of intergenerational work. The conference kicked off with a fabulous intergenerational drum circle. Mark your calendar – our next conference will be July 25-29, 2011 in Washington DC. In July, GU also launched a Best Practices Designation for Intergenerational Programs.
August – Losing a Champion in Our Nation’s Capital Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s passing meant the loss of one of America’s most passionate and effective advocates for children, seniors and families. Edward M. Kennedy might have lost his yearlong fight with brain cancer, but he will leave over five decades of victories for the most vulnerable members of our society. All generations, past, present, and future will benefit from his legislative legacy and owe him a debt of gratitude. Thank you, Senator Kennedy.
September – Honoring a Senator’s Memory With Service In the spirit of Senator Kennedy’s strong support for service and the Serve America Act passed in April that honors his legacy, September 11 provided an opportunity for people of all generations to take part in the first National Day of Service and Remembrance. September also marked celebrations for National Grandparents Day and the 50th anniversary of the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program. Thanks to LEGACY Intergenerational Housing provisions that GU’s members helped make possible, some 202 funds are now being used to develop housing for grandfamilies.
October – Tweeting, Blogging and Facebooking We strengthened our online presence this year by launching a Facebook page and joined the Tweetosphere later in the year with a Twitter feed. If you’re not our fan on Facebook (or follower on Twitter), start now – it’s a quick way to update you on all we’ve been doing (and find out what you’re up to as well). Donna’s blog saw more posts and more readers as well.
November – Giving Thanks GU gave thanks this month for all of our diverse and valued members, who come together because they realize the value of a supportive, mutually beneficial agenda. We celebrated the amazing work happening at our 2009 MetLife/GU Intergenerational Shared Site Excellence awards winners, and solicited entries for the 2010 awards. Most of all, we were grateful for the children, youth, families and seniors who show us every day the benefits of viewing life through an intergenerational lens.
December – Grandparents In Our Nation’s Capital On Christmas Eve, the United States Senate followed the House’s lead and passed its version of health care reform – extending care to millions of uninsured children, families, and older adults. And on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, GU’s year came full circle. Grandparents were once again highlighted in the White House, this time on the Christmas tree! Donna had the opportunity to attend a holiday reception hosted by the President and First Lady and was delighted to see the tree decorated with ornaments created by people around the country – including GU grandfamilies partners from Arizona and Maryland.
Carol Scott here, the new Communications Coordinator at Generations United. I'm thrilled to be a part of the great work going on at GU and am excited about this chance to virtually interact with members, advocates and friends of GU! Please don't hesitate to contact me with story ideas, feedback or communications ideas.
As we dug ourselves out of the snow that blanketed the DC area this weekend, we unearthed great news: GU was featured on the New York Times Web site on Monday! The NYT's “New Old Age” blog featured a warm, witty story about a California grandfamily, including context and background from GU’s executive director Donna Butts on the benefit of intergenerational community.
They watch Dodgers games together and go shopping for clothes, and Marjorie Marsh welcomes Laura Marsh’s friends for birthday parties and other festivities.
Marjorie and Laura are two roommates -- and also grandmother and granddaughter. Later in the article, Donna adds GU's take on this mutually beneficial arrangement:
We know that millions of American children are being raised and nurtured by grandparents; we don’t know how often adult grandchildren return the favor. But Donna Butts, who heads the intergenerational advocacy group Generations United, told me, “We’ve become a lot more aware of it, particularly with the economy and the amount of time it takes young people to find a job after college.”
...
Such arrangements can help grandparents age in place, give young adults a sense of responsibility and allow elders to pass along family traditions. “We think it has a lot of value,” Ms. Butts said.
Monday I had the honor of attending a holiday reception hosted by the President and Mrs. Obama at the White House. It was beautiful. One tree in particular caught my attention. It was huge decorated with yellow ribbons and ornaments created by people around the country...including some of our very own grandfamilies partners from Arizona and Maryland! I'm sharing a picture of the tree and a link to a story and pictures of the ornaments that came from Arizona. Also joining me in the picture is GU board member Bob Blancato.
I've also included a photo of me with Valerie Jarrett, who heads up public engagement for the President, in front of the tree. I told her we were so delighted that grandparents could be represented on the tree.
And I couldn't resist sharing the photo below. It's a wonderful white chocolate model of the White House including a dark chocolate Bo the dog sitting in front near Mrs. Obama's garden.
Three Things Robert Samuelson Missed in today’s column
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Robert Samuelson would try and foment intergenerational conflict – I have blogged about his misguided views before. Samuelson continually tries to swim upstream by inventing imaginary cleavages between the generations. Samuelson recycles some of those arguments in today’s Washington Post and I could quarrel with most of what he writes, but I thought I would highlight three specific points that Samuelson misses:
1. Young people currently benefit from Social Security and Medicaid and will continue to enjoy its benefits when they get older. Samuelson mistakenly labels entitlement spending as a payout to today’s seniors. Social Security pays benefits to more children than any other federal program. Six and half million children receive assistance through Social Security from its survivors benefits program. Crucially, 98% of the children in the US are covered through the program if they were to lose a parent. The program provides vital financial security for our nation’s children. Additionally, the vast number of Medicaid recipients are children. Yes, the majority of Medicaid money goes toward paying the long-term care costs of our seniors, but it is still a critical program for our nation’s poorest children. Of course, it goes without saying (unless you are Robert Samuelson) that today’s children will eventually grow old and will continue to benefit from these programs.
2. The current insurance market is not working. Samuelson takes issue with the House and Senate bills because they limit the ability of insurance companies to charge different rates based on your age. Samuelson wants to defend the status quo on the health insurance market when it clearly isn’t working. Debt from medical care is the single biggest reason for bankruptcy in the US. The current market makes it very difficult and prohibitively expensive for older adults to purchase insurance in the individual market. Yes, younger Americans will be subsidizing older Americans to a degree, but that’s the only way to make sure everyone is covered. Not having health insurance is different from car insurance and homeowners insurance. The stakes are higher when it comes to your health. The country cannot continue to tolerate millions of uninsured citizens (young or old).
3. Young people are the most enthusiastic supporters of health insurance reform. Samuelson frequently cries out for young people to get mad at their grandparents’ generation for perceived political injustices. Once again, young people are ignoring his battle call; because they realize the need for reform – many of them witnessed their parents go without insurance. Millennials, like the grandparent's generation are drawn to the call to service and realize that our nation’s problems require shared sacrifices from everyone.
Michael Gerson has distinguished himself in the past as a protector of the vulnerable in society. However, he seems to have lost sight of his own ideals in his column today in the Washington Post. Instead of commending young people in this country for recognizing the importance of shared rights and responsibilities, Gerson tries to pit the young and old against each other.
One of the big goals of health care reform is to provide insurance to those that cannot afford coverage in the current market – this includes children and older adults under 65. In order to extend coverage to the uninsured, you have to spread the risk of becoming sick across society. Gerson also confuses mandating coverage for the young working population with providing supports to children. Children, like seniors often are priced out of the insurance market (they have trouble adding to their parents income). One of the best provisions of the House health care bill is to extend Medicaid eligibility to 150% of the federal poverty limit. The provision will help ensure children uninsured and those currently in CHIP are covered.
Budget and deficit hawks continually quack (or whatever sound a hawk makes), “Would someone please think of the grandchildren.” In reality, they rarely propose an actual increase in benefits for children and grandchildren. Their Maude Flanders-like-retort is often just a smoke screen for a trying to reduce public spending for everyone. They also routinely mistake entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicaid as simply a payout to senior voters, but they are much more. Over six million children receive a cash benefit from Social Security and Medicaid provides essential medical care to the poorest children in society.
In 1983, Bill Bradley called Social Security, “the best expression of community that we have in this country today.” If you want to provide supports for our country’s children and grandchildren, the best way to do so is to support programs that broadly spread risks and supports across society like health care reform.
Looking for inspiration? PA Seniors4Kids Captain Bernard Chatman shared his story in last week's edition of The Chronicle of Philanthropy. You must be a Chronicle subscriber to read the entire article, which includes the following eloquent words from Bernard:
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