Childcare Funding

This is where some of the budget for "Childcare" goes. Goes to show that the focus seems to be away from the young child, and "early" childhood education.

Child-care advocates worried about shortfalls in budget
By Alan Gomez
Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Friday, May 05, 2006

TALLAHASSEE — Children will fare well from the record increases in education spending currently in the state budget, but child-care advocates worry about what the rest of the $71.3 billion budget holds.

The budget includes smaller-than-expected increases for the Department of Juvenile Justice; a program that helps children leaving foster care; and the Guardian Ad Litem program, which helps children who have been abused or neglected.

"The children have gone largely unheard," said Roy Miller, president of the Children's Campaign Inc., a nonprofit advocacy organization.

Juvenile justice was a contentious issue this session, with the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson after a beating at a state boot camp putting the department in the spotlight. That camp was run by the Bay County Sheriff's Office and led to a total revamping of boot camps in the state.

But money for other services shopped out to private contractors by the department also irked some child advocates.

Last week, negotiators in the House and Senate agreed to spend an extra $33 million on contracted services for juvenile justice, a 10 percent increase over last year, bringing the total to $363 million.

That increase was far less than the $100 million the contractors, who provide 80 percent of juvenile justice services, had requested to stabilize the agency. But even that increase was slashed when the budget was released — down to $20 million.

"Providers are very concerned about being the next headline," said Mark Fontaine, executive director of the Florida Juvenile Justice Association that represents the contractors.

Department Secretary Anthony Schembri was pleased with other gains in his budget, including a $4.6 million increase in salaries, $1.5 million to increase closed-circuit security systems in 10 detention centers around the state and $300,000 to increase staff training.

Child advocates were pleased with moderate increases in other programs, but said more needs to be done.

Road to Independence, a program that helps children leaving the foster care system at age 18 adjust to life on their own, received a $5 million boost to its $21 million budget. But the program had asked for $10 million.

That boost could also be complemented by a $2.8 million addition of health coverage under the state's Medicaid program for teens going through that transition.

That addition, contained in HB 7173, has been approved by the House, but has not been voted on by the Senate.

"I know very few youngsters who turn 18 and can totally fend for themselves," said Andrea Moore of Florida's Children First. "They need this help."

Moore said legislators did an inadequate job increasing money for the Guardian Ad Litem program, which uses volunteers to represent abused and neglected children in the county's court system.

Advocates had pushed for a $13 million increase to the $27 million program, but secured only an extra $8 million.

"There is nothing more important they could have done to ensure the safety of children," Moore said.