Co-sponsored by Voices for America’s Children, the National

1. Michael Linden, Senior Director, First Focus The Commonwealth FundImproving Children’s Healthy Development Through Federal Child Health PolicyRespondent Co-sponsored by Voices for America’s Children, the National Academy for State Health Policy, and First Focus

2. Child Advocates: Challenges • Perception vs. Reality • Communications: Speaking with One Voice • Communications: Speak from Our Talking Points

3. “ Lawmakers on both sides know that a piece of legislation stands a much better chance of passage if it’s about kids. ” Dana Milbank Washington Post Sept. 26, 2007

4. HAS NOT PASSED HAS NOT PASSED HAS NOT PASSED HAS NOT PASSED HAS NOT PASSED HAS NOT PASSED HAS NOT PASSED Millbank cites the following legislation: Kids Come First Act Prepare All Kids Act Early Childhood Investment Act Play Every Day Act Safe Babies Act Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act Early Detection of Dyslexia in Children Act These bills have not been passed nor signed into law.

5. ADMINISTRATION VETOES

6. Medicare Rx vs SCHIP Funding (in billions of dollars)

7. Strong Public Support for Children’s Programs • Luntz poll: 82-10% public support for SCHIP 66-17% margin – voters will be less likely to support a politician that failed to support children’s health • McInturff/Greenberg poll: 70-22% margin – voters support increasing funding for children’s programs by cutting spending & growth in other gov’t programs (Republicans – 73%, Independents – 70%, Democrats – 68%).

8. Child Advocates: Challenges • Perception vs. Reality • Communications: Speaking with One Voice • Communications: Speak from Our Talking Points

9. Food Stamps Children Foster Care Childhood Obesity WIC Children’s Health Tobacco Tax Education Child Care Home Visiting Juvenile Justice Child Tax Credit Infant Mortality Teen Pregnancy Head Start Child Safety Seats Substance Abuse Bullying Missing & Exploited Children Child Abuse & Neglect Healthy Start Even Start Adoption No Child Left Behind Immunizations Pre-K Maternal & Child Health Autism Childhood Research Child Development Family Medical Leave

10. Child Advocates: Challenges • Perception vs. Reality • Communications: Speaking with One Voice • Communications: Speak from Our Talking Points

11. Children’s Health: Reinforce the Positive • Passage by a veto proof majority in the Senate • Passage by over 100-vote margin in the House • Public strongly supports by over 80% • Elections indicate strong support for SCHIP (flip of president, 15 House seats and 2 Senate seats) • SCHIP extension fully funds the program through mid-2009

12. Trends in the Uninsured Rate of Low-Income Children, 1997- 2006 Source: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health analysis of the National Health Interview Survey for the Center for Children and Families (March 1, 2008).

13. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITY • Create and be prepared for unexpected opportunities (“opening the window of opportunity”) • SCHIP reauthorization • health IT legislation • national health reform debate