Close gaps in the health insurance system, expand access to mental health services, and improve the leadership of the child care industry Voices of Alabama Children's Policy Agenda for 2024.

“Our policy agenda is bold because we prioritize giving every child and family every opportunity to thrive, and these priorities help our state's children We believe it will have the greatest impact on improving outcomes,” said Aprile Hartsfield, Voice of Alabama Children’s Policy. Data analyst.

VOICES for Alabama's Children (VOICES) represents the well-being of Alabama's children through research, public awareness, and advocacy. As the state's most comprehensive source of child well-being data, Alabama Child Count Data Book, The organization uses its measures to inform its advocacy and policy priorities.

VOICES developed its 2024 policy agenda using a set of guiding principles that reflect the group's vision for the well-being of all children in Alabama.

“VOICES for Alabama's Children's vision is to ensure that all children are safe, healthy, educated, and economically stable so that they, their families, and our state can thrive. We believe that children in Alabama have the right to live in communities that affirm their inherent worth as members of the human family. We are committed to equity and a commitment to giving every child in Alabama the best chance to succeed. Advocate for a policy of inclusion.”

The policy agenda includes:

• Closing the health coverage gap – Approximately 300,000 working Alabamians do not have health insurance, so we will help close the health insurance gap by supporting Medicaid expansion and other measures.
• Increase mental health services and resources for children – Support measures to maintain and increase access to mental health services and resources for children under 18.
• Supporting efforts to improve the childcare industry – Policies and programs to improve affordable and accessible quality child care, including refundable tax credits tied to state Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS), to address challenges to labor force participation for working parents. We support you. As states, including Alabama, identify long-term solutions to address workforce development and other industry obstacles, federal funding for policies and programs to stabilize child care and give children a head start is essential. Support and protect your investments.
• Supporting Alabama’s investment in first-class preschool education – Support investments in Alabama's First Class Preschool Program to expand access to all 4-year-olds whose families want to participate.

To complement these priority areas, VOICES highlights the need to address the impact of e-cigarettes and other electronic devices, increase investment in food and nutrition, expand broadband, and improve child passenger safety. We will continue to support the Advocacy Alliance in the area of ​​raising awareness about.