Iowa
Hinson bill would expand eligibility for child care aid
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa
Extra Iowa households could be eligible to obtain monetary help for little one care companies underneath congressional laws lately launched by Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.
Japanese Iowa little one care advocates, nevertheless, warn that even when the invoice passes, households should still wrestle to seek out open little one care spots resulting from low reimbursement charges and lackluster wages for little one care suppliers within the state.
Hinson and Utah Rep. Burgess Owens, the rating Republican on the Home Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Schooling Subcommittee, launched laws to reauthorize the Youngster Care and Improvement Block Grant Act.
“This laws will assist guarantee households have entry to little one care in order that they’ll extra comfortably stay, work and lift a household in Iowa,” Hinson stated.
The federal program, which is run by states, territories and tribes, gives monetary help on behalf of low-income, working households to allow them to afford little one care companies. This system was final reauthorized in 2014 and expired in fiscal 2020, however annual appropriations acts have continued to supply funding for this system.
In fiscal 2020, the latest information for households served, grant {dollars} helped help 9,000 Iowa households and roughly 16,400 kids per 30 days.
Hinson stated her laws will assist broaden this system to serve extra households, and supply extra flexibility in order that households can select the supplier that most closely fits their wants. The Marion Republican stated entry to reasonably priced little one care, particularly for households in rural communities, is a high concern. Particularly, she stated, as inflation continues to make life much less reasonably priced for households who’re more and more involved about the price of little one care.
“I’ve visited little one care facilities which have informed me they’ve wait lists of over 100 children within the space. The following choice could be 30 or 40 miles away,” Hinson informed reporters final week on a convention name. “This can be a disturbing and unimaginable choice that many are having to make proper now. What we don’t need is mother and father compelled to have to decide on between working and taking good care of their children.”
The invoice would:
- Increase eligibility for households in a position to obtain help, by elevating the state median revenue threshold to 150 %.
- Present help and help for home-based and household little one care supplier networks, together with faith-based suppliers, to deal with provide shortages.
- Grant states flexibility and choices to help little one care educators by means of skilled improvement alternatives and recruitment and retention efforts.
- Guarantee suppliers’ enter and operational prices are included in calculating reimbursement charges.
The state median revenue for a household of 4 in Iowa is $97, 935, making 150 % of that $146,902. Moreover, there are measures within the invoice to make sure that households with higher want making lower than 85 % of the revenue degree are served first.
“Something that’s going to extend the revenue threshold for little one care help is nice,” stated Samantha Turnbull, Johnson County Empowerment/Early Childhood coordinator.
“We get numerous calls from households who will not be eligible for Head Begin (the federal early childhood training program for low-income kids) or little one care help or our school-ready scholarship fund, however they’re going although their payments with me and nonetheless not in a position to afford the $1,000 a month to place their little one by means of little one care,” Turnbull stated. “Something that they try this’s going to help barely greater earners could be wonderful.”
Turnbull, although, stated Iowa households will probably nonetheless run into points discovering little one care choices. Suppliers, she stated, need to restrict the variety of little one care help slots accessible as a result of state reimbursement charges are so low “they’ll’t meet their expense.”
“The speed is predicated on a market charge evaluation of the entire state and differ tremendously between rural and concrete components of the state, like Linn and Johnson counties the place little one care is dearer,” Turnbull stated.
Johnson County has a number of the highest prices for little one care within the state, in accordance with county officers. A household with two kids pays a mean of $2,008 each month — or $24,096 per 12 months — on little one care within the county.
Turnbull famous a brand new collaboration amongst Johnson County, Iowa Metropolis and native companies seeks to extend wages for eligible little one care employees. The wage enhancement program is meant to spice up pay with out elevating the price for households, and goals partially to encourage extra Johnson County suppliers to simply accept kids that obtain little one care help, she stated.
This system shall be funded by $1.5 million in pandemic reduction {dollars} from the 2 native governments, together with extra funding from space companies.
Hinson famous her invoice would incorporate suppliers’ enter and operational prices in calculating reimbursement charges, which ought to enhance certainty and solvency.
Daybreak Oliver Wiand is president and chief govt officer of Iowa Ladies’s Basis, a nonprofit, grant-making basis primarily based in Coralville. The muse has awarded over $1.5 million in grants since its founding in 1994 to supply alternatives for financial self-sufficiency and progress for Iowa girls and ladies. That features awarding greater than $210,000 this 12 months alone to enhance the supply of, and entry to, high quality little one care in Iowa.
Wiand referred to as Hinson’s invoice “a great begin,” and echoed Turnbull of the necessity to enhance reimbursement charges and little one care wages and advantages within the state.
Iowa has misplaced 28 % of its little one care companies over the previous 5 years, and the full variety of little one care packages accepting little one care help in Iowa dropped by greater than a 3rd, in accordance with the inspiration.
Linn County has misplaced 15 % of its little one care companies over the identical interval, and the full variety of packages accepting little one care help is down 30 %.
“Youngster care is crucial for Iowa’s working mother and father, particularly girls,” Wiand stated. “It’s also important to our companies, workforces and backside traces — making little one care basic to the state’s financial system. There may be not one excellent resolution to the kid care disaster, however the reauthorization of the CCDBG will assist create a extra accessible, reasonably priced, high-quality little one care system for Iowans. And when that system is sustained by an expert, aggressive and compensated workforce, all people wins.”
Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Division of Well being and Human Providers final month selected to not submit a federal grant utility for as much as $30 million in funding for little one care companies within the state. It’s cash funding advocates stated may have been used to extend compensation, advantages and dealing situations for early childhood educators within the state to recruit and retain employees to deal with shortages.
Turnbull referred to as the choice “disappointing.”
Requested concerning the state’s choice to show down tens of tens of millions of {dollars} in federal little one care help, Hinson argued the guy Republican governor “has made funding in little one care, and I’ll proceed to work along with her to verify we’re enhancing entry to look after households. It’s a shared precedence.”
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
Izabela Zaluska of The Gazette contributed to this report.
Nebraska heads to Iowa City on Friday for the annual Black Friday matchup against the Hawkeyes. At 6-5, the Huskers are bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. Iowa comes into the game at 7-4, having won three out of their last four. Of the two teams’ mutual opponents, Iowa lost to Ohio State 35-7, beat Wisconsin 42-10, and lost to UCLA 20-17.
On behalf of the Common Fan podcast, here are three keys to victory for the Huskers, and two keys to victory for all the fellow Common Fans.
NEBRASKA’S KEYS TO VICTORY
Stop (or Slow Down) Kaleb Johnson. After having an atrocious offense last season, Iowa is back to being respectable on the offensive side of the ball, especially when it comes to the run game. The Hawkeyes boast the #13 rushing offense in the nation. Starter Kaleb Johnson has rushed for 1,492 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He is legitimately one of the best backs in the country. What’s more, Iowa is on their fourth starting quarterback of the season. While there have been some rumblings this week that Cade McNamara and/or Brendan Sullivan–both of whom have started games under center this year–would play on Friday, it sounds like Jackson Stratton will be the guy. Stratton attempted a total of 14 passes last weekend against Maryland, completing 10 for 76 yards. Considering the strength of Nebraska’s defense has been stopping the run all season long, this matchup should favor the Huskers. But it’s Iowa, so who knows. If the Big Red can contain Iowa’s run game, I like their chances to win the game.
More of That Offense, Please. Iowa teams of recent years have been known for great defense. Not just great defense – they have had some elite defensive units. This year’s Hawkeye defense is perhaps not quite as dominant as what we’ve seen in recent years, but they’re still very good. They come into the game ranked #17 nationally in total defense, #12 in scoring defense, and #26 in rushing defense. They have been susceptible to giving up the big play, and currently rank #41 in opponent yards per play, after finishing the 2023 season at #1 in that category.
What will we see out of Nebraska’s offensive unit this week? Are we going to see the squad that had its way with Wisconsin? Or will we see the unit that struggled to move the ball for most of the year? If new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen can sprinkle a little more magic on the Nebraska offense, perhaps they can get out to a lead and take Iowa out of their comfort zone.
Make Special Teams Special. Another defining characteristic of Iowa teams in recent years has been outstanding special teams play. On the other side of the equation, all Common Fans know that Nebraska’s special teams play has struggled for most of this season. That said, against Wisconsin, Jacorey Barney had a 45 yard kickoff return to set up Nebraska’s first scoring drive, and place kicker John Hohl was 3-for-3 on field goals. Progress.
Can someone make a game changing play against the Hawkeyes? Can the Huskers at least make sure special teams doesn’t hurt them on Friday?
COMMON FAN KEYS
Soak It In. This is painful to say, but it’s the first time in eight years that Nebraska will be playing Iowa with bowl eligibility already secured. Husker fans don’t have to hold our breath, stressing that the team’s postseason fate rides on this game. I’d love nothing more than to see the Big Red pick up where they left off against Wisconsin, come out and pummel the Hawkeyes. But whatever happens, this isn’t the end of the road for the Huskers.
At least for me, the Iowa game has emerged as a great Thanksgiving weekend tradition. Iowa is the closest thing we have to a rival since joining the Big Ten. Embrace it. Enjoy it. We’re going bowling this year, no matter what happens against Iowa. So load up with some leftover turkey and mashed potatoes, maybe an extra piece of pie, and enjoy the ride, Husker fans.
Going to Kinnick? Common Fan Podcast co-host Matty O was in the house for the Wisconsin game, and after the win, pulled the trigger on tickets for the Black Friday battle against Iowa. He and his son will be making the trek to Iowa City on Friday. That’s the impact of beating the Badgers, getting to bowl eligibility, and starting to believe in this program again.
Are any other Common Fans out there going to be in the house? Hats off to anyone representing the Big Red in enemy territory. And, if you are going to be there on Friday, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email to commonfangbr@gmail.com or hit us up on social media (@commonfangbr on X) to share your experience. Send pictures, stories, smart remarks…whatever you’ve got! Let’s go 1-0 this week and beat those Hawkeyes!
As always, GBR for LIFE.
MORE: Nick Handley Show: Iowa Football Preview with the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow
MORE: Nebraska Football Commit Christian Jones Makes Final Visit Before Signing
MORE: Nebraska Football Recruiting: Lamarcus Barber Recaps Visit, Names Huskers Top Choice
MORE: 2026 Wide Receiver Blaise LaVista Details Nebraska Football Recruiting Visit
MORE: 2027 OT Reece Mallinger Details Nebraska Football Visit
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
LOS ANGELES – Senior Michelle Urquhart set Iowa’s single-season service aces record in the Hawkeyes’ 3-1 loss to UCLA on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion. Iowa drops to 10-21 overall and 4-15 in the Big Ten.
Urquhart needed two aces to surpass the single-season rally scoring era record set by Becky Walters in 2010. With the third set tied at 10-10, Urquhart dropped in a soft serve to secure her 42nd ace on the season.
The senior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, also recorded a double-double, registering 13 kills and 12 digs. Freshman Dominique Phills and sophomore Hannah Whittingstall were in double-figures with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Phills was a spark off the bench, drilling five kills in the opening set.
Senior libero Joy Galles notched a career high in digs, finishing with 24. She neared a double-double, tallying eight assists.
MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (UCLA, 25-23)
After trading points early on, the Hawkeyes strung together three consecutive points to take a 5-3 lead, courtesy of a kill and ace from Urquhart. UCLA answered with a run, pushing ahead 13-8. Phills was a spark off the bench, helping Iowa pull within two on several occasions. The Hawkeyes rallied all the way back in the opener, tying the set at 23-23 before the Bruins capitalized on back-to-back kills to win the set. UCLA had only one attacking error in the first set, while Iowa had seven.
SET TWO (UCLA, 25-11)
Despite gaining momentum at the end of the first set, Iowa fell behind 9-1 to begin the second. A timeout slowed the Bruins’ progress, but they gained early control of the set. Iowa chipped away in the middle of the set on terminations from Phills and UCLA errors. UCLA ended the set on a 5-0 run.
SET THREE (IOWA, 25-23)
Iowa quickly regrouped for a competitive set in the third. A kill from Whittingstall and ace from freshman Jenna Meitzler kept the pressure on UCLA early. Urquhart notched her record-setting ace, breaking a 10-10 tie in the third set. The teams headed into the media timeout with UCLA leading, 15-14. It wasn’t until late in the set before Iowa pulled away, using a 3-0 run to go up by two at 20-18, courtesy of kills from freshman Malu Garcia and Phills. After a UCLA timeout fueled back-to-back points for the Bruins, Iowa sealed the set with a kill from Whittingstall and error from UCLA.
Mickey’s record-setting ace! 💛#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/PlUu17YR2R
— Iowa Volleyball (@IowaVolleyball) November 28, 2024
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝗲𝘀 👑
With Michelle’s second ace tonight, she has set the program record for service aces in a season during the rally scoring era (42).#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/fimM7XstTc
— Iowa Volleyball (@IowaVolleyball) November 28, 2024
SET FOUR (UCLA, 25-15)
UCLA recovered and regained momentum, leading 6-2 to begin set four. A pair of kills from Urquhart and a termination from Garcia brought Iowa back within one at 7-6. The Hawkeyes stayed within striking distance but could not take the lead in the set. The Bruins used a run in the middle of the set to take control. A block from senior Anna Davis and Garcia stopped the run at 19-13. UCLA finished the set on a 5-1 run to win the match.
UP NEXT: Iowa heads across town for its season finale, battling No. 20 USC on Friday evening. First serve is set for 9 p.m. (CT) from the Galen Center. The match will be broadcast on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.
Former Iowa Hawkeyes star George Kittle is in the midst of what has to be the most trying season of his NFL career.
Kittle’s San Francisco 49ers—who were Super Bowl contenders heading into 2024—fell to just 5-6 with their loss to the Green Bay Packer this past Sunday, further hindering their playoff chances.
However, the tight end is not giving up hope in the midst of severe adversity.
“My optimism is not broken by any means,” Kittle told reporters. “We still have a lot of very talented players. We will get some guys back. And I still have full trust in the coaching staff to put our guys in position to make plays, and I got no worry about that. But definitely an uphill grind, and going to see what we’re made of, which I’m looking forward to.”
You have to love Kittle’s fighting spirit, but it seems hard to imagine the 49ers righting the ship in their current predicament.
San Francisco is dealing with a plethora of injury issues up and down the roster, which includes quarterback Brock Purdy, who missed the Packers game with a shoulder problem.
Kittle himself had a strong performance in Week 12, logging six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. He has also been his usual impressive self overall this season, totaling 49 receptions for 642 yards and eight scores in nine appearances.
But not even Kittle can save the Niners from all of their current troubles.
The 49ers will face the Buffalo Bills in a matchup that could ultimately decide their playoff fate this Sunday.
Biden thankful for smooth transition of power, urges Trump to 'rethink' tariffs on Canada and Mexico
HIV-positive transplants now permitted for livers and kidneys
NHL goalie inexplicably puts lead goal in own net
Spotify playlists are being hijacked to promote pirated software and scams
After tip from California workers, Justice officials say company owes big money to employees, state
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Biden thankful for smooth transition of power, urges Trump to 'rethink' tariffs on Canada and Mexico
Nato cyber expert says Russian interference growing across Europe
Mexico President Downplays Risk Of Trade War With Trump
What is Evacuation Day? The forgotten holiday that predates Thanksgiving
At least 13 killed, many more feared dead as landslides bury Uganda homes
-
Science1 week agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Health5 days agoHoliday gatherings can lead to stress eating: Try these 5 tips to control it
-
Health3 days agoCheekyMD Offers Needle-Free GLP-1s | Woman's World
-
Science2 days agoDespite warnings from bird flu experts, it's business as usual in California dairy country
-
Technology2 days agoLost access? Here’s how to reclaim your Facebook account
-
Science1 week agoAlameda County child believed to be latest case of bird flu; source unknown
-
Sports1 week agoBehind Comcast's big TV deal: a bleak picture for once mighty cable industry
-
Entertainment16 hours agoReview: A tense household becomes a metaphor for Iran's divisions in 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig'