Higher Education K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Reports Worker Justice Georgia’s Workforce Development, Economy Damaged by Barriers to Higher Education for Undocumented Students September 29, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson New federal policy provides Georgia an opportunity to increase access to higher education for many young Georgia immigrants who are now eligible to work without threat of deportation. Current policies that prevent these potential students from paying in-state tuition rates or even from attending Georgia universities outright undercut the state’s ability to compete for jobs […] Read more » Higher Education Tuition Equity
Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Pending TANF Changes Could Send Georgia Budget Writers Scrambling August 21, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Pending changes to a federal work-development and safety-net program that relies on state contributions could create a shortfall of tens of millions of dollars Georgia budget writers will need to fill somehow. Congress returns to Washington in a few weeks following its August recess and one of the laws on its to-do list is a […] Read more » Blog Melissa Johnson TANF
Blog Cash and Safety Net K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Worker Justice Educating Adults Critical to Georgia’s Success August 6, 2015 / March 12, 2021 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Educating Adults Critical to Georgia’s Success School is starting this week for many Georgia children but education ended much too soon for many of the state’s adults. Nearly 866,000 Georgians from 18 to 64 are without a high school diploma or GED. Georgia is home to the ninth highest share of adults in this age range in the country without a […] Read more » Economic Security Education Melissa Johnson Report Safety Net
K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Reports Improved Adult Education Support Critical to Georgia’s Bottom Line August 6, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia’s economic well-being is threatened by the high numbers of adults without a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Development credential (GED®). Nearly 866,000 Georgians ages 18 to 64 do not have a high school diploma or GED. Georgia’s adult education programs served only about 60,600 adults in 2014. Georgia’s leaders recognize that its […] Read more » Economic Security Education Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Rising Child Poverty Places More Demand on Summer Feeding Programs June 17, 2015 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Rising Child Poverty Places More Demand on Summer Feeding Programs Georgia summer nutrition programs served about 18,000 more children in July 2014 than in July 2013. That’s the good news. The bad news is that these programs still served less than one in six needy children in 2014, according to a recent report by the Food Research and Action Center. Georgia’s summer nutrition programs still […] Read more » Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Summer Brings Child Hunger Challenges May 26, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson It’s that time of year again. The school year is ending and Georgia children are leaving classrooms for summer break. For more than 1 million Georgia children who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches, summer break also brings anxiety. Fewer than one in seven Georgia children who rely on subsidized school lunches receive free summer […] Read more » Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia’s 2016 Human Services Budget Reflects GBPI Influence April 21, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia lawmakers took steps in the just-ended legislative session to improve the lives of some of the state’s most vulnerable people. Lawmakers allotted $900,000 more in the 2016 state budget to help Georgians with disabilities prepare for jobs and added more than $25 million to better protect children. Also significant is something left undone. Lawmakers […] Read more » Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Author Cash and Safety Net Featured Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports Child Care Assistance: Georgia’s Opportunity to Bolster Working Families, Economy March 23, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia is now turning away people who apply for child care financial assistance through a state program designed to help low-income families due to worries the program itself could run short of money. Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning said last Friday budget concerns are causing it to make the child care assistance unavailable […] Read more »
Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Threats to Child Care Affordability Undermine Georgia’s Workforce March 5, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson An income tax shift proposal released last week proposes to eliminate Georgia’s credit for child and dependent care, the state’s second largest income tax credit. Many low-income parents trying to raise young children in Georgia struggle to afford the high cost of quality child care even under today’s tax rules. A new Georgia Budget and Policy […] Read more » child care Economic Security Safety Net
Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Reports Worker Justice Increase Child Care Assistance to Strengthen Georgia’s Families, Economy March 5, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Many low-income parents raising young children in Georgia are not able to afford the high cost of quality child care. Going without such care can prevent them from keeping jobs, focusing at work, and getting a job if they do not have one. Georgia offers a child care assistance program to help families afford child care, but […] Read more » child care
