Child Welfare
California Democrats are backing the restoration of $440 million for state-subsidized child care, which two months ago was cut in the effort to address the state’s budget shortfall, reports Marisa Lagos of the San Francisco Chronicle. The governor’s office opposes the move, reports Lagos.
Chicago Tribune reporter Andy Grimm looks at the death of 12-year-old Indiana boy Christian Choate, whose parents are charged with his murder. A local child welfare official tells Grimm: “We failed. We failed him.”
Education/Jobs
The former executive of Missouri Goodwill will do 70 months for embezzling more than $1 million from the organization, reports Robert Patrick of StlToday.com.
Teens will actually have an easier time getting summer jobs this year in Michigan, reports Melissa Burden of The Detroit News. The state economic analyst projects a 30.6 percent unemployment rate for this summer, compared with 35 percent in the summer of 2010.
The California School Employees Association should drop its complaint about AmeriCorps volunteers working in Sacramento schools, says an editorial in the Sacramento Bee.
Nine states that made the first cut for Race to the Top funds last year, but ultimately lost, will compete for $200 million this year, reports Sam Dillon of the New York Times. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina. At least four will win.
Juvenile Justice
The Florida Attorney General’s Office is looking into the use of Medicaid by doctors hired by the state to provide mental health services to juvenile offenders, reports Michael LaForgia of the Palm Beach Post.
Some details from News Channel 5 in Tennessee about how the state will handle juvenile entries to its sex offender registry. Juveniles convicted of violent sex offenses will be added to the registry but will not be viewable by the public, only by law enforcement.
In Opelousas, La., where the local boys and girls club just shut down for at least the summer, KLFY.com reports that state budget cuts will force the closure of a 16-year-old alternative school for juveniles.
