2004 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Families & Children
Jeb Bush:
No Place Like Home initiative: find families for DCF kids
We must do our part to find families for children who need them, by finding permanent homes for the children in state care. There are more than 4,000 children in Department of Children & Families care today. In November, we launched the
No Place Like Home initiative to find Florida families who will open their hearts and homes to them. We're actively looking for the right families, and streamlining the adoption process to remove the obstacles and frustrations that have
been part of the process for far too long. I ask you to support these new families by approving the funds required to support adoption in Florida.
We are committed to supporting Florida's families, but government will never be the full
answer to their needs. Our state is blessed with an incredibly strong network of community and faith-based partners that offer a helping hand, provide counseling, and teach skills required to build strong families and hold them together.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the Florida Legislature
Mar 2, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Reform and additional funds for Child Protective Services
Our most basic obligation to our children must be to ensure their safety, and that starts with a well-supported, well-run Child Protective Services. We wrapped up a productive special session, from which came sweeping procedural reform and additional
funds to ensure that CPS has the resources it needs to investigate every reported case of abuse or neglect. CPS was empowered to hire more investigators, and existing employees were given long overdue pay increases.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Investment for fewer abuse and neglect cases
Child Protective Services is now in a position to respond to emergencies, but the bigger challenge is preventing abuse before it escalates into a tragedy. The Legislature was right to establish Healthy Families in 1994, and it is time to build on this
success story. My 2005 budget will contain a recommendation to double the Healthy Families budget, from $7.25 to $14.5 million. This relatively small investment promises big dividends-safer children, more capable parents, and fewer abuse & neglect cases.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Establish a quality childcare rating system
We will work with private childcare providers and government agencies to establish a quality childcare rating system, identify tools and resources to meet standards of quality, and prepare information for parents to adequately evaluate those centers.
I have asked the School Readiness Board to find new sources of public and private funding to help childcare providers ensure that they have adequate facilities and curricula to properly stimulate children’s development.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Resources to childcare assistance for low-income families
Parents cannot support their children if they don’t work, and many cannot work without assistance with the cost of childcare. We make an investment in our children when we support quality childcare assistance for working parents who need it.
We must devote more resources to childcare assistance for low-income working parents. My budget recommendation will include an additional $24 million to substantially reduce the number of families waiting for assistance.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Page last updated: Nov 30, 2018