AUSTIN, Texas - No se hicieron esperar las reacciones ante el anuncio del Gob. Rick Perry de que desplegará 1,000 elementos de la Guardia Nacional de Texas (TNG, por sus siglas en inglés) a la frontera en medio de la constante oleada de niños que migran sin acompañantes adultos. Perry y sus defensores dicen que las tropas combatirán el tráfico de humanos y la actividad de los cárteles, que amenazan la seguridad pública.

Quienes se oponen a esa decisión señalan que será un desperdicio de dólares de los contribuyentes. Terri Burke, directora ejecutiva de la ACLU de Texas, dice que se necesita un alivio humanitario, y no endurecer la aplicación de la ley, que siempre tiene un alto costo.

“No se ha incrementado el crimen -asegura-. Estos niños corren derecho a los brazos de la Patrulla Fronteriza. Tienden sus brazos a los agentes y los abrazan. Así que no me queda claro por qué necesitamos gastar 12 millones de dólares al mes en la Guardia Nacional. Es totalmente innecesario.”

Burke añade que con el despliegue de la Guardia Nacional, combinado con el incremento por parte del Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas, patrullar la frontera le costará al estado unos cinco millones de dólares a la semana. Explica también que estos niños vienen a los Estados Unidos en grandes cantidades para escapar de la violencia y el crimen de sus países, por lo que se opone a su deportación.

“Y en 2012 nuestro gobierno retiró los Cuerpos de Paz de Honduras, diciendo que estar allá era demasiado violento e inseguro para nuestros voluntarios americanos -expresa-. ¿Y aún así vamos a regresar estos niños allá?”

Durante los últimos nueve meses casi 60 mil menores indocumentados han sido detenidos al entrar a los Estados Unidos, la mayoría procedentes de México, Guatemala, El Salvador y Honduras. Es más del doble, comparado con el mismo lapso del año anterior.

La Red de Voces Iguales del Río Grande urge a que se brinde a los niños condiciones de vida seguras y humanas, atención médica y apoyo para su salud mental; y que sean liberados y reunidos con los miembros de sus familias que están el los Estados Unidos tan pronto como sea posible.

La declaración del Gob. Perry está en bit.ly/WsJMSt. Datos sobre los menores capturados en la frontera, en bit.ly/1jScGWC.


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The need for child care and early learning is critical, especially in rural Arkansas. One nonprofit is working to fill those gaps by giving providers a chance to get more education.

The Career Pathways Program with Save the Children partners with universities to grow the workforce of child care and preschool providers.

Joyce Taylor, Eastern Arkansas parent-family community engagement coordinator for Save the Children, had more than 20 years' experience with Head Start and said the program gave her the opportunity to pursue a bachelor's degree. It also provides her with resources she can use, in the classroom and with families.

"In particular, we have a family with a child that is autistic," Taylor noted. "Mom is working with the child at home. So I have things that I can share with that family, so she can continue to work with her child."

More than 153,000 openings for child care workers are projected over the next decade, largely driven by the need to replace those who have left the field or retired, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Taylor pointed out some children have challenging behaviors, and may have a lot of things going on at home. It is her job to help them thrive in preschool.

"Because we're the first start, when they come into Head Start, that's their first opportunity to be in a learning environment," Taylor explained. "It's up to us to do everything that we can do, to help make that first experience successful."

Karen Harrison, managing director of career in education workforce development for Save the Children, said rural areas have access to fewer resources compared to urban areas, so the program focuses on addressing the specific gaps in rural communities. She added the Pathways program aims to reduce barriers to obtaining a higher-ed credential or degree.

"All of our pathways come with incentives," Harrison emphasized. "We either pay all or partial of their tuition; we pay stipends, for books, supplies and materials. We also give 'barrier reduction' stipends. We know that child care for participants themselves can be an issue; transportation, technology needs."

Harrison added the pathway begins with a Child Development Associate credential, followed by an associate degree, and ultimately a bachelor's degree. In the process, they improve the career opportunities for workers, as well as the quality of early learning.

A persistent child care worker shortage across New Hampshire is leaving families with few options.

The state is currently short more than 7,000 child care positions but low wages and burnout are driving workers from the field and forcing some centers to close.

Shannon Tremblay, director of the New Hampshire Child Care Advisory Council, said workers are struggling to care for their own families with wages barely above the federal poverty line.

"No one wants to come in for a low wage," Tremblay pointed out. "No one wants to come in making $15 an hour, working long hours in a stressful environment."

Tremblay argued greater state investment will create long-term benefits for both parents and children, some of whom may have disabilities or behavioral issues which could be identified earlier by trained child care staff.

Last year, state lawmakers invested more than $60 million in child care services, including $15 million for the creation of child care workforce grants and investments in the state's Family Resource Centers.

Tremblay emphasized the end of career and technical education programs in New Hampshire high schools broke the pipeline of workers entering the field, putting greater pressure on current staff to do it all.

"Our providers are the case manager, the cook, the plumber," Tremblay observed. "They want to provide that high-quality care and right now it's just, they can't do it."

Tremblay stressed pandemic-era funding to support the child care industry will run out in September, so state lawmakers need to act. She added the state could increase wages so the burden does not fall on New Hampshire families, who currently spend roughly $24,000 a year on care for two children under age five.

The child welfare system in Pennsylvania faces a staffing crisis affecting children and families throughout the system.

The Child Welfare Resource Center said about 30 counties report caseworker vacancy rates of 30% or higher

Terry Clark, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services, at a state Senate hearing on child welfare, challenged the Departments of Education and Human Services to work together to develop a STEM-focused model for human services. It could offer young people opportunities for training, apprenticeships and careers in child welfare, juvenile justice and behavioral health.

"We spend a lot of time focusing on colleges and universities," Clark noted. "But we believe we might want to back this up a little bit, and start looking at middle schools and high schools. Try to reinvigorate, get younger students motivated and trying to come into this field."

Clark pointed out some agencies have asked supervisors and even people from other departments to take on casework responsibilities. A recent Philadelphia study found Community Umbrella Agencies had an average 45% turnover rate, with vacancies ranging from 21-60 positions.

Clark observed private providers face workforce challenges similar to the county child welfare agencies. He emphasized counties are beginning to explore more contractual relationships with private providers for needed work.

"Counties are starting to put out RFPs, calls for private providers to help supplement their workforce," Clark stressed. "That means they're asking private providers to take on roles and functions that, in the past, were primarily done by counties themselves."

Clark argued competitive wages are seen as crucial to attract and retain child welfare workers, and county funding often falls short. He added student loan forgiveness and fellowship programs may be promising ways to bring new people into the field, but lawmakers would have to agree.

"There have been House bills and different Senate bills that have been introduced, or at least in draft form over the years," Clark acknowledged. "We hope that there's continued discussion about those, because if we can get some movement on those, we think those will really help."

He told legislators the turnover trends will not change significantly without increased investment in workers.