ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- An Asheville mom had an unpleasant surprise this week when she called the Social Security Administration and discovered her adopted son is still listed as a "legal alien.”

Although Amber Ukena had filed the proper paperwork almost 10 years ago when she brought her son home from Ethiopia, a glitch in the system put his citizenship status in limbo. Ukena called to check on it after friends who also have children adopted internationally told her they were discovering the same problem.

"I honestly wouldn't have called to check on this, if we didn't have the current immigration climate that the new administration has put in place,” Ukena said. "It scares me that my child is not considered a citizen of this country - and he's 10 years old. And I adopted him at eight months."

Ukena has a Certificate of Citizenship for her son, a document she said many families of international children do not have. Because she has it, she is confident she will be able to resolve her son's citizenship status at the Social Security Office with proper paperwork.

But members of the adoption community are urging other adoptive parents in similar situations to verify their child's status.

President Donald Trump's immigration order is on hold for now because of a federal court ruling last week, but he is considering writing a new order to supersede the old one.

Ukena said that until the issue is resolved, she doesn't feel comfortable leaving the country with her son for fear they may be stopped upon reentry. She also wants to resolve the issue in case more countries are added to the watch list.

"My son is from Ethiopia, which is not being targeted, but it could be,” she said. "There's a lot of, a large Muslim population there, it's very close to the Middle East. And so, just getting ahead of all of this, and trying to have everything in place so that you feel as secure as possible."

The citizenship status of adopted children can be checked at the Social Security Administration. Parents will need the child's date and place of birth and Social Security Number, along with the parents' personal information.


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EVERETT, Wash. -- After community pushback, Everett Community College has paused plans to close its Early Learning Center, which has provided child-care services and nutritional counseling to many low-income families north of Seattle for 29 years.

Parents and employees were notified last week through a letter from the college, which stated a review of revenue and expenses shows the program is "not financially sustainable."

Prior to a Tuesday night Board of Trustees meeting, the college sent a letter to the community saying the board will work with state and local leaders to find permanent funding.

Michelle Doran, whose three-year-old daughter attends the center, said the program has been a lifeline over the past few months as she's experienced homelessness.

"I can't tell you how phenomenal that program has been," Doran remarked. "The support that I've gotten from Early Learning Center basically has made it, so I don't hit rock bottom, I have been able to maintain a full-time job and get quality child care."

Everett officials said the center has accumulated a net loss of $700,000 over a five-year period. In its original letter to staff, the college said it planned to close the center next June 30, and 14 employees would be laid off.

Everett Community College said it is interested in turning the lease of the building over to the YMCA of Snohomish County to run a day-care program.

Amie Waters, assistant director of Everett Community College's Early Learning Center, said she is encouraged there is a chance to fight for the future of the program, because she does not think the YMCA would be able to provide the same high-quality education.

"The YMCA starts their lead teachers at $13 an hour, and they cap out a little over $17, so their ending wage is lower than our starting wage," Waters explained. "To have the Young Men's Christian Association take over our beautiful, diverse program feels very insulting."

The Early Learning Center was accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Fewer than 10% of child-care and early-education centers in the U.S. receive the accreditation.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Health advocates are pressing the U.S. Senate to approve the Build Back Better Act, because it would improve Medicaid and CHIP - the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The bill, which already has passed the House, would offer 12 months of continuous coverage to children who qualify for Medicaid.

A new brief co-authored by Joan Alker - research professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and executive director of its Center for Children and Families - found that during the early Trump years, one in ten children experienced a gap in coverage over the course of 12 months.

"After we saw this troubling reverse in the progress we'd made as a country in reducing the number of uninsured kids, which came to a halt in 2017 and started going in the wrong direction," said Alker, "the Build Back Better bill would really turn that around and start moving the country in the right direction."

In Nevada, children in families of three earning about $45,000 a year or less are eligible for affordable health coverage through Medicaid or Nevada Checkup. Opponents say the $2 trillion Build Back Better Act is too costly.

The bill also would permanently fund CHIP, so it doesn't have to be renewed every few years. It also makes it much easier for all states to expand eligibility for kids.

Kendall Lyons, director of health policy for the Children's Advocacy Alliance in Nevada, said the bill also would cut down maternal mortality by extending post-partum Medicaid coverage for one year.

"The extension of post-partum coverage from 60 days, which is what it currently is in Nevada, to 12 months," said Lyons, "would be huge for providing crucial care for people after they've given birth."

Last year a report from the State of Nevada on maternal mortality found that there were 129 pregnancy-associated deaths in the Silver State from 2015 to 2019.

CAMP HILL, Pa. - Pennsylvania's child welfare and behavioral health services are in crisis, with a worker shortage exacerbated by the pandemic, a new report reveals.

Between low wages and emotionally demanding work, advocates say real solutions are needed to ensure these agencies are able to help at-risk children.

The Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth & Family Services' report includes a survey into the struggles facing many child-serving behavioral health providers.

Of the 51 agencies that responded, one in four said it has more than 30 vacant positions. Council President and CEO Terry Clark said the shortage has a ripple effect.

"Whether it's individual therapy, whether it's a child coming into a particular residential treatment facility, and they don't have staff, they're waiting somewhere," said Clark. "As a result, we're seeing kids that aren't getting their needs met. They're not able to start to address some of the underlying causes of their trauma."

More than half of respondents said they were forced to delay expanding programs as a result of being understaffed. The report recommends allowing providers to receive the maximum allowable reimbursement rate from the state for their services.

Nancy Kukovich is president and CEO of Adelphoi, which offers behavioral health care for children and teens, including 14 group homes in the state.

She said the company has 30 to 40 current job openings, even after raising the starting pay to $18 an hour. Kukovich said one recommendation from the report she sees as critical is student loan forgiveness.

"It just kills me that I am hiring people to work at Adelphoi, I expect them to have college educations," said Kukovich. "And yet, I'm not paying them enough for them to send their kids to college. I mean, that's just on its face wrong."

The report also recommends providers compile data from exit interviews to learn more about why staff members leave, and develop plans based on the results to recruit and retain employees.