Elev8's broad policy agenda includes:
• Education. Elev8 supports programs that effectively narrow the achievement gap and keep students on track toward college and careers, with a particular focus on legislation that expands and strengthens community schools. Our priorities include:
- Out-of-school time learning. High-quality extended-learning programs aligned with school-day goals and curricula have been proven to boost students' academic performance, as well as their attitudes toward school, self-esteem and behavior. We support legislation that funds and strengthens such programs.
- Programs that actively engage parents and community members in local schools. Studies have shown that students with involved parents do better in school, attend more regularly, and are more likely to graduate. We support legislation that encourages and funds parental and community involvement in schools, including the Full Service Community Schools Act.
- Programs and policies that advance effective community partnerships. Such partnerships make the most of limited resources and empower local communities to determine what works best for their children. We support legislation that promotes innovative collaborations and strengthens partnerships between community-based organizations, school administration, educators, parents and students.
• Food Programs. The evidence is clear that hunger negatively impacts children's academic and cognitive abilities and increases the risk of future health problems, including obesity. Elev8 supports programs that help feed the approximately 16 million American children who live in food-insecure households, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps), the School Breakfast and School Lunch Programs, and Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
• Healthcare. Good health is essential for thriving schools and communities. Healthier students miss fewer days and perform better in school. Elev8 supports programs that improve access to comprehensive primary care, including behavioral health and dental services for all children and adults. We support legislation that invests in school-based health centers, as well as state Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) and care for uninsured adults. Elev8 has advocated for the inclusion of school-based health centers as essential community providers in the Affordable Care Act (to read our comments on ACA, click here)
• Social Services and Low-Income Tax Credits. Approximately 23 million children live in families where no one has a full-time, year-round job. Providing a safety net for these families is vitally important. Elev8 supports policies that help create economic stability, including changes to increase the number of families who benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit and continued funding of benefits programs like Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.
• Juvenile Justice. Elev8 works in communities that cope with pervasive violence, making it dangerous for children to walk home from after-school programs or to play outside. We support funding for youth mentoring and delinquency prevention programs that build safe, supportive communities for children and their families. These include the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and the enactment of the Youth PROMISE Act. As part of our juvenile justice work, we advocate for sensible approaches to school discipline. Too often, harsh discipline policies result in students being kept out of the classroom, losing valuable learning time, and decreasing their chances of graduation. Elev8 supports legislation that promotes positive discipline strategies, including the Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act and the Successful, Safe and Healthy Students Act.
