Bill would consolidate childhood-aid program, By Jason Clayworth, March 9, 2010, Des Moines Register: “A 12-year-old state program to help children in low-income families get off to a healthy start and get ready for school has such scattered oversight that it could be prone to fraud, according to the state budget director. State officials confirm they lack data to know how many children have been helped since 1998 with the $336 million spent through the program, Iowa Community Empowerment. Part of the problem: The empowerment program encompasses more than three dozen programs scattered among four state departments, state officials say. Oversight is spread among a state board and 58 local boards…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty