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"For the first time ever, Merced County received $2.5 million in one-time American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money to start new Early Head Start programs, a federally funded program that provides high quality child care for children aged infant to 3 in low-income families."

"If they take over the Indiana House, Republicans will launch a major campaign for competitive-oriented education reform in next year's General Assembly. Look for a big push for grants to low-income families so they can have school choice..."

"The backpack program is another indicator -- in addition to rising food stamp usage, individuals qualifying for Medicaid and other anti-poverty programs -- of how Americans are struggling to make ends meet with the fallout from lost jobs and wages."

"And since the 1990s, lawyers representing low-income students have filed a string of so-called educational adequacy suits, arguing that states have not allotted enough money to provide an adequate public education..."

"Neidaly was once homeless and now lives with her parents, who she said were disabled, in public housing. She leaves that world behind when she goes to school, participating in activities like the sailing team (it sails near City Island) and taking in the aquaculture curriculum."

"Not only are California's low-income students and students of color disproportionately underachieving, but even the children of white, affluent and college-educated parents lag significantly behind their peers from other states."

"Nearly 4,000 backpacks filled with school supplies and food are being distributed to homeless public school students around New Mexico."

"So there's your education revenue stream: the nation's lowest rates for one of the most stable sources of income, combined with some of the highest rates for the most volatile taxes on the lowest-income working families. Alabama's tax base is, in effect, the working poor."

"Third, Social Security lifts retirees from poverty. In 2008, Social Security kept almost 36 percent of older Americans out of poverty. In Kansas, about 37.5 percent of the state's 65-plus population was kept out of poverty because of Social Security."

"The newly donated khaki pants, yellow polo shirt and superhero-themed sneakers that Josh Brando received from the Arlington Life Shelter to wear to Speer Elementary School don't change the fact that the 8-year-old is homeless."

"At four grade levels, only one-third of low-income students are proficient in math. And Blood cautioned that more than one-third of third-graders, and over half of those from low-income families, are not proficient readers."

"Just a few days before the New Mexico Democrat rolled out his bill... a state report revealed more than 13 percent of New Mexicans age 65 or older live at or below the federal poverty line - on $10,830 a year."