Writing Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor-

I have had this archived for about a month.  Forgot about it.

Tips from our enemies-

Writing Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor- 

• Research local publications and media outlets websites to find what kind of submissions they accept and instructions on how to do so

• Share your expertise through a well-written and compelling piece that takes issue with something written or explains a point of view

• Tie piece to current issue in the news, trend, milestone, or major event

• Decide whether a letter to the editor or op-ed makes more sense

Letters-to-the-Editors

• A letter to the editor needs to be a TIMELY response to a published article

• Generally no more than 150 words

• Should reference the article being responded to within the letter (ie “In the July 5th piece by XXX,”)

Op-Eds

• Generally no more than 750 words

• An op-ed should provide an opinion and a call to action about a current or topical subject

• Be relevant by submitting response pieces within 24 hours

• Personalize and regionalize as much as possible

• Avoid jargon

• Avoid sending the exact same piece to multiple outlets—most like and some require exclusivity

Key Points

• Cutting the nation’s massive deficit is a reasonable goal, as long as the cuts are prudent and take a long view of their impact. As child welfare professionals, our concern is that programs getting cut are often those whose beneficiaries have no voice—making poor children particularly vulnerable.

• The sagging economy and joblessness are adding to the woes of child welfare—at a time when our client base has more needs. In an effort to balance budgets, child welfare has already experienced cuts from the local, state, and federal levels. More federal cuts loom through impending cuts to discretionary spending levels over the next decade while Medicaid and other mandatory spending programs continue to be imperiled.

• These cuts exacerbate issues in an already imperfect system. Most funding for children in foster care comes through the Title IV-E entitlement in the Social Security Act—but strict limitations on what IV-E funds can be used for combined with few other dedicated funding streams have led to inadequate federal funding for the full continuum of child welfare services.

• We need to explore viable alternatives that offer guarantees to all children and that are reliable, responsive, and predictable method of funding for a full range of essential services, as well as foster care placement and treatment services.

• The recently introduced Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, a bipartisan child welfare legislation that reauthorizes Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, including the Promoting Safe and Stable Families and Child Welfare Services programs—is a step in the right direction.

• But more should be done… and soon…as new Census data reveals the real and serious needs facing vulnerable children:

• The poverty rate in 2010 increased to 15.1 percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009, representing the third annual increase.

• In 2010, 46.2 million Americans were in poverty, compared to 43.6 in 2009, representing the largest number ever.

• The poverty rate increased for children from 20.7 percent in 2009 to 22 percent in 2010, and the total number of children in poverty increased from 15.5 million to 16.4 million.

• Millions of all races are now struggling because they don't make adequate income to support themselves or their families. Increasing poverty indicates opportunities are fewer and farther between or simply do not exist.

• Making wise decisions now will have lasting impact on our nation’s long-term fiscal health. So, as the nation continues to struggle to balance its check book, remember that children are sound investments that pay dividends for years to come.