Nina Perez | MomsRising

Early Learning National Director and Florida Director

Nina is an Early Childhood National Campaign Director and Florida Director at MomsRising/MamásConPoder where she has been organizing moms and families across the nation for over a decade on family economic security issues. Nina has been interviewed in numerous local and national news outlets, including PBS NewsHour, the New York Times, and The Guardian. On child care policy, Nina has testified in front of Congress for the Ways and Means Committee as an expert in her field. Nina's career has focused on ending the oppression and exploitation of women and girls. She was previously a Program Manager at Community Family Life Services supporting direct services and leadership with low-income communities in Washington, DC. Nina was also a founding member and Program Coordinator for the Young Women Leaders Program at the University of Central Florida. and lives in Jax, FL with her loving partner, inquisitive child, spunky cats, and books.

Blog Post List

March 30, 2015

Please join MomsRising volunteers and staff on April 8th, 2015; 10:30 am at the City Council Meeting to thank Mayor Rawlings for his work to improve children's health in Dallas! MomsRising and our partners at Healthy Children in a Healthy Environment are coming together to personally deliver the giant “Thank You!” card MomsRising members signed to thank Mayor Rawling for his work (and the work of other local leaders) to decrease the number of uninsured children in the city, and to ask them to continue their work to improve children's health in Dallas. Here is what you need to know about this...

MomsRising Together

March 30, 2015

Great news! Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree and City Council members, Kim Bradley, Deborah Delgado, Carter Carroll, Mary Dryden, and Henry Naylor, are going the extra mile to make sure kids in Mississippi have the health coverage they need! Hattiesburg was awarded a grant through the National League of Cities to fund the E³ Health Initiative. This grant enrolls eligible families in low-cost health coverage available through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). It’s important that Mississippians throughout the state show support for Hattiesburg's leadership so we can...

MomsRising Together

March 20, 2015

“On behalf of all parents, joint and single, I pray that the CHIP program remains a source of support for our children.” ~ Tania Right now, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covers millions of children across the United States—bringing the uninsured rate of children down by 50% (from 14% to 7%) since its beginnings. That’s why CHIP needs to be a top priority for Congressional leadership, because it helps protect the health and financial well being of so many families. People like Tania in Maryland, whose children are covered and receive vital care because of MCHP (the MD state...

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Family Economic Security Health Care

March 3, 2015

Just as the rate of uninsured adults has reached an all-time low , this access to affordable healthcare is under threat again. What’s the lowdown? Well, this week, the U.S. Supreme Court will review King v. Burwell, a case that threatens to eliminate the financial assistance for health coverage in about 36 states as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If the court rules against the healthcare law, millions will be at risk of losing their health plans and costs would go up for all health insurance consumers. Yes, you read that right. MILLIONS of people could lose their health coverage. To...

MomsRising Together

Take Action

February 23, 2015

At MomsRising, we know moms are changing more than diapers everyday—and sometimes that includes making sure all moms have access to diapers! That’s why I couldn’t resist the opportunity to tell you about Heather, a local Pittsburgh “Mom in Action” and blogger of Diary of a First Time Mom , who has helped organize the Burgh Baby Diaper Drive ( February 1-28 ) as a way to give back to Pittsburgh’s smallest residents. Sign up to get involved with the Burgh Baby Diaper Drive and support this super mom’s great work. You can help address diaper need in Pittsburgh! There are Pittsburgh moms...

MomsRising Together

February 9, 2015

When shopping for a plan, a few questions to ask include: How much health care do I need? Do you expect to visit a doctor often? Is my preferred brand of birth control covered? How important is it to me to see my current doctor? Am I expecting any major life events in the coming year?

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Raise your voice!

January 30, 2015

In early March, the Supreme Court of the United States will review a case that threatens to eliminate financial assistance for health coverage in about 36 states as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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Take Action

January 30, 2015

Great news! Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and other city leaders are going the extra mile to make sure our kids have the health coverage they need! Jacksonville was recently awarded a grant through the National League of Cities to connect uninsured kids with low-cost KidCare and Medicaid coverage. With more than 17,000 uninsured children in Duval County alone , this Cover Jacksonville campaign can help us go a long way toward decreasing the number of uninsured children in our community. This is important because when children have health insurance, they enjoy better health throughout...

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Health Care Open Flexible Work

January 23, 2015

A lot. A 2013 Pew Research study found that nearly half of all moms polled said, “that their ideal situation would be to work part time.” This shouldn’t come as a surprise. When you add a 40-hour workweek to the demands of being a primary caregiver, the dual (triple? quadruple?) roles can leave you exhausted. And the reality is that for many parents, a 40-hour workweek just isn’t a legitimate option. Some years ago I worked with an amazing mom who, because of the excellence of her work, was offered an increase in her hours by our company. But when asked, she told us she couldn’t work 40 hours...

MomsRising Together

January 9, 2015

Having a personal space of my own is as necessary in my life as breathing. I don’t need to use my personal “me space” everyday, but I like to know that it’s there should I need it. As someone who has always had to cohabitate—first sharing a bedroom with my older sister, then with college roommates, and now my husband—what prevented a head-spinning exorcist moment was my insistence on claiming even just a corner (if sitting in your closet, uggs provide the best cushioning) to myself. But how do you claim a space for yourself when you have a million things competing for your attention?

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MomsRising Near You

December 18, 2014

My favorite Christmas memory is from one of the toughest years of my adult life. When my husband and I moved into our apartment together, our first winter living away from home was the hardest. We were in a new city with no family or friends in the area, we rarely saw each other because he went to school in the morning while I worked nights, and we barely had enough money to cover our basic expenses. With all the change, I was adamant that we try to have sense of normalcy during the holidays—which included buying our first (small) Christmas tree! At first I figured we would make some paper...

MomsRising Together

Take Action

December 2, 2014

We have great news! MomsRising volunteers in Pittsburgh will be hand-delivering a giant “Thank You!” card from Pittsburgh families to Mayor Peduto on December 9th at the Children’s Museum. We want to show Mayor Peduto how much we appreciate his administration’s work to reduce the number of uninsured kids in the city. Add your name to our giant card before we deliver it on December 9th, 2014. Pittsburgh was awarded a grant recently through the National League of Cities to fund the Healthy Together campaign to enroll eligible children and families in Medicaid and CHIP. With more than 8,000...

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RSVP!

December 2, 2014

Why are Pittsburgh kids making superhero capes at the Children’s Museum on December 9, 2014 at 9:30am? Because it’s fun (obviously!) and when kids have access to quality health coverage, they can be the super heroes they were born to be. Join us for a free event at the Children’s Museum on December 9th to thank Mayor Peduto for working to ensure all Pittsburgh kids can be superheroes!

MomsRising Together

November 15, 2014

If you’ve been eagerly awaiting your chance to switch health plans or enroll in health coverage for the first time, now is your chance! The health insurance marketplace is open again from November 15, 2014 until February 15, 2014.

MomsRising Together

October 31, 2014

Are you a fan of our MomsRising #WellnessWed Twitter Chats? Wednesday, November 5. Premature Birth Awareness Month with Guest(s): March of Dimes Wednesday, November 12. Pregnancy and baby oral health with Guest(s): Children's Dental Health Project Wednesday, November 19. Open enrollment healthcare chat with Guest(s): Enroll America, Out2Enroll, Wednesday, November 26. Thankful for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) with Guest(s): FL KidsWell, FL CHAIN Wednesday, December 3. Flu season and paid sick days with Guest(s): National Partnership for Women and Families and Family Values...

MomsRising Together

October 24, 2014

¡Siempre se siente muy bien cuando una inversión ha valido la pena! Y este es el caso con respecto al Programa del Seguro Médico para Niños "CHIP". Fue aprobado en el 1997 con apoyo bipartidista de los Republicanos y Demócratas y junto con el programa Medicaid, ha ayudado a reducir el número de niños sin seguro a la mitad, de 14% a 7%. Esto es realmente grande. Es menos probable que los niños que tienen un seguro de salud se enfermen y más probable que obtengan cuidados preventivos (incluyendo inmunizaciones y cuidados odontológicos) para que se mantengan saludables. También asegura que ellos...

MomsRising Together

October 23, 2014

When I need to buy something, be that my bed sheets or a new phone, I comb through online customer reviews to help me determine what I want to buy. So why not do the same with health coverage?

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Family Economic Security Politics & Policy

October 13, 2014

A huge THANK YOU is in order for three MomsRising moms who showed their support for mom Lyndi Trishler and for family friendly workplaces policies on September 30 th by hand delivering 10K petition signatures from MomsRising members—like YOU—urging Florence, KY Mayor Diane Whalen to rescind the city's discriminatory, and illegal, policy denying light duty to pregnant city employees. MomsRising members Colette, Kim, and Kimberly went above and beyond volunteering to make sure MomsRising moms were heard on this issue and even spoke to the media! Check out this local channel 12 news coverage and...

MomsRising Together

September 22, 2014

If you just switched jobs, have a fluctuating income as a small business owner, or work as a contractor—you may need to report income changes if you purchased a health plan on the health insurance marketplace this last enrollment period. More info after the jump...

MomsRising Together

September 1, 2014

To read this blog post in English, click here . Siendo la hija de dos padres con limitadas competencias sobre el idioma Inglés, soy parte de la generación duo-lingüe (en mi caso Espanglés) que se extiende sobre la delgada línea entre niño, traductor, y profesor para sus padres . Yo odiaba este rol cuando era una niña, y frecuentemente deseaba poder ser simplemente una niña sin el cargo de “traductora.” Mientras era más fácil para mí por la buena comprensión del inglés que tenía mi padre, me recuerdo de mis amigos y yo sentándonos a charlar y quejándonos sobre tener responsabilidades de...

MomsRising Together