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Culture is Healing

Community-based organizations across the country face numerous barriers and burdensome bureaucracy that makes it harder for them to operate and to serve children and their families. This brief lifts up the voices of those community providers, with the goal of highlighting and addressing the barriers that stand in the way of all families having the support they need.

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New Episode!

Where are they now? Join Sanaa and Cailin for the final episode of Season 3. 

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Designed to Keep You Down

This report shares findings from research conducted CSSP and parents participating in Project SPARC, a project of the CalWORKs Association.

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Foster Youth & SNAP

The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 includes new provisions which should eliminate some of the barriers former foster youth have experienced in accessing SNAP. This brief explains the new rules and the steps that state agencies can take to ensure former foster youth can access SNAP benefits.

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Let Us Rise

In interviews with CSSP, parents and caregivers across the country described being driven by their deep love for their children to go to great lengths to ensure they have what they need to thrive, but struggling to make ends meet despite their best efforts. 

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Who We Are

The Center for the Study of Social Policy works to achieve a racially, economically, and socially just society in which all children, youth, and families thrive. We translate ideas into action, promote public policies grounded in equity, and support strong and inclusive communities. We advocate with and for all children, youth, and families marginalized by public policies and institutional practices.

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Our Approach

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Systems Change

We draw on the latest research and work to make systems more responsive, accountable, and rooted in policies that ensure equity and inclusion for all children, youth, families, and communities.

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Community Outreach

We believe in the power of communities to shape their futures. We work with communities across the country and with local systems to impact policy and systems change.

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Policy

We work to influence public policy to create opportunity, advance equity, achieve impact, and scale results. We fight against inequitable policy proposals and promote policies that ensure equity and inclusion.