Blog

Immigrant families and communities are experiencing unprecedented threats to their health and wellbeing—from indiscriminate enforcement and family separation that traumatizes children and violates families' most basic rights, to sweeping exclusions from basic supports including health coverage, food assistance, and early childhood education. Protecting immigrant families in this moment requires both responding to immediate harm and dismantling the structural barriers [...]

Access to consistent health coverage and a comprehensive array of community-based supports is one of the most effective ways to promote children’s health and wellbeing – and to prevent families from being pulled into systems designed to respond to crisis rather than support children’s health. When families can access the care and services they need [...]

Young people play an important role in shaping our society and contributing to their families, their communities, and our collective future. Policies that promote their health, wellbeing, and stability can help ensure young people are able to pursue and achieve their goals and set us all up for success. Unfortunately, in a step backward last [...]

Good health and wellbeing are essential to living fulfilling and productive lives. When parents are healthy, they are better able to meet their families’ daily needs and care for themselves and their children—supporting children to grow into healthy adults. When young people are healthy, they have a strong foundation from which to pursue education, work, [...]

As we come to the close of this year, I am reminded of the collective strength that can be found in shared purpose. Even amid shifting and challenging circumstances, the Center for the Study of Social Policy has much to be proud of, as we worked together to advance anti-racist, human-centered policies, so that all [...]

As a preteen growing up on Detroit’s east side, I used to say I was “one demerit away from being written off” by society. Luckily, my English teacher, Ms. Liggins at Whitney Young Middle School, chose to believe in me. She didn’t erase the consequences of my actions but rather showed me how to be [...]

Two recently-published papers coming out of the Rx Kids cash program in Flint, MI reveal that universal, unconditional cash transfers can have significant positive effects on birth outcomes as well as on maternal economic stability, mental health, and well-being. These findings further support a growing body of evidence that unconditional cash for families with children [...]

The Census Bureau’s annual data-release of income, poverty, and health coverage statistics offers important insight into the economic circumstances of children and families in the previous year. The aggregate data released last week paints a picture of relative stability, with no significant changes to median income, poverty, and health insurance coverage rates between 2023 and [...]

With the passing of the Budget Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1) on July 3rd, Congress put into motion significant cuts to critical programs that promote the health and wellbeing of children and families. These supports, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and others, play an important role in ensuring [...]

Children need love, safety, and a sense of belonging to thrive; however, for far too many children in immigrant families across the country, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign has deprived them of this basic foundation for well-being. The Trump administration’s heightened mass deportation efforts, the erosion of due process protections, and ICE presence in [...]