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Policy Paper

Advancing Culturally Responsive Services: Incorporating Community-Defined Evidence When Evaluating What Works

October 2024

Despite the body of research demonstrating the benefit of services that respect cultural and racial identity, government funders are increasingly favoring “colorblind” programs that have been approved by research clearinghouses as evidence-based practices (EBPs). This limited approach to evidence promotes services that may be non-responsive to diverse communities’ needs while hampering the development and dissemination of responsive services that have community buy-in. This publication outlines the concerns with exclusively relying on empirical data at the expense of community-defined evidence and identifies actions government agencies can take to ensure services are evaluated according to the standards set by the community members who are supposed to benefit.

(4 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Child Welfare, Immigration, Learning & Evidence, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families, Youth
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Advancing Culturally Responsive Services Incorporating Community Defined Evidence When Evaluating What Works
Policy Paper

Strategies to Compensate Unpaid Caregivers: A Policy Scan

March 2024

Caregiving is essential work, but this work too often falls on individuals with little or no support from society as a whole. As a result, many caregivers experience severe economic security and hardship—especially women, and Black, Latinx/e, and other women of color and immigrant women in particular, who provide the most care. To better understand the current policy gaps and how we might better support unpaid family caregivers moving forward, this new report summarizes the policies in place to compensate family caregivers in the United States and abroad and offers recommendations for ensuring future policies more effectively support unpaid caregivers and their families.

(29 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families
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Strategies to Compensate Unpaid Caregivers Small Cover
Policy Paper

Culture is Healing: Removing the Barriers Facing Providers of Culturally Responsive Services

January 2024

Ensuring child and family well-being requires a radically different, anti-racist response of supports that center the voices of diverse children and families of color, are dignified and strengths-based, and that are offered in spaces they trust. As this brief highlights, community-based organizations across the country are striving to answer that call despite numerous barriers. 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.

Watch the webinar here. 

(19 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Child Welfare, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families
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Culture Is Healing Small Cover
Policy Paper

Housing is a Barrier for Parenting Students

September 2023

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California’s cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on parenting students’ experiences with housing.

(8 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families, Supporting Parenting Students in Public Systems
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Calwellness Housing Is A Barrier For Parenting Students Small Cover
Policy Paper

Parenting Students Need More Support Transferring to a Four-Year Institution

September 2023

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students in CalWORKs, California’s cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on parenting students’ experiences transferring to four-year institutions.

(5 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families, Supporting Parenting Students in Public Systems
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Calwellness Parenting Students Need More Support Transferring To A 4 Year Institution Small Cover
Policy Paper

Public Systems Create & Compound Mental Health Challenges for Parenting Students

September 2023

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California’s cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on how public systems too often cause and exacerbate stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges for parenting students and their families. While parenting students persevere in order to support their children and pursue their goals, these systemic problems slow their progress and undermine their health and well-being over the long term.

(5 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families, Supporting Parenting Students in Public Systems
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Calwellness Public Systems Create And Compound Mental Health Challenges For Parenting Students Small Cover
Policy Paper

Caring for Each Other: What it Takes to Promote Mental Health and Well-Being

May 2023

Our public policies and systems do not provide all families with the services and supports they deserve and have historically either excluded Black families. We must center families who are marginalized or excluded by our systems and policies, by creating shared principles that can guide efforts to promote health and well-being both within and outside of health systems. This brief shares eight things that we owe all children, youth, and families to promote mental health and well-being.

(3 pp)

Tag: Young Children & Their Families
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Policy Paper

The Biden Administration’s Budget Recognizes Investments in Families Are Long Overdue: Now Let’s Get To Work

March 2023

In its annual budget released in March 2023, the Biden administration once again proposed critical investments in families, including restoring the Child Tax Credit, establishing a national paid family and medical leave program, and expanding access to high quality child care and early education. This fact sheet shares how the Biden administration's proposals reflect what Black, Indigenous, and Latinx parents and caregivers have told us that they need.

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Child Welfare, Immigration, LGBTQ+, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families
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Cover Small The Biden Administration’s Budget Recognizes Investments In Families Are Long Overdue
Policy Paper

Policy Change to Promote Early Relational Health

July 2022

The early and foundational relationships that babies and toddlers experience with their parents shape the health and well-being of two generations. This brief highlights opportunities to promote early relational health with policy change and investments, including with existing programs, pandemic funding, and pending legislation in Congress.

(6 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Child Welfare, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families, Advancing Early Relational Health
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Policy Paper

The Child Care Paradox: How Child Care Providers Balance Paid and Un-Paid Caregiving

June 2022

Care work is some of the most important work in our society, supporting children, families, and individuals across their lifespans. But, despite the critical work child care providers do for families and society as a whole, their work is systematically undervalued. This brief reports the findings from our interviews and the recommendations from providers.

(15 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Building Strong Communities, Child Welfare, Racial Equity & Justice, Young Children & Their Families
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