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Policy Paper

Child Care is a Barrier for Parenting Students

June 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 child care. For parenting students, the lack of accessible and affordable child care is a significant barrier because parents must first ensure that their children are taken care of before they can dedicate time and energy to class, study time, and work.

(9 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Supporting Parenting Students in Public Systems
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Michelle H South Carolina Executive Summary (1)
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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Caring For Each Other What It Takes To Promote Mental Health And Well Being Small Cover
Policy Paper

Ending Barriers to Support: Five Arguments Against Work Requirements

May 2023

Safety net programs should ensure that everyone can get support when they need it, yet harsh and cumbersome work requirements put obstacles in the way of much-needed assistance. This brief shares five things everyone should know about work requirements.

Download the infographic featured in the brief.

(3 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Racial Equity & Justice
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Ending Barriers To Support Five Arguments Against Work Requirements Small Cover
Policy Paper

Let Us Rise: How Parents and Caregivers Would Design a Permanent Child Allowance to Advance Racial and Economic Justice

May 2023

To learn how a child allowance can be designed to meet families’ needs and advance racial and economic justice, CSSP interviewed more than 40 Black, Latinx, and other parents and caregivers of color with low and moderate incomes, asking about their goals for themselves and their families, their experiences with the Child Tax Credit and other programs that helped meet their needs, and what they would need from a permanent child allowance in order to support their families and fulfill their goals.

(26 pp)

Tags: Addressing Poverty, Advancing an Anti-Racist Child Allowance
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Let Us Rise Small Cover
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

Rescuing Child Care: The American Rescue Plan Act’s Positive Impact for Families

January 2023

This report looks at interview data combined with research and analysis from additional sources to understand how families benefited from ARPA child care relief funds, with a particular look at Michigan and North Carolina. This report was co-authored by CSSP and The Century Foundation. 

Visit The Century Foundation for a digital version of this report.

(8 pp)

Tag: Child Welfare
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Rescuing Child Care Small Cover
Policy Paper

The Child Tax Credit & Family Economic Security: Findings from the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Survey of Families with Children

October 2022

To better understand the impact of the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) on Black, Latinx, and other families of color, and whether it was effectively redressing longstanding and interrelated racial and economic inequities, CSSP conducted a survey in the winter of 2021-2022. This brief summarizes findings from the survey, which complements previously-published qualitative analysis of the impact of the expanded CTC on families and communities. 
 
(6 pp)
Tag: Addressing Poverty
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Cover (small) The Child Tax Credit And Family Economic Security
Policy Paper

How States Used COVID Relief Funding to Engage Child Care Stakeholders: Five Lessons for Policymakers

September 2022

The COVID relief funding for child care provided an opportunity to observe how positive stakeholder engagement can lead to more equitable policy outcomes. The results of an in-depth look at the experiences in Michigan, North Carolina, and Mississippi demonstrate key lessons for effective stakeholder engagement.

Click here for a web version of this product (you will be redirected to the Century Foundation's website).

(15 pp)

Tag: Addressing Poverty
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Cover Small How States Used Covid Relief Funding To Engage Child Care Stakeholders Five Lessons For Policymakers
Policy Paper

Supporting the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Youth in Foster Care After Roe

August 2022

In response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, this brief reviews state and federal policy levers that can support the sexual and reproductive health and well-being of youth in foster care and puts forth recommendations for strengthening coverage and access to comprehensive care and ensuring autonomy and consent for care.

(7 pp)

Tag: Youth
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Supporting Sexual Reproductive Health Youth Foster Care After Roe
Policy Paper

Investing in Families Prevents Child Welfare Involvement

July 2022

To truly take an anti-racist approach to prevention, child welfare and safety net policies must address the organizational structures and injustices contributing to and perpetuating underlying economic and concrete needs of children and families. This brief, updated in July 2022, highlights policies that can make a significant impact for children and families when implemented as part of a multi-pronged approach to supporting the needs of children and families outside of child welfare.

(2 pp)

Tag: Child Welfare
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Investing In Families Prevents Child Welfare Involvement
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