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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)

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)

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.

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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)
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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)

Cover Small How States Used Covid Relief Funding To Engage Child Care Stakeholders Five Lessons For Policymakers
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)

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Report

“We Don’t Have that in Mississippi”: How Temporary Expansions of the Child Tax Credit & Child Care Demonstrate the Importance of Federal Investments & Oversight

June 2022

This brief synthesizes findings from our research in Mississippi, where we interviewed and surveyed families who identified overwhelmingly as Black or African American, along with diverse child care providers and other stakeholders in the child care sector, to learn whether the Child Tax Credit and child care investments were advancing economic and racial equity and helping families.

(26 pp) 

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Report

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)

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Report

A ‘Godsend’: How Temporary Investments in the Child Tax Credit and Child Care Impacted Michigan Families

March 2022

To learn about the impact of the American Rescue Plan’s short-term investments in the CTC and child care, CSSP conducted interviews with low- and moderate-income (ranging from $0-$55,000/year) families of color, child care providers, and stakeholders in Michigan between September and December 2021. The findings make it clear: Robust, long-term investments in both the Child Tax Credit and child care are necessary so that all families—and particularly families of color—have the support they need to not just survive, but to thrive.

(24 pp)

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Policy Paper

What We Owe Young Adults Involved with Child Welfare: A Youth Thrive Policy Agenda

January 2022

We owe young people who age out of care the structure and supports that they need to thrive. To fulfill this obligation and to remove barriers to thriving, we need new investments to support these young people. This policy agenda highlights key opportunities to advance the health and well-being of young people who are involved with child welfare systems.

(8 pp)

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