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In this report, we explore how federal investments in the Child Tax Credit and child care helped North Carolina families and early educators get through the pandemic, and led them to feel supported by policymakers, and valued for their contributions to society. The findings are clear: to advance economic and racial equity, we must ensure that families and professional caregivers have the permanent, comprehensive support they need.
(27 pp)
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)
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)
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)
This report outlines the history of how child protective services developed to surveil families of color, examines how policy pushes families of color into the child welfare system today, and concludes with some recommendations for adequately supporting children and families of color and keeping families together in the future.
(23 pp)
This report provides an overview and critique of research findings about expectant and parenting youth and the stigma associated with young parenthood. It also discusses four strategies to break the stigmatization of expectant and parenting youth, and thereby increase the likelihood of improved outcomes for young parents and their children.
(17 pp)
This report examines the importance of intentionally and actively targeting protective factors, in addition to risk factors, in an effort to promote healthy development and well-being in youth involved in systems of care.
This report examines the importance and multidimensional nature of well-being, in general, and the well-being of Black, Native, Latinx, and Asian youth involved in systems of care, in particular.
The purpose of this report is to examine the nature and impact of distorted racial perceptions of Black, Native, and Latinx youth involved in systems of care; identify the ways in which these systems are failing them due to distorted racial perceptions; and propose strategies that will mitigate the influence of racism in these systems and promote individual and systems decision making and practice that is developmentally appropriate, nurturing, and equitable for all youth.
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)
