Impact of the CTC On Child Development Baby’s First Year Study
On a webinar, hosted on Thursday, February 10, 2022, new research, the First Randomized Controlled Trial of Poverty Reduction in Early Childhood, focused on the impact that cash assistance to families can have on
Vice President Harris Hosts Event for EITC/CTC Day of Action
On February 8th, 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling hosted a press event for the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income
Congress Kicks Off Hearings on Mental Health and Substance Use Services
Last Tuesday and Wednesday two key congressional committees began a set of bipartisan discussions on the challenges of access to mental health and substance use services. On Tuesday the Senate HELP Committee held their first
Ways and Means Committee Focuses on Mental Health Crisis
On Wednesday, February 2nd, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on “America’s Mental Health Crisis.” The full 42-member Committee heard testimony from:
Dr. Wizdom Powell (Director of the Health Disparities Institute and
Support for Pregnant and Post-Partum Women Who Use Substances
On February 3, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a series of new reports from the Office of the Assistance Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) that “highlight how pregnant
(SAMHSA) Grant Program Opens
These reports are being released while Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is beginning to accept applications for Services Grant Program for Residential Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women. This $10 million
Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Implemented
On January 24, 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published it’s notice of Implementation of the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities (FSHO) Amendments in the Federal Register.
FSHO, signed by the President on
Call to Action: ACF Releases Racial Equity Information Memorandum
On Thursday, February 4, 2022, HHS held a session on their new Racial Equity initiative. Debra Johnson the Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs at HHS started the call by advocating for the nation to
FY 2022 Appropriations Update: Still Working on It
Discussions and negotiations continued between the top four appropriators on an agreement to complete action on the current federal fiscal year 2022. Public comments were reserved but positive. The one item that seemed certain is
Child Maltreatment 2020 Show Decreases
On January 21, 2022, the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2020. This year’s report based on data and reports in the first year of the pandemic, shows
Two Programs Added to Families First Approved List
On January 25, 2022, three new programs were rated and two were approved for federal funding under by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse
Youth Villages’ Intercept® becomes one of only 12 programs to earn the
ABA Releases National Education-Child Welfare Data Sheet for 2022
The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Center on Children and the Law has released their National Datasheet for 2022. The 2022 National Datasheet includes resources that summarize key research findings on foster care youth in
Child Tax Credit (CTC) IRS Website Goes Live
On Monday, January 24, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated their live sight designed to help families get the remaining part of their 2021 CTC.
There are two important live tabs: the Get Your
Cash Assistance: Impacts on Infant Brain Activity
A newly-released study “The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity” by Toller-Renfree et. al., shows an important connection between cash assistance and brain development. A group of university-based researchers ere,
Three Congressional Committee Focusing on Mental Health/Substance Use
Two Senate Committees and one House Committee are focusing on the challenges of access to mental health and substance use services in the next few weeks. The Senate HELP Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and
Physicians Confirm Difficulty in Finding Child Behavior Health Services
A newly published survey and research paper, Difficulty Obtaining Behavioral Health Services for Children: A National Survey of Multiphysician Practices, conducted before the pandemic indicates that 85 percent of group practices for children and
Final ACA Numbers In
On Thursday, January 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final numbers for the ACA sign-up for the coming year with a final record total of 14.5 million people have
CMS Taking Application on $49 Million to Reduce Uninsured Rate Among Children
On Thursday January 27, 2022, CMS announced the availability of $49 million to fund organizations that can connect more eligible children, parents, and pregnant individuals to health care coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance
Why Families Need to File Tax Returns for the 2021 CTC
The CTC has been federal law since the mid-1990s, but last year’s expansion added several improvements that lifted approximately half of children out of poverty. It did that by making the tax “refundable’ meaning families
Children’s Bureau: National Call to Action on Racial Equity
Save the date for February 3, 2022, 2:00 PM EST, for a live event by the Children’s Bureau when they release an information memorandum (IM) “Equity in Action.” The IM covers:
- The impact of racism
President Opens Door to Revamped BBB
Marking the first year of his term in office, President Biden held a nearly two-hour press conference on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, that touched on everything including the possibility of a revamped Build Back Better
Appropriation Update
Discussions continued between key appropriations leaders, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX). Not much has been revealed but Chairperson DeLauro offered some broad positive
Wyden-Crapo Invite Surgeon General to Discuss Youth Mental Health
Earlier this month, Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) announced this week’s hearing that will focus on shortfalls in mental health care for children and teenagers in America. Surgeon
CTC Kept 3.7 Million Children out of Poverty in December
On January 18th, Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy released its newest policy brief detailing the impact of the Child Tax Credit, announcing that the sixth payment kept 3.7 million children out