Advocacy

Homelessness Among Infants and Toddlers

SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan released a report analyzing data from twenty states that have formed broad-based coalitions to move prenatal-to-three priorities forward. This report describes the prevalence of homelessness among infants and toddlers in these twenty states; gaps in access to early learning programs; and recommendations for increasing enrollment

State of Maternal and Infant Health: Report Card

March of Dimes recently released its 2022 Report Card, which presents the state of maternal and infant health in the United States (U.S.), Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico in an interactive online format. The report card indicates the maternal and infant health crisis is worsening for all families and examines mom and baby health and

Divided Supreme Court Will Decide the Fate of ICWA

On Wednesday, November 9th, 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Brackeen v. Haaland case about the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). “After more than three hours of oral argument, several justices expressed doubt about specific provisions of the wide-ranging law, even if they did not appear inclined to strike

Title IV-B Plays an Important Role in Preventing Child Welfare System Involvement

On October 19, 2022, the Society for Research in Child Development published new research finding that due to its flexibility, Title IV-B funds can effectively be used to support families’ access to a variety of programs and financial supports that help to prevent child maltreatment and subsequent child welfare involvement. According to the research brief:

State Levers to Impact Family Economic Security

The Alliance for Early Success has released an inventory of state policies that impact family economic security. It is designed to spark ideas for state policymakers and will be updated periodically as additional policies are enacted. “According to some measures, child poverty fell nearly 60 percent between 1996 and 2019. Then came a pandemic that

Democrats Call for CTC Extension Before Year End

As lawmakers look to wrap up the 117th Congress this year, dozens of progressive Democrats are calling on leaders to ensure that the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) is renewed as part of the top end-of-year priorities, reports the Hill. Congressional Democrats expanded the CTC as part of the American Rescue Plan, a comprehensive package

Policy Brief: Diaper Scarcity for Families with Low Income

In October 2022, the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison released a new policy brief about diaper scarcity titled, “Diaper Dilemma: Low-Income Families Face High Costs And Limited Supplies Of An Essential Good.” “Diapers are a critical element of care for infants and young children, and a substantial expense for many

CCAI Application for 2023 Foster Youth Internship Program

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is accepting applications for the Foster Youth Internship Program until November 20,2022. CCAI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, DC that is dedicated to raising awareness about the millions of children around the world in need of safe and nurturing families and to eliminating the barriers

Social Determinants of Health for Infants and Toddlers

ZERO TO THREE released a new report in partnership with Child Trends that uses State of Babies Yearbook data to cast light on the specific Social Determinants of Health for babies and their families. The report shows that while many young children are thriving, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native babies and those in families

November is National Adoption Month

This year's National Adoption Month theme is "Small Steps Open Doors." It means that making small efforts, like telling a young person you believe in them or asking what's important to them, could lead to big changes. With burnout and turnover at record levels, workers should know that time-intensive, difficult interventions aren’t the only way

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