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Research Brief

Research Brief

How Do State Policy Choices Impact Family Resources?

The Policy Impact Calculator compares the level of resources available to a full-time working family across states. This interactive tool offers a self-guided tour of the substantial variation in state policy choices for working families

Low Pay, No Matter the Path for Early Childhood Educators: Findings from North Texas

Early childhood educators are vital to shaping the development of young children, but despite the significant responsibility of nurturing young learners, many educators earn wages that fall far below a living wage. In this brief,

State Policies to Promote Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Did you know state policies play an important role in promoting infant and early childhood mental health?  Infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) describes the capacity of a child leading to healthy social and

State Policy Progress on Paid Family and Medical Leave in 2025

Paid family and medical leave (PFML) is one of several evidence-based policies in our 2025 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap, which details states’ progress toward adopting and implementing policies that effectively improve child and family wellbeing.

Child Care: From Market Failure to Strategic Investment

High-quality child care is an essential service that benefits children, families, and the economy. However, rising costs and fragmented workforce structures are contributing to an overall market failure. Many families are finding reliable care to

State Policies to Promote Employer-Supported Child Care

Research suggests that the high cost of child care can lead many parents to limit their participation in the workforce, resulting in negative repercussions for families and the economy. Though increased public investment is needed

Approaches to Improving Early Educators’ Compensation

Early educators remain among the most underpaid workers in the nation despite playing a critical role in child development and enabling workforce participation for parents. Across the country, the median wage for early educators is

The Impact of State Minimum Wage Increases

In the 20 states where the minimum wage is set at the federal level of $7.25 per hour, full-time workers earning the minimum wage are paid well below the federal poverty line, making it difficult

A Tale of Two States: The Impact of State Policy Choices on Family Resources

Since the release of our 2020 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap, every state has increased their investment in at least one effective Roadmap policy, but the choices they have made vary considerably.  The distinct choices that

State Child Tax Credits: A Promising Policy to Improve Child Outcomes 

Ever since the successful temporary expansion of the federal child tax credit (CTC) in 2021, state CTCs have become an increasingly common state policy to support families’ economic stability. Prior to the expansion, only 6

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