Research Brief

With most legislatures adjourned for the year, we recap the 2024 action on state policies to support children and families. So far this year, lawmakers throughout the country debated—and many passed—legislation that aligns with four key components of the prenatal-to-3 system of care.
States and community organizations can increase awareness of credits. Increasingly, the state and federal government use tax credits, such as the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit, to support families with low
Evaluating Texas’s in-kind and monetary assistance during COVID-19 To promote nurturing and responsive parent-child relationships and healthy home environments, states can offer home visiting programs to expectant and new parents with young children. During the
State leaders can significantly increase the number of children eligible for child care subsidies across the country by expanding income eligibility thresholds. The level of income at which a family becomes initially eligible for child
Barriers to health care, high-quality health insurance, and parental leave work together to leave families and children vulnerable during the perinatal period. These barriers can shape life-long outcomes, particularly for children from historically marginalized groups.
Did you know state policies play an important role in reducing child maltreatment? Rapid neurological development makes children especially susceptible to harmful stressors, such as maltreatment, during the prenatal-to-3 period. Though we may expect prevention
Rigorous research finds that statewide paid family and medical leave (PFML) policies have broad beneficial impacts to children, parents and families, and the labor force. This brief provides examples of the impacts of state PFML
Nearly all workers have needed or will need time away from work. When life and family responsibilities necessitate time off, paid family and medical leave (PFML) policies serve as an important tool to support both
Impacts on workers, families, and the state budget
The Policy Impact Calculator dynamically illustrates the relationship among state and federal policies, as well as those policies’ effects on the resources available to a family of three. This recently updated tool demonstrates that state

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