A new report from early childhood policy experts at Vanderbilt University finds that Tennessee is near the bottom of the nation when it comes to helping children and families thrive and escape poverty. Nearly one
Across the range of US public assistance programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), many eligible people are not enrolled. This failure to access benefits comes at a cost to the
Expanding Medicaid coverage to most adults with incomes up to at least 138% of the federal poverty level increases families’ access to needed care and services, reduces financial burdens associated with health care costs, leads
CHILD AND FAMILY OUTCOMES Based on the science of the developing child, we have identified 20 outcome measures to track the overall health and wellbeing of infants and toddlers and their parents. Each outcome is
EXPANDED INCOME ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH INSURANCE WHAT IS MEDICAID EXPANSION AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? States can employ a number of strategies to increase health insurance coverage for their residents, and the most widely studied
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS The characteristics of families vary considerably by state. A clear picture of the current demographic composition and characteristics of a state’s prenatal-to-3 population can help to inform policy leaders as to who is
Effective policies and strategies to impact this goal include: Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Paid Family Leave State Earned Income Tax Credit State Minimum Wage Community-Based Doulas Children are born healthy to healthy parents,
By Jacque Whearty, Policy Manager Imagine that you just found out you may qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which will help you feed your two children. But first, you need to fill
In the past several months, legislatures throughout the United States passed transformative policies for children and families. This exciting, evidence-based legislation includes a historic investment in child care in Vermont, Medicaid expansion in North Carolina,
