Give every baby a financially secure, stable home
Too many families with young children face difficulty affording the high cost of raising a child. Poverty in early childhood can have a lifelong impact, setting back learning, healthy development, and even future earnings. Acting to lift babies out of poverty is an investment not just in their futures but also in the future health and economic wellbeing of our nation.
Ensure programs supporting economic security for families–like the Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF–and other programs babies need to thrive, are a top priority this Congress by contacting your policymakers now.
Economic insecurity pose a risk to babies’ rapidly developing brains and bodies. The effects of early childhood poverty can persist into adulthood, impacting educational attainment, later earnings, health, reliance on public benefits, arrest rates, and even early death. Federal investment lets families give babies what they need for the strongest start.
Institute an expanded, fully refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) to reduce poverty for babies and help families make ends meet; and oppose cuts to programs that babies and their families rely on, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), to protect access to the food, housing, health care, and other resources babies need to thrive.
When families struggle to afford basic needs, babies suffer.
Federal investment helps families afford food, health care, and other essentials their babies need. The expanded Child Tax Credit in 2021 led to a historic reduction in poverty by providing families with monthly payments to cover basic needs. Nearly half of children receive health coverage through Medicaid, and nearly 1 in 3 of SNAP benefits go to families with children under 5.
ZERO TO THREE/Morning Consult Poll: A poll from ZERO TO THREE and Morning Consult, conducted in the wake of the 2022 midterm elections, shows that the vast majority of parents of infants and toddlers want to see swift Congressional action to reinstate the enhanced Child Tax Credit. Check out the key findings.
The Child Tax Credit and Early Development: This resource offers insight on the impact of poverty on early childhood development and how the expanded Child Tax Credit supports babies and families.
Fight for Our Families: An Infant-Toddler Agenda for the President and the 118th Congress: Strolling Thunder family advocates talked with ZERO TO THREE Policy Center staff about their priority policies for the current Administration and Congress. Read to learn more about the issues and programs that most impact families, including the enhanced Child Tax Credit.
State of Babies Yearbook: 2023: Use national and state-by-state data on the well-being of infants and toddlers to call on federal, state, and local policymakers to improve outcomes for babies and families.
Hunger, Poverty, Health, and Federal Nutrition Programs: Use these state fact sheets, from Think Babies and the Food Research Action Center, for national and state-specific rates of hunger and poverty experienced by infants and toddlers as well as the data on the impact of federal programs in the state.
Safe, Stable, and Affordable Homes: Learn more about the important role of housing in laying the foundation for healthy childhood development.
Building Strong Foundations: Learn more about the core policies that support good health, secure and stable families, and positive early learning environments for infants and toddlers.