Instead of doing more to address the trauma that unaccompanied children have experienced, Gov Abbott's order undermines the very systems that we have put in place to care for them. Harm to children should never be tolerated and our organizations will always speak up for any child in harm’s way.
Read MoreTemporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a key economic support program to help families with children who have very low incomes through a variety of services. TANF marks 25 years in August 2021, a landmark which invites both reflection and reckoning.
Read MoreLet’s correct the historical disinvestment and intentional harm done to our communities of color, and let’s invest in permanent Baby Bonds and an expanded CTC NOW. Congress must include both of these policies in the reconciliation package. It is, foremost, the right thing to do for our children and youth, and it is also smart economics for all.
Read MoreIf Congress does not act now to make universal school meals permanent, millions of children will soon be left behind--and children of color will be hit hardest. Download our infographic to learn more about the ways universal meals will advance racial equity and join us in telling Congress to make them permanent!
Read MoreWith growing research on the harms of institutional placements and continued calls to action from young people who experienced these placements, we must ensure young people impacted by the child welfare system have the resources they need to thrive with their relatives or in a family-like setting.
Read MoreRoughly 15 million people in 6.5 million renter households are currently behind on their rent and face an increased risk of eviction. To protect these families and their children, Congress should extend the moratorium until the pandemic is over and all the emergency rental assistance provided in previous COVID-relief bills has reached renters in need.
Read MoreThe Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s Foster Youth Internship (FYI) Program® brings a cohort of young adults who have experienced the foster care system to intern in congressional offices on Capitol Hill and publish policy recommendations to best support young people impacted by the foster care system. After serving on a specialized COVID-19 Foster Youth Intern Pandemic Working Group, the 2021 Foster Youth Interns went on to intern for congressional offices this summer and have authored "Building the Path Forward for Change in the Child Welfare System" based on their experiences and expertise.
Read MoreAll 17 million children who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to access nutritious meals—nearly a quarter of all children in America—will receive additional assistance starting in October. This week, the Biden administration approved an historic expansion of the program, permanently raising benefit levels for the first time in more than 45 years. It is a long-overdue expansion and a critical step towards ending child poverty, advancing racial equity, and improving child well-being.
Read MoreImmigrant children and families—like all children and families—deserve public benefits and income supports that promote their healthy development and well-being. Yet the law’s cruel restrictions had ripple effects, chilled access to benefits even when immigrant families were eligible, and arguably paved the path for the Trump administration’s exclusionary policies and anti-immigrant, fear-fueling rhetoric.
Read MoreHarsh and exclusionary discipline practices have long-lasting, traumatizing, and potentially life-threatening consequences on students, disproportionately targeting and harming Black students and students with disabilities. As schools consider returning to in-person in the fall, we must ensure our students aren’t returning to a norm of criminalization and harm.
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