Family Stability and Economic Mobility
Promise
Every young person will launch from a permanent, nurturing home
of birth, kin, foster, or adoptive family, and fulfill the dream of doing better than their parents.
Problem
Household stability and mobility have been declining for children
and families. Twenty-nine states have more children in foster care today than they did a decade ago. One in every forty-five (45) children enrolled in public schools is unhoused. Ninety percent of children born in 1940 grew up to earn more than their parents. Today, only half of all children grow up to earn more than their parents did.
Policy Path
In this zone, CDF will advocate for public policy related to: (1) Child welfare, (2) Family-supporting wages, (3) Asset-building opportunities, and (4) expanding the income and housing supports for low-income families.
Moonshot Generational Commitment
Enact a permanent, universal family or child allowance to deliver on our historic commitment to “end child poverty.”
Learn MoreRelated Updates
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Keeping the Charge
On June 6, Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) celebrates Founder’s Day. This date was chosen to honor the birthday of our founder and president emerita, Marian Wright Edelman.…
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For Our Children: We Owe them Peace of Mind
I spent most of the month of May on the road. From community celebrations with our state office and civil rights partners in New York, to stops on the State of the People Tour in Newark, Detroit, and Richmond, to keynotes and commencement addresses in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Baltimore.…
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Early Childhood
Take Action Today to Oppose SB 1798
If passed, Senate Bill 1798 would amend the Texas Education Code to reclassify students whose presence in the United States is “not authorized under federal statute” as non-residents.…
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Immigration
Tell Your State Representatives to Vote NO on H.B. 1554 and S.B. 1005
If passed, House Bill 1554 and Senate Bill 1005 would endanger children, separate families, and lead to violations of the right to due process by prohibiting public funding for legal services in immigration matters for people who are considered “unlawfully present.”…