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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Statement: Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio Remembers the Legacy of Brigid Kelly
Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio is saddened to learn of the passing of its friend and former Advisory Board member Brigid Kelly. Brigid died Tuesday evening after a two-year battle with cancer. …
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Education Equity
CDF-Ohio State of School Discipline Report 2024
This report describes the state of exclusionary school discipline practices in Ohio as a contributing factor to the community to prison pipeline.…
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Child Poverty
Children’s Defense Fund Statement on 2024 State of the Union
Last night, President Biden presented a vision for building a nation where all children can thrive, from crucial interventions to provide children and youth with high-quality early learning experiences to economic and community interventions that create conditions for young people to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. …
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Child Welfare
For Our Children – Unleashing the Joy: CDF’s Pursuit of Child Well-being
Ten years ago this year, Ramesh Raghavan and Anna Alexandrova published research on child development in a scholarly article entitled, Toward a Theory of Child Well-Being. In the article, they document historical conceptualizations of child well-being, a policy history of the notion of child well-being, methods, and implications for measuring well-being, and–after reviewing several theories–posit one for adoption in the field. …