CLASP Center for Law and Policy has launched a New Deal for Youth. At a time of pandemic, recession, public lynchings, and uprisings for racial justice, our nation is at a crossroads. The mounting stress and economic fallout from COVID-19 and racial turmoil is widening the equity gap for young people and communities of color.… Read more »
Category: COVID-19
What does capping child care co-pays look like in each state?
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
A new resource published by CLASP provides a state-by-state analysis of the Child Care for Working Families Act’s sliding scale co-payment proposal. The act would cap out-of-pocket child care costs for families earning less than 150 percent of their state’s median income with co-pays varying across four levels. For instance, families earning less than 75… Read more »
More than 1 in 10 working age adults still delaying or forgoing health care due to pandemic-related concerns in spring 2021
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
Results from the Urban Institute’s April 2021 Health Reform Monitoring Survey reveal that 11 percent of working age adults (ages 18-64) reported that they had delayed or forgone health care in the last 30 days due to Coronavirus concerns. This shows that unmet health care needs continued at least into last spring. The share of… Read more »
Supporting immigrant children and families is critical in rebuilding the child care system and overall economy
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
CLASP recently published a brief outlining how immigrant providers and families can utilize the two child care funding streams made available in the American Rescue Plan Act: $24 billion in stabilization grants and another $15 billion for child care assistance through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Because immigrant families are a significant… Read more »
How COVID relief funds continue to feed one California county’s seniors
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
In response to the uptick in pandemic-related food insecurity, California Governor Gavin Newsom supported the “Great Plates” program in Spring 2020, which used federal funding to purchase and deliver local restaurant meals to seniors facing food insecurity. With the recent expiration of funds for that program, San Mateo County has decided to leverage its own… Read more »
Material hardship declines after Child Tax Credit payout
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
A new analysis of Household Pulse Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau finds that fewer households experienced trouble obtaining sufficient food and paying household expenses in the two-week period following the first Child Tax Credit advance payments began on July 15. Comparing reported food insufficiency rates between adults in households with children and those… Read more »
American Rescue Plan’s Fiscal Recovery Funds provide diverse support to those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
Early data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities show that the $350 billion in Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan has helped states, localities, U.S. territories, and tribal governments invest in education, employment, emergency housing relief, mental health services, and broadband improvements. These investments vary in approach but include expanding and… Read more »
Supporting the ECE workforce through COVID-19 relief mechanisms
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
The COVID-19 pandemic’s dramatic impact on the Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce and subsequent funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act have created an opportunity to build ECE workforce capacity and create evidence-based improvements to the system. The Urban Institute’s Young Scholars program identified several opportunities within the ECE system, including recognizing the… Read more »
No Child Left Offline: It’s time to prioritize digital equity in America’s public schools
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
The pandemic’s impact on K-12 students has yet to be fully realized, but schools are bracing for learning losses, mental health challenges, and vast systemic and educational disparities revealed from the switch to remote learning. More than 9 million students did not have access to broadband service or an internet-enabled device at the beginning of… Read more »
Illinois announces $200 Million investment for early childhood workers
Posted by Andy Colvin (Staff Admin) & filed under .
Illinois recently passed into law HB 2878, which uses $200 million in federal funds to provide training, mentorship programs, and scholarships for child care workers to pursue further education over the next two years. The bill also establishes a statewide early childhood education consortium to improve access and direct funding. #covid-19 #childcare #workforce #racialequity