FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jonny Yao (jonnyy@firstfocus.org)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new resource released today from the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group provides a robust, cross-sector analysis on the policies needed to significantly reduce child poverty in the U.S.

The U.S. Child Poverty Action Group, a coalition of child-focused organizations dedicated to reducing child poverty in the U.S., remains very concerned by recent proposals, including the recent Executive Order, to weaken public assistance programs by imposing cuts, employment documentation requirements, irrational time limits, and other unnecessary government bureaucratic barriers. 

Counter to the proposed harmful initiatives that would increase child poverty, members of the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group drafted Our Kids, Our Future: Solutions to Child Poverty in the U.S., a compendium of more than 20 papers that provide recommendations to significantly reduce child poverty and improve child well-being.

Child poverty in the U.S. remains high, with children experiencing poverty at a rate that is 62 percent higher than adults. Poverty is a particularly serious problem for children, who suffer negative effects for the rest of their lives after living in poverty for even a short time. Together, the policy briefs included in Our Kids, Our Future demonstrate that in order to make significant progress in reducing child poverty and addressing racial and ethnic disparities, we need a national commitment that involves coordination between federal, state, and local levels of government.

Papers in the compendium include recommendations on increasing access to affordable and quality childcare and early childhood education, reducing the effect of poverty on student achievement and attainment, addressing the increase in child welfare cases due to the opioid crisis, increasing families’ access to housing assistance, retooling the federal homeless assistance system, creating a universal paid family leave program, reducing the gender wage gap, addressing unique barriers faced by children of immigrants, supporting family asset building, meeting the needs of low-income children with special healthcare needs, and more.

Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus, founding member of the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group,:

“Our Kids, Our Future is a critical resource to inform the conversation and increase the political will to address child poverty in the U.S. Recent actions from the Administration and proposals by some Members of Congress would undermine the effectiveness of important children’s programs in reducing child poverty. Our Kids, Our Future lays out a comprehensive opportunity agenda to help ensure every child in the U.S. has a fair shot at achieving their full potential.”

 The U.S. Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG USA) is a broad-based coalition of non-profit, child-focused organizations and individuals dedicated to cutting the child poverty rate in half within 10 years. For more information, follow CPAG on Twitter @CPAG_USA or visit www.childpovertyusa.org.