Unemployment from a Child’s Perspective
Urban Institute. March 25, 2013.
The brief examines unemployment from a child’s perspective, reporting that 6.2 million children lived in families with unemployed parents in 2012. Many of these children live with parents who have been out of work six month or longer. Unemployment insurance covers only 36 percent of children with unemployed parents; unemployed parents are more likely to receive SNAP benefits than UI benefits. The brief provides estimates of children affected by unemployment by state and metropolitan area, considers the effects of parental job loss on child development, and reviews policies affecting the safety net for children of the unemployed. [Note: contains copyrighted material].
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001671-Unemployment-from-a-Childs-Perspective.pdf [PDF format, 21 pages].
Obama’s Preschool Plan
Brookings Institution. February 20, 2013.
If the Obama administration is willing to offer a preschool plan that keeps parents in the driver’s seat in terms of choosing where to send their child, puts states in charge of administering the program and provides them with general administrative guidelines rather than detailed prescriptives, and redirects existing resources rather than calling for large new expenditures there is a significant possibility of bipartisan support in Congress. [Note: contains copyrighted material].
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brown-center-chalkboard/posts/2013/02/20-preschool-proposal-whitehurst [HTML format]
President Obama’s Plan for Early Education for all Americans
The WHite House. February 13, 2013.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to expand access to high-quality preschool to every child in America. As part of that effort, the President will propose a series of new investments that will establish a continuum of high-quality early learning for a child – beginning at birth and continuing to age 5. By doing so, the President would invest critical resources where we know the return on our dollar is the highest: in our youngest children.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/13/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-plan-early-education-all-americans [HTML format].
Child Well-Being and Noncustodial Fathers
Congressional Research Service. February 12, 2013.
The structure of a family plays an important role in children’s well-being. A contributing factor to the high rates of child poverty over the long-term, and the increase in child poverty during the period from 2001-2007, was the increasing likelihood of children living in families headed by a single female. In 2012, about one-third of all children lived in families without their biological father present. According to some estimates, about 50% of children (who are currently under age 18) will spend or have spent a significant portion of their childhood in a home without their biological father.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41431.pdf [PDF format, 73 pages].
Federal Health Expenditures on Children on the Eve of Health Reform: A Benchmark for the Future
The Urban Institute. March 2012.
Federal spending on children’s health increased greatly over the past 50 years, although it remained a modest 10 percent of total health spending in 2010. The largest program in the children’s health budget, Medicaid, accounted for $74 billion and 85 percent of all federal spending on children’s health in 2010. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included provisions that will increase health insurance coverage for both children and their parents. However, the magnitude of the estimated impact of the ACA on children’s coverage depends heavily on the continuation of current Medicaid and CHIP coverage for children. [Note: contains copyrighted material].
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412557-federal-health-expenditures.pdf [PDF format, 26 pages].
