Championing the Well-Being of Illinois' Children

Illinois Kids Deserve the Credit!

As a supporter of Children’s Advocates for Change (CAFC), you recognize the importance of investing in our kids to make sure all of them grow up to be healthy, educated, and thriving. However, the fact of the matter is too many Illinois children are growing up in households where the income is insufficient to meet basic household needs.

This spring, CAFC will continue to push for the Illinois General Assembly to pass a state child tax credit. The evidence is clear that Illinois children and families need additional economic support.

In 2022, there were nearly 425,000 Illinois children under the age of 18 in poverty according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The official federal poverty level (FPL) for a household with two adults and two children was $29,678. However, that’s just the beginning of the story.

With its “Living Wage Calculator”, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimates that an Illinois family of the same makeup needs $81,772 dollars to cover the cost of its minimum basic needs, which includes taxes, while still being self-sufficient. That’s more than 275% FPL.

The 2022 Census Bureau tables show there are 863,255 children under 200% FPL and 1.36 million children under 300% FPL. Within each of those ranges are great disparities. Using 2021 data, more than 60% of African-American children were below 200% FPL while just under 25% of white/Non-Latinx children were below 200% FPL.

A state child tax credit will help low- and moderate-income families with food insecurity, rising rent, dental care, transportation costs and host of other needed goods and services. The federal government helped out during the height of the pandemic with an enhanced federal child tax credit in 2021 but it did so for only one year. Now states are taking up the mantel: Minnesota, Oregon and Utah created new permanent state child tax credits this year. Other states (including New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York) enhanced existing state child tax credits. Fourteen states now have some form of a state child tax credit.

It is time for Illinois to act!

A state child tax credit will fundamentally change life for more than one million Illinois children and promote greater economic equity with our tax system. It’s also good for businesses and our local economies as families purchase clothing, food, school supplies, and other goods and services. One Congressional estimate put the multiplier of each dollar spent on a child tax credit at 1.25. In addition, the state recoups a portion of the revenue spent on the credit in sales tax and income tax revenue with the newly generated economic activity. The economic multiplier is even greater when you consider the improved health, educational attainment, and even future earning potential of children in families receiving the credit.

However, we first need to get the Illinois General Assembly to approve a child tax credit. We cannot do it alone and ask you to join us in the effort with a contribution to Children’s Advocates for Change. Your contribution will help with our research and analysis on the economic security of Illinois families, the production of materials outlining the benefits of a child tax credit, and our advocacy efforts in Springfield and around the state. Those advocacy efforts include collecting the stories of low- and moderate-income families struggling to provide for their children and bringing those stories to the state capitol – in person and via recordings.

Of course, our work on the state child tax credit goes hand in hand with our other work to make sure all Illinois children thrive. That includes providing needed health care (including enhancing mental health services in schools), a strong quality educational experience, affordable child care, stable housing, safe homes, and safe communities.

Lead the way for Illinois children with a contribution today. Just go to our website, https://www.childrensadvocates.org/donate to make your donation. You can also scan the QR code on this page that will take you right to our site. Your financial support will keep the issue of a state child tax credit front and center with the Illinois General Assembly and the public. Illinois kids deserve the credit!

Donate today and join the effort.

Thank you,

Dr. Tasha Green Cruzat
President and Board Member
Children’s Advocates for Change

Children’s Advocates for Change

c/o Impact House
200 W. Madison Street, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60603

Our mailing address is:

c/o Impact House 200 W. Madison Street, Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60606

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