Anticipated High Child Poverty Rate Can Be Addressed in Upcoming Tax Package

The annual poverty data released each September by the U.S. Census Bureau showed an amazing drop in child poverty from 2020 to 2021, followed by a heartbreaking return to previous levels in 2022. We’re not expecting major changes when the poverty data for 2023 are released next month. But the 2025 tax package provides an opportunity for improvement. 

Nurturing the Next Generation of Policy Advocates

One way CLASP contributes to policy advocacy is by providing interns with substantive work experiences as they embark on their careers. This summer, we were pleased to host six talented and passionate interns who were placed with us by the Truman Scholarship Foundation, Congressional Hunger Center, University of California Washington Center, and Roosevelt Institute. They each contributed in meaningful ways to our work, and we wanted to highlight just some of the resources they created and the projects they helped manage:

• Ensuring Best Practices in English Learner Programs, Celeste Dorantes (Communications intern)   
• Achieving Reproductive Justice for Immigrants Through the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act and the LIFT the BAR Act, Gabrielle Chiodo (Immigration intern)  
• Meeting the Needs of Asylum Seekers: Eligibility Bars Hinder States From Helping New Arrivals, Yasmine Elkharssa (Immigration and Legislative intern)  
• New TANF Pilot Allows States to Help Families Achieve Their Goals in Place of Outdated Work Measure, Fiona Lu (Public Benefits Justice intern)   
• Webinar: Amplifying Voices with Lived Experience for Meaningful Engagement and Change, Tylah Harrison (Public Benefits Justice intern)   
• Cost-Sharing for Child Care: Looking at the Tri-Share Model, Elijah Rassoul (Child Care and Early Education intern) 

Celebrating 25 Years of Child Care and Early Education Policy at CLASP! 

For 25 years, CLASP's Child Care and Early Education team has been instrumental in ensuring that millions of families with children have equitable access to affordable and quality care and education. Looking ahead to the next 25 years, our vision remains the same: to advance racial, gender, and economic justice by centering people with lived experience to advocate for equitable access to affordable child care and early education that meets families' and providers' needs.

Join us for a hybrid celebration on September 25!  

CLASP Explains CTC on NPR 

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is shaping up to be a critical issue, both during the election and when Congress considers next year’s tax package. Ashley Burnside was interviewed on NPR for a story about the CTC, which cut child poverty in half in 2021. 

Community-Driven Policies and Practices is a place-based project inspired by community organizing. A core team of staff at CLASP and a steering committee of community activists facilitated a series of power-building sessions across the country with people from a rich diversity of communities. Over six meetings, these groups drafted an advocacy plan to implement policy goals to advance their vision for economic justice.