The 170+ End Child Poverty CA Coalition members are united in 2022! Together we’re supporting $10 Billion to Fight Poverty. Our plan is ambitious and absolutely achievable. In a state as rich and abundant as California, every child should be valued and free. Info and tools below.

$10 Billion to Fight Poverty

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We are Nourished

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• Fund HOPE accounts to seed kids’ futures. (SB 854 – Skinner, TOOLKIT)
• Fund Golden State Stimulus 3 so those left out of COVID relief have cash to count on.
• Fund the Young Child Tax Credit to end poverty for 1.7 million children. (AB 2589 – Santiago)

We are Respected

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• Fund dignified wages for child care providers.
• Get rid of racist child care family fees (AB 92 – Reyes)
• Fund enough child care slots for our kids

We are Healthy

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• Fund and create more community networks. We need community-led pandemic recovery, and cradle to career networks empower families through a child’s whole life. (AB 2517 – Bonta, TOOLKIT)

We are Secure

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• Fund wage-replacement for undocumented workers. Immigrants are our essential workers and it’s time to give back. (AB 2847 – Garcia)

We are Valued

• Make CalWorks fair. Use parent input to fix old rules that hurt families.
• Ensure ALL child support money goes to families. Child support is for kids, not the state.

Email Evelyn@NectarCollaborative.com to get a background that also includes your organization’s logo.

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Recent News Coverage!

• San Francisco Chronicle Article, discussing HOPE Accounts. Click to retweet.
• CBS News Article, discussing HOPE Accounts. Click to retweet.
• National Geographic Article, discussing HOPE Accounts. Click to retweet.

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Zoom Background – Download to Show Your Support!

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ALL OF US TOGETHER: Read on about how Assembly member Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), along with cosponsors GRACE, End Child Poverty California, and the Cradle to Career Coalition, are empowering community-based networks with the funding they need to join forces in the fight against poverty.

She says, “I am proud to coauthor the ‘It Takes a Village Act’. I have seen firsthand the benefits of this evidenced based approach to support coordinated community services.”

This beginning of the new year was launched the It Takes a Village Act bill and budget proposal earlier today. It Takes a Village would implement a place-based approach that centers on the needs of children and families in communities across California and ensure access to a quality continuum of wraparound services from cradle-to-career.

#ItTakesAVillageToRaiseAChild

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Assemblymember Mia Bonta Launched “It Takes a Village Act” with GRACE, End Child Poverty California, and CA Cradle to Career Coalition

Assembly member Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), along with cosponsors GRACE, End Child Poverty California, and the Cradle to Career Coalition, virtually launched the It Takes a Village Act bill and budget proposal earlier today.

It Takes a Village would implement a place-based approach that centers on the needs of children and families in communities across California, and ensure access to a quality continuum of wraparound services from cradle-to-career. The legislation will be introduced later this week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that communities with coordinated, place-based initiatives and service delivery are more resilient. Whether the next challenge California faces is due to climate change, a new infectious disease or economic recession, this proposal will make evidence-based investments in communities up and down the state. In light of another historic surplus, California must rebuild with coordinated neighborhood and regional services that can usher in a more vibrant and equitable future for all Californians,” said Assistant Speaker pro Tempore Bonta.

Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) added, “Neighborhood-based programs, like the Community Action Partnership and Growing Inland Achievement in my district, have a demonstrated track record of helping children and families thrive. Combined with other programs, like Promise Neighborhoods and our Cradle to Career systems, they have the power to create real change for California families. But all too often, these networks lack the funding they need to coordinate their services for the greatest level of impact. This is why I am proud to be Principal Coauthor to Assemblymember Bonta’s ‘It Takes a Village Act,’ a bill that will strengthen our communities by creating partnerships and increasing communication across California’s regional networks. By establishing this grant program, Assemblymember

Bonta is empowering community-based networks with the funding they need to join forces in the fight against poverty.”

“I am proud to coauthor the ‘It Takes a Village Act’. I have seen firsthand the benefits of this evidenced based approach to support coordinated community services. Hayward Promise Neighborhood features a family education program for preschool to college, student success coaches in partnership with CSU East Bay, and healthy food access through the Alameda County Community Food Bank,” said Assembly member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward).

Shimica Gaskins, spokesperson for the CA Cradle to Career Coalition, said, “Promise Neighborhoods and Cradle to Career regional networks provide data-driven solutions to ensure that children and families receive the resources that they need. Both programs braid cross-sector resources, leverage community partnerships, and work towards systemic change by tackling the racial and economic inequities in our communities. We are proud that Assemblymember Mia Bonta is sponsoring the It Takes A Village Act to support and expand these critical programs.”

#ItTakesAVillageToRaiseAChild

OUR FUTURE TO LOOK FORWARD TO:  There are important efforts moving ahead in the Senate. GRACE/End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA), and Liberation in a Generation talk about the Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Act of 2022 (or SB 854). Read about the efforts being done and what this Act entails for our families, our community, and the future that we all deserve. Learn about why: “Baby bonds” aim to close the racial wealth gap and break cycles of intergenerational poverty by ensuring everyone has access to capital they can use to establish long-term financial stability. Scroll to read or read more here.

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California Anti-Poverty Organizations Applaud Legislation to Strengthen Safety Net for Children Impacted by COVID-19 and Lay Groundwork for “Baby Bonds”

GRACE, End Child Poverty in California and Liberation in a Generation Urge Lawmakers to Pass the Bill, Which Would Pave the Way for ‘Baby Bonds’ to Combat Generational Poverty and Income Inequality In the State

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SACRAMENTO, CA, January 10, 2022 – GRACE/End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA), and Liberation in a Generation – two anti-poverty organizations working in California – praise the introduction of the Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Act of 2022 (or SB 854) by Senator Nancy Skinner today in the California State Senate. If passed, the Hope Accounts will offer up to $4,000 to children under age 10 and $8,000 for children 10- 18 in state-issued trust funds to low-income children who have lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19 and eligible foster youth. The bill would also lay crucial groundwork for the potential expansion of “baby bonds” in the future to support greater economic opportunity for children impacted by poverty.

“Baby bonds” aim to close the racial wealth gap and break cycles of intergenerational poverty by ensuring everyone has access to capital they can use to establish long-term financial stability. Nearly 2 million children in California were living in poverty in 2019 – the highest child poverty rate in the country and a reminder of the state’s stark economic disparities across racial lines. Those disparities were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as low-income families (and especially families of color) grappled with soaring housing and food costs, lack of adequate support for transitions to remote work and school environments, and greater risk of exposure to and severity of the virus itself. However, the expansion of government social safety net programs in response to the pandemic proved successful in helping to alleviate poverty – slashing the child poverty rate by a third in 2020.

“The past two years have demonstrated the effectiveness of bold government action in reducing poverty in California,” said Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO of GRACE and End Child Poverty California. “Intergenerational poverty and the loss of a parent or guardian can have significant impacts on a child’s development, wellbeing, and outcomes over the short- and long-term. We must close the racial wealth gap that disportionationaly prevents Black and Brown children from the opportunity to thrive. The Hope Accounts proposed are necessary to level the playing field for California’s children.”

“The Hope Act would be an important step towards the goal of ensuring every Californian has the access and support they need to build a healthy, wealthy, and safe future,” said Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockon, CA and founder of End Poverty in California. “But we can’t stop there. We should be working towards a future where kids don’t have to lose a parent in order to qualify for money that will give them access to the same range of choices that kids from wealthy families take for granted. Every child deserves a chance to pursue higher education, entrepreneurship, homeownership, and other asset-building opportunities when they grow up, and that’s what baby bond programs like this can ensure.”

Government-issued bond programs aren’t a new concept. Social Security has been helping to provide Americans with economic security in their retirement years for decades. Similarly, baby bonds would ensure that every child has access to a “seed fund” of capital they can use to invest in their future. Early studies show the promise of this type of direct intervention for “dramatically reducing” the racial wealth gap and helping families break out of generational cycles of poverty.

Intergenerational poverty in America is rooted in racist, classist and exclusionary policy choices that have created vast economic inequality and a racial wealth gap. Baby bonds are one of the best policy tools at our disposal to combat the enduring effects of that history and chart a better path forward. In 2021, the state of Connecticut, New York City, and Washington, D.C. each enacted similar programs. 

“We urge state lawmakers to use this bill as an opportunity to pilot a longer-term plan to address the pervasive wealth inequalities that perpetuate economic oppression,” said Solana Rice, co-founder and co-executive director of Liberation in a Generation. “Baby bonds are a dignity-centered way to ensure that poverty is not passed down to the next generation of Californians.”

About GRACE and End Child Poverty in CA

Founded by the Daughters of Charity, who have been working in California since 1852, GRACE is led by Shimica Gaskins. GRACE and the End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA) Campaign use education, advocacy, and mobilization programs to make a positive difference in the lives of low-income families and their children. GRACE dares to imagine a  liberated  future,  free  from systemic racism and poverty,  in which  all  children experience a childhood  of  abundance, love, dignity,  and opportunities  to  thrive.  To achieve this vision,  GRACE  is building a joyful movement by centering communities, building authentic partnerships, and advancing public investments  that create  transformative intergenerational change .   Learn more about GRACE and ECPCA at http://www.endchildpovertyca.org.

About Liberation in a Generation

Liberation in a Generation is a national movement-support organization, working to build the power of people of color to totally transform the economy—who controls it, how it works, and most importantly, for whom. It brings together economists, advocates, community organizers, and other proven and emerging leaders of color across the country to build a Liberation Economy, within one generation.

UPDATE & EXPANSION: Read on! We are making strides and our voices heard for our children and our caregivers. Read more about how Senator Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, this past month introduced a bill expanding the eligibility for the child tax credit, which will help struggling families and reduce poverty. SB 860 expands the eligibility of the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) from $1 earning to $0 to include in-home caregivers without paid work. Senator Rubio introduced a similar bill, SB 691, last year. Governor Gavin Newsom’s January proposed budget highlighted the need for this expansion and it is getting done. The future is coming, read on for more details or click to download below!

Senator Susan Rubio’s Bill Champions Young Child Tax Credit Expansion

January 20, 2022

SACRAMENTO, CA – Building off her efforts in 2021, Senator Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, today introduced a bill expanding the eligibility for the child tax credit, which will help struggling families and reduce poverty.  

SB 860 expands the eligibility of the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) from $1 earning to $0 to include in-home caregivers without paid work. Senator Rubio introduced a similar bill, SB 691, last year. Governor Gavin Newsom’s January proposed budget highlighted the need for this expansion.

“The child tax credit is one of the most effective tools for reducing poverty and supporting struggling families, and my bill, SB 860, will expand eligibility for this program,” said Senator Rubio. “Removing this unnecessary work requirement allows for an equitable distribution of financial resources to those who need it the most. I look forward to working with my colleagues, stakeholders and Governor Newsom on this issue.”

“We are proud to support Senator Rubio’s bill to expand the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) to include households that do not earn income. Governor Newsom’s budget included this idea because it’s both smart and the right thing to do. Providing for the basic needs of young children grows more expensive every year and we have a historic budget surplus that can be invested in better outcomes for low-income families,” said Amy Everitt, President of Golden State Opportunity. “Regardless of their yearly earnings, parents of young children already have the hardest–and most important–job in America and deserve the same level of support as other working parents. This tax credit of up to $1,000 for each child under 6 would go a long way to helping struggling parents support their families.”

“The Young Child Tax Credit is a game-changer for families. Last year, UWCA and the CalEITC Coalition were proud to sponsor legislation authored by Senator Rubio to remove the $1 earning requirement. And now, as we reintroduce this legislation, it is truly exciting to see the Governor’s budget proposal reflect our priorities as we move into the new year,” said Pete Manzo, President and CEO of United Ways of California. “We know from our Real Cost Measure report that over half of families with children under 6 in California struggle financially, so the more we can do for these families, the better. We applaud Senator Rubio and Governor Newsom for their leadership on this issue.”

“In 2019, the Young Child Tax Credit became one of California’s most important tools to end deep child poverty,” said Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO at GRACE & End Child Poverty in California. “We should continue to optimize the YCTC to close the racial wealth divide and ensure families can meet their basic needs. This legislation builds on the Governor’s budget proposal by ensuring the full young child tax credit reaches children and families. We applaud Senator Rubio for leading this fight in the Legislature.” 

To read the original statement from Senator Rubio Susan Rubio, click here.