We empower states with rigorous evidence to implement effective and equitable policies that ensure all children thrive from the start.
Did you know you can uncover demographic insights with our Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap? To make informed decisions about what your state needs, start with a clear picture of the demographics and risk factors. Our state-specific snapshots cover births, children under age 3, at-risk birth factors, income and poverty, and the population distribution across metro and non-metro areas.
To access your state-specific demographic page, click here. In the top left corner, select your state from the drop-down menu to view the demographic characteristics.
State Policy Action
State policymakers across the country are working hard to improve their prenatal-to-3 systems of care in support of children, families, and the economy.
Early Care & Learning
Alaska B. 89, which would increase income eligibility for child care subsidies from 85% to 105% of the state’s median income, limit copayments to 7% of a family’s income, and require reimbursement rates to be set based on cost modeling, passed out of the House last week.
Colorado lawmakers introducedB. 1223, which would change the state’s child care subsidy program in several ways—including simplifying the application process for families, limiting copayments to 7% of family income, creating presumptive eligibility, and reimbursing providers based on enrollment.
Rhode Island lawmakers introduced B. 7547, which would expand income eligibility for child care subsidies to 200% of the state’s median income (SMI), limit copayments to 7% of family income, remove copayments for families with incomes below 50% of the SMI, create the Office of Early Learning, and provide direct funding to providers to meet the full cost of high-quality care.
West Virginia B. 4002 would make child care providers categorically eligible for subsidies, and H.B. 4797 would reimburse providers based on enrollment rather than attendance. Lawmakers have advanced both bills to the House Finance Committee.
Several states—including Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode Island—have introduced bills to consolidate the governance of early childhood programs and services by creating a new department, office, or division.
Family & Economic Supports
Alaska S.B. 149, which would require the state to implement broad-based categorical eligibility for SNAP, passed the Senate Health and Social Services Committee unanimously on February 20. The bill now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.
The District of Columbia B25-0321 would require home visiting services that meet the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness criteria to be covered and reimbursed through Medicaid, the D.C. Health Care Alliance, and the Immigrant Children’s Program. If enacted, the law is expected to go into effect on April 12 and will require the city to seek a state plan amendment.
Hawaii H.B. 1662 would establish a refundable state child tax credit with a maximum value of $650 per child for children under age 18. The credit fully phases out for incomes above $115,000. This bill passed the Committee on Finance unanimously on February 21.
New MexicoS.B. 3, which would have created a 12-week paid family and medical leave program, didn’t quite make it across the finish line this year. After advancing through the Senate, the bill died in the House on a vote of 34-36. New Mexico’s legislature adjourned sine die on February 15.
VirginiaS.B. 373, which would require the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a state paid family and medical leave program of 8 weeks, has passed both the House and the Senate and now awaits action by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Child & Parent Health
In the last month, two states proposed bills to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year following birth. Iowa’s Senate passed S.F. 2251, sending it to the House, and Idaho’sH.B. 633 awaits consideration by the House Health and Welfare Committee.
MississippiH.B. 1725, a bill to expand income eligibility for health insurance using the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, passed the House last week.
New York’s doula Medicaid benefit is expected to go live in March 2024. The New York Coalition for Doula Access released an updated resource guide in preparation for the new benefit. Proposed reimbursement rates are up to $1,500 in New York City and $1,350 in the rest of the state.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services announced doulas can enroll as providers with Medicaid managed care plans as of February 1, 2024. Details of billing and rates have not been determined.
Virginia lawmakers passedS.B. 118, which will require private insurance coverage for doula services.
The National Conference of State Legislatures published abriefon the struggle student parents face to find child care. The report detailed that one in 10 college students are single mothers, most are people of color, and nearly half have children under the age of 5, leading to issues such as student parents having to drop out of school or take on more student debt.
New Resource Toolkit to Improve Maternal & Infant Child Health
The National Governors Association has releasedTackling the Maternal and Infant Health Crisis: A Governor’s Playbook. For this work, the initiative focused on four key pillars: Centering Women’s Voices in Maternal Health Policy, Improving and Utilizing Maternal Health Data, Expanding Access to Quality of Care, and Elevating Innovative Maternal Health Policies, Programs and Technologies.
The National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families released a brief titled Understanding Latino Children and Families’ Well-being Requires Data Disaggregated by Birth Within or Outside the United States. The brief stresses the importance of considering nativity status when developing policies and programs, as well as revealing disparities in family processes, psychological well-being, stressors, and outcomes. The brief highlights the challenges faced by Latino individuals, particularly women of color, in areas such as education, child care, and healthcare access.
The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management released a new research article titled "The impact of paid sick leave mandates on women's employment and economic security." The study assessed the impact of state-level paid sick leave policies, finding they increase women's employment and income, especially benefiting mothers and women without college degrees.
UC Berkeley Study: Racial Inequality Affects Child Care Pay
The University of California-Berkeley's Center for the Study of Child Care Employment released a new reportfinding early childhood educators, who are mostly women of color, face racial disparities and low pay as a result of institutional and historic racism. The report recommends transformative measures, such as a salary scale driven by experience and education.
Medicaid Doula Coverage: Fidelity and Impact
The Alliance for Early Success will host a webinar on March 13 at 12:00 pm PT/3:00 pm ET with birth justice advocates Elephant Circle and advocates from states that have adopted Medicaid coverage of doulas. Panelists will explore lessons, strategies, recommendations, and principles for implementing doula coverage aligned with the doula model's values.
Medicaid Mental Health Webinar: Supporting Moms and Babies
New Podcast: Wealth Inequality & Housing Values of Black Meccas in The New South
Maretta McDonald discussed her recent co-authored paper“Wealth Matters: Home Ownership, Housing Values, and the Model Minority Myth of Black Meccas in the New South” forthe University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty in a podcast published on February 23. The podcast episode touches on how Black Meccas, which are cities where Black communities thrive, still exhibit significant wealth inequality as housing values of Black-owned properties are substantially lower compared to their White counterparts.
Business Impact Webinar on State Paid Family Leave
We’re excited to explore the impact of statewide Paid Family and Medical Leave programs on businesses in our upcoming webinar Building the Business Case for State Paid Family Leave: Lessons from Advocacy and Implementation on March 27, 10:00-11:30 am CT. The session addresses business concerns, offering strategies for policy development and implementation, and features an expert panel highlighting state policies and successful messaging. Register for the webinar.
Follow Us for Tax Day Resources
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center launched a tax day campaign on social mediaproviding information on state child tax credits, including variation in design, recent state legislative progress, how the federal credit compares to state credits, and evidence from relevant research. We encourage you to follow us on social media for this campaign and others!
New Blog Posts!
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center published new blog posts as part of our effort to share our work and thought leadership with you. The blogs included:
Beyond Tax Credits: State Tax Codes Can Help or Hurt Working Families: Understanding the state tax code and credits is crucial for policymakers striving to assist low-income families, as these policies significantly influence household resources. Targeted tax credits, in particular, help empower families with low incomes to meet children's needs.
March Update: Prenatal-to-3 State Legislative Trends:This post marks the second in our monthly blog series covering prenatal-to-3 state policymaking across the states. Our state policy analysis track progress around Medicaid, paid family leave, tax credits, and child care subsidies.
Meet Operations Manager Danielle Kahikina. Danielle joined the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center in 2019. In her role, she manages organizational processes including strategic planning, grant and financial management, overseeing human resources, and managing technology needs. Danielle currently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Nelson. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time in nature, going to the movies, and attending Zumba and yoga classes. One of her favorite places to visit is Big Bend National Park.
