Investing in Economic Mobility

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) continued its investment in economic mobilitywith a gathering in Chicago on September 4 and 5 of state government officials from across ACF's Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin).

In collaboration with various federal agencies and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation , ACF Region 5's Immediate Office of the Regional Administrator hosted a variety of compelling speakers and created space for state teams to share with each other innovations in policy and programs aimed at improving the lives of expectant parents and parents of young children.

One common definition of economic mobility is the improvement of one's economic status over the course of one's lifetime. This mobility is essential for achieving a more equitable society by reducing intergenerational poverty for families across sociodemographic groups. A 2023 Brookings Institution report found that 40 percent of children born into the lowest income quintile remain there as adults. Innovations in the administration of family policy and programming can increase parents' opportunities for economic mobility by opening new pathways for financial well-being, particularly during challenging periods such as becoming a new parent.

Supporting families around the birth of a child represents a unique space for providing innovative support, as childbirth and infancy are often associated with reduced family income at a time that financial pressures generally increase. A multisector approach is needed to advance the economic mobility of expectant parents and the parents of young children.

This regional summit emphasized the role states can play in engaging families in the policy process, including working with philanthropy to ensure funding for creative solutions to problems confronting parents, and actively collaborating with state legislators to ensure the actionability of legislative solutions.

The summit also emphasized four key opportunity areas to support expectant parents and the parents of young children:

• Innovative practices for supporting fathers.
• Innovations in maternal and child health programming.
• Whole family approaches to improving economic mobility.
• Innovations in income supports.

My remarks to kick off the summit underscored the importance of the summit as a place for the exchange of information and ideas. Also, Dr. Krista Thomas from Chapin Hall presented compelling data linking economic hardship and child welfare involvement . And in highlighting sociodemographic variables and referral rates to child welfare within the Midwest region, she presented data showing that as a county's median income grows, the referral rates shrink. Child welfare prevention strategies, including concrete and economic supports, are vital to reducing long term, adverse physical, psychological and behavioral outcomes inclusive of lower educational attainment and risk of homelessness. This, and other data presented, reinforce the need for robust economic and social support systems.

Each state shared innovative strategies it has implemented to support expectant parents and the parents of young children including:

• Creation of a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) engagement unit in Illinois which focuses on high TANF Counter cases to ensure they are engaged appropriately, and self-sufficiency is obtained by the 60th month.

• Expansion of Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum in Indiana.

• Launching of Family Connects in Ohio .

• Launching the Family Impacts Teams project in Michigan.

• Standing up of the newly created Department of Children, Youth, and Families in Minnesota.

• Prioritizing family engagement in Wisconsin to uplift lived experience to improve services, including the creation of the Wisconsin Child Support Parent Advisory Group.

The day continued with engaging panel discussions that emphasized collaboration with families and philanthropic organizations, and a presentation on strategies to engage with state legislators.

On the second day, a panel on innovative practices for supporting fathers was filled with the poignant reminder that fathers are an essential part of this conversation and need to be included. Kim Dent, the executive director of the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood, offered the following advice on how to engage with fathers: "Check your implicit bias at the door."

A subsequent presentation on maternal and child health highlighted two innovative programs in Indiana that are connecting expectant mothers with prenatal and postpartum care, mental health services, treatment for substance use if needed and other social services. Next, a panel on whole family approaches offered further context and examples of programs aimed at supporting multiple generations within a family, and how these programs can ultimately support well-being of young children.

During the last presentation, attendees heard from well-known scholars and practitioners who are working on innovations in income supports. Luke Shaefer, PhD, and co-director of the Rx Kids program which uses TANF funds for eligible families experiencing financial need and accessing health care through Medicaid along with philanthropic dollars, described the program and its accomplishments.

Based in Flint, Michigan, Rx Kids is the first-ever, city-wide cash prescription program for pregnant moms and babies. Early findings from the Rx Kids Participant Survey (PDF)showed that 80 percent of survey respondents felt that the program helped them make ends meet and feel more secure in their finances, and 72 percent of respondents reported that the program helped to improve their health and the health of the children.

This year's Economic Mobility Summit focused on expectant parents and parents of young children, recognizing that pregnancy and early parenthood can be an economically vulnerable time for families. However, innovative strategies are being implemented throughout the region to support the economic mobility of these families. The summit highlighted these innovations and encouraged states to see where and how to integrate similar strategies into their programs. The ACF Region 5 Office of Regional Operations looks forward to continuing to support states in implementing change and improving the lives and well-being of children and families throughout the region.

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