This piece was shortened and published as a Letter to the Editor in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jan. 17. Here’s the original version: 

Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions! “Accountability partners” – individuals united in a common goal – are a tried-and-true way of trying to increase the likelihood of following up on grand aspirations. As a pediatrician and as child health advocates, we invite policymakers to join us in doing something we can all agree on: supporting young families and promoting children’s growth and health.

As we turn the page on a new year and a new administration, here are our New Year’s resolutions.

1) An Expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC)

What’s a policy so clearly beneficial that Presidents Trump and Biden both supported it? Expansion of the Child Tax Credit. President Trump doubled the CTC during his first term. Under President Biden, an expanded CTC cemented its position as one of the most successful anti-poverty interventions ever implemented. As part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the expanded CTC cut child poverty in the U.S. nearly in half. After the expansion wasn’t renewed in January 2022, child poverty spiked by 41%. Without action from Congress, we risk regressing to the state of the CTC pre-President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. Despite theoretical concerns about inappropriate use of funds, evidence shows most families spent their credits on essentials including food, school supplies, and paying for childcare needed to keep their jobs.

Proponents of a smaller, smarter, government and policymakers who want to support young working families should embrace this policy. It minimizes administrative burdens by relying on the existing tax system to disburse benefits. It puts more money in the pockets of hard-working families, giving them the autonomy to spend it on the things they need most.

Congress should act now to tap into the power of the expanded child tax credit – making it fully refundable and increasing the dollar value of the benefits families receive – so that young families across the country will get the support they need.

2) Paid Family and Medical Leave

Healthy families are key to our country’s success. Parents and caregivers play an instrumental role in providing an environment for children to flourish. Unfortunately, to make ends meet, many parents and caregivers who would like to stay home to care for their infants must return to work during a critical time of development for their babies. In addition, when children or older adults become sick, their family members are often forced to choose between staying with their sick relative and keeping their job.

Paid Family and Medical Leave will help support families in strengthening bonds and establishing healthy routines with their new babies and will ensure that when a loved one gets sick, families don’t have to choose between keeping their jobs and giving their family members the support they need.

This benefit could also help small businesses retain employees who have to take time off to care for a new baby or a sick relative. It will save money on job training and help to retain skilled members of the workforce in the long-term.

This program is an investment in American families that could pay off in more ways than one: lower newborn, infant, and child death rates; fewer hospitalizations for children; and less postpartum depression and better spousal relationships, all while honoring the dignity of work. President Biden included paid leave in multiple budgets, unsuccessfully; President Trump was the first Republican president to call for paid family leave. Let’s finally answer the call for our country’s children.

3) Access to Healthy and Nutritious Food for Children

When children lack enough nutritious food to eat, it can affect their ability to focus, learn, and play, and can have negative effects on their health in the future. In 2023, almost one in five children in the U.S. – more than 13 million children – lived in households with food insecurity. 

WIC and SNAP are critically important, evidence-based programs that improve children’s health and well-being. Parents want to provide fresh and healthy food for their children, but healthier options are often more expensive. WIC for young children and pregnant women and SNAP for the disadvantaged give families the financial support they need to invest in healthy food choices and ensure their children do not go hungry, with the important side benefit of supporting the farmers who supply food for these key programs.

Rather than trying to cap or cut SNAP benefit amounts – likely causing worse health outcomes, and greater health costs down the road– we should lean into innovation and  bring WIC and SNAP into the 21^st century. It’s high time to allow SNAP beneficiaries to buy groceries online and allow WIC beneficiaries to complete certification appointments and nutrition education sessions virtually, rather than in person. These innovations will make the program more efficient, a goal for the incoming administration.

In a time that feels so divisive, our country’s policymakers have a chance to be leaders not just in name but in action, coming together in support of evidence-based policies that support working parents and their children and promote economic mobility.

The American Dream is a powerful motivator: work hard, set goals, achieve them. While our list of resolutions may seem ambitious, if we do our part in providing opportunities for young families and children, we can ensure a healthier and more economically productive future for the next generation.

Sincerely,

Your partners in keeping children happy, healthy, and safe,

Maddie and George

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