ALBANY, N.Y. -- The $1.7 trillion Build Back Better Act now moves to the Senate where it will face an uphill battle after passing the House Friday.

New York family advocates say it's critical for the social safety-net package to be delivered to President Joe Biden. The legislation will invest in child care for 1 million New York children age five and younger, reducing the average annual cost of family income to no more than 7%.

Dede Hill, director of policy at the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy in Albany, said the major investment in early childhood education under Build Back Better added to the groundwork already laid through public pre-K programs in New York City and elsewhere in the state.

"This is going to be a real opportunity for our three- and four-year-olds all over New York to have access to high-quality pre-K," Hill explained. "And for their families to also have the whole continuum of care and have access to child care for their babies and toddlers."

If passed, nearly 300,000 more three- and four-year-olds in the state will access pre-school for free. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he wants to pass Build Back Better by Christmas.

Under the bill, the Child Tax Credit would be expanded for another year. Pete Nabozny of Rochester-based The Children's Agenda said the city has one of the highest poverty rates in New York as well as the nation. He said the Child Tax Credit will sustain families in Rochester and throughout the state with help to pay bills and buy groceries.

"The continuation of this child tax credit means that the cut to child poverty that we saw over the course of last year because of this temporary expansion will at least continue for another year," Hill pointed out. "Families will have that support to help them pay their bills and make ends meet and be able to care for the children."

More than 3.3 million children in New York received the monthly Child Tax Credit in Oct., providing $3.3 billion dollars to New York families between July and October.

A Connecticut group is circulating a petition of support about the proposed child tax credit. United Way of Connecticut's petition has 540 signatures and aims to galvanize conversations about the child tax credit. Connecticut's credit would provide families with $600 per child for up to three children.

Daniel Fitzmaurice, advocacy director with United Way of Connecticut, said the petition's responses reflect families' dire need for this extra money.

"These families are maybe one flat tire away from missing a day of work, not getting paid that day, and being evicted. Or, these families have pushed off medical appointments for them or their children because they are not sure they could afford the co-pays or any of the treatments that might come with it," he said.

He added that families eligible for the Child Tax Credit might also qualify for some assistance programs, but might earn too much to receive others. Along with the Child Tax Credit bill, Connecticut's General Assembly also considered legislation for a benefits cliff pilot program. This two-year proposed program would have provided subsistence for people who've gone over the benefits cliff. But, like the Child Tax Credit bill, it failed to pass.

As helpful as the Child Tax Credit is, it can only do so much. Fitzmaurice said there are things the state government can do beyond the credit to help families afford daily life. United Way of Connecticut's 2023 ALICE Essentials index shows basic costs rose more than 18% between 2021 and 2023. He says the state's tax system also plays a role in this.

"Our state has one of the most regressive tax policies in the country, where lower and middle-income people actually pay a much greater portion of their wages every year in state taxes than the highest earners in our state," he explained.

A Connecticut Voices for Children report finds the state's tax system overwhelmingly benefits higher-income and wealthy tax filers. Some policy changes that could rectify this include eliminating or reducing regressive tax expenditures, and increasing personal income tax rates on higher-income tax filers.

The average household is spending nearly $875 on back-to-school items this year, according to the National Retail Federation and Minnesota organizers leading supply-donation drives hope community members will consider a range of ways to help.

In eastern Minnesota, organizations such as Family Pathways help low-income households overcome the expenses.

Clarissa Zemke, associate director of advancement for the nonprofit, said there is a lot of demand for help, and fewer people have extra money to donate supplies. For those who do, she hopes they keep in mind the many things students need to have a successful year. Beyond markers and notebooks, certain tech accessories are needed.

"Headphones are a big thing, I think, on pretty much every list from elementary on up," Zemke pointed out. "A lot of things that we're seeing right now, especially for the older kids, is USB flash drives."

She noted such supplies allow kids to transport digital assignments to places such as libraries when doing homework. Many schools provide Chromebooks but organizers say they see a lot of wear and tear over the year and having other ways to complete schoolwork can help students stay on track. If possible, graphing calculators for high schoolers can help households on a limited budget still have money for other necessities.

Area nonprofits say gym shoes and other clothing items should be considered, especially since kids can outgrow them fairly quickly.

Zach Spirov, program and community engagement coordinator for the nonprofit ResourceWest in the Twin Cities west-metro region, said when planning a donation, you are encouraged to consider getting something new and avoid hand-me-downs.

"Trying to get back into a memory from your youth and how exciting it is to go to school with new stuff and feel good about yourself," Spirov explained.

He noted confidence can indicate students feel supported by their community, allowing them to focus on learning and achieving better outcomes. Officials from both organizations said monetary donations are welcome, too. It allows aid groups to help more of these households with daily living expenses, giving them extra wiggle room for back-to-school shopping.


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The latest report on the well-being of Tennessee's children noted improvements in some areas and challenges in others.

Statewide, child poverty rates decreased slightly, by one full percentage point between 2021 and 2022, to 17.8%.

Jonquil Newland, director of media relations for the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, said the slight decrease may be due to wage growth. She explained since the pandemic, there has been a big push to increase pay, especially hourly wages.

"Where someone was making between $7 and $10 before, now they're probably making between $12 and $15," Newland pointed out. "When you think about that and all the folks who are trying to support families who are living on minimum wages, that we believe (is) one of the main indicators of why our children living in poverty has decreased ever so slightly."

One alarming finding in 2022 showed, nearly 10 of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect. The rate varied widely across counties, with Cocke County reporting the highest number of cases, and Williamson County the lowest.

The report ranked counties on 52 indicators in four areas: economic well-being, education, health, and community and family. Newland pointed out in the previous report, Perry County was ranked 84th for children's well-being and it is now 26th. She explained the area in which Perry has improved the most is education.

"Some of them have improved more in some areas," Newland noted. "For example, Perry County, their biggest room for improvement, or they've improved mostly with a youth graduation rate and on-time graduation rate and the babies born at a low birth weight. So, kudos to them and congratulations to Perry County and others."

Newland added the county profiles provide crucial data for leaders to evaluate their performance, pinpoint weaknesses, celebrate achievements and ultimately, guide resource allocation and funding decisions.


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