Parents often struggle to secure after-hours child care. Advocates want the Washington state Legislature to increase incentives for businesses to provide this service. The Department of Children, Youth and Families is requesting funds to increase the bonus to $500 a month for facilities that provide care before 6 a.m., after 6 p.m. .
A bill in the New York State Legislature could alter how the foster care system operates in the state by ending the requirement for parents to pay for their child s stay in foster care. New York collected more than 2 million in 2021 from low-income parents with children in foster care. The so-called "maintenance payments" include a 9% interest rate. .
In Congress, the second expansion of the Child Tax Credit is expected to provide some Connecticut families with much-needed help and one local organization hopes it s only a first step. The Center on Budget Policy and Priorities reported the new tax credit would benefit 16-million low-income children nationally in its first year, including 119,000 in Connecticut. Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children, said state action could build on the federal progress. .
For most Americans, stimulus payments distributed as part of COVID-19 relief efforts have already been sent and spent. But residents in some states still have time to get stimulus money they are owed.