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Kids Count Data Center
MassBudget is home to KIDS COUNT in Massachusetts, a national and state-by-state effort funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to track and improve the well-being of children across the United States. With these data, state organizations provide policy analysis based on evidence and shine a spotlight on pressing issues in order improve programs and policies for children and families.
ALL KIDS REPORTS
Testimony Supporting Act to Provide Equal Stimulus Checks to Immigrant Taxpayers
Testimony supporting legislation for state stimulus checks for taxpayers excluded from federal benefits because they pay taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a social security number.
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Bringing in the Relief Part I: Federal Fiscal Relief for our State Budget is Critical for a Strong, Just Recovery
For more on federal fiscal relief, read That’s A Relief Part I: Federal Fiscal Relief to Massachusetts in Recently-Passed Legislation and That’s A Relief Part II: Federal Fiscal Relief for Community Development in the CARES Act. The Massachusetts state budget is the single piece of legislation each year that defines the state’s vision, values, and plan for the coming fiscal year. Over the course of the past two months, a public health emergency has quickly turned also into an economic emergency. And now, the scope of the state fiscal crisis that has come from this has only started to become clear. Already, hundreds ...
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Statement on Reopening the Commonwealth
Read the full statement by Marie-Frances Rivera, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget), in response to the Governor's Reopening Massachusetts plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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FAQ: Status of the Mass. Early Education Sector During and Beyond the Coronavirus Outbreak
Introduction Quality early education and care (EEC) is not only critical for helping young children to learn and grow, it’s also vital to our economy by providing support for working parents. The current public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is dramatically impacting the provision of early education and care for young children in the Commonwealth. The disruption to early education programs is occurring while the broader effects are felt across the health system, economy, and in the daily lives of all residents adjusting to the unprecedented measures to slow down the spread of COVID-19. This ...
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That’s A Relief Part II: Federal Fiscal Relief for Community Development in the CARES Act
Read That’s A Relief Part I: Federal Fiscal Relief to Massachusetts in Recently-Passed Legislation here. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act,” or “C3”), provides substantial federal fiscal relief for the states, benefits to certain businesses, as well as direct payments to individuals suffering hardship due to the pandemic and the subsequent economic disruption.[1] This funding includes $5 billion total nationally for community development funding, including funding to municipalities for a wide variety of local programs, funding for housing assistance and to prevent homelessness, and more. Listed below are estimated funds from the CARES Act that will be available to ...
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That’s A Relief Part I: Federal Fiscal Relief to Massachusetts in Recently-Passed Legislation
Learn what federal relief though the CARES Act, the Coronavirus Relief Fund, and other recently passed legislation means for the Commonwealth during the public health crisis.
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Testimony to the Economic Roundtable: We must ensure collective well-being and economic security in the Commonwealth
Read the full testimony from our President, Marie-Frances Rivera, for the Massachusetts Legislature's April Virtual Economic Roundtable, originally scheduled for April 7, 2020.
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Keeping Promises and Investing in Our Recovery: Why We Must Fund the Student Opportunity Act
With statewide school closures, we must ensure that children are safe, fed, and do not fall behind. Learn how COVID-19 is impacting the Student Opportunity Act, and what can be done to ensure that all schools have enough resources to fully support each and every child when they reopen their doors.
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Spotlight on Equity: Testing and Treatment for Everyone, Regardless of Income, Health Insurance Coverage, or Immigration Status
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic exposes disparities in our health care system. It also highlights how interconnected we are to each other. Now, more than ever, as we work to flatten the curve of this epidemic, we need to consider the health and wellbeing of our neighbors who may feel unsafe or unsure about accessing medical care. This includes people who may see care as unaffordable, fear deportation, and those experiencing homelessness. Through MassHealth, our state’s Medicaid program, Massachusetts provides health insurance to nearly 1.8 million people, including about half the state’s children. In an effort to provide a ...
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How Should Mass. Respond to the COVID-19 Crisis?
We Must Provide Robust Economic Relief and Recovery for Vulnerable Populations and Children in Massachusetts Policy is the lever that we can pull to bring collective well-being and economic security to the Commonwealth. We are in an unprecedented moment, one which is bringing our interconnectedness into stark focus. A moment in which our public goods are being put to the ultimate test. A moment which is asking each of us to answer the following questions: How do we best take care of one another? And how do we ensure that no one is left behind? Government exists for this very moment. It is imperative ...
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Why the Count Counts: Federal Funding and the 2020 Census
Our latest brief, Why the Count Counts, outlines the generational impacts a complete and accurate count of every Massachusetts resident will have in the 2020 Census, federal funds that would be directly affected, and more.
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Opportunity Delayed: FY 2021 Governor’s Budget for K-12 Funding Falls Short by $74M for Low-Income Kids
As part of implementing the Commonwealth's new school funding law, the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), the Governor proposed increasing Chapter 70 aid by $303.5 million over current levels in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget. In this first year, the Governor delivers on one-seventh (14 percent) of the SOA reforms in most areas—special education, health care for educators, social-emotional support, and increments for English Language Learners—keeping those reforms on track for full implementation in seven years. However, not all of the SOA reforms are consistently or equitably phased in by the Governor's proposal despite this goal being outlined in the ...
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Case Study: Increasing Quality After-School Opportunities in Salem, Massachusetts
Without sufficient funding, communities across the Commonwealth face challenges in helping all students, particularly those most in need of additional support, gain access to affordable, quality after-school opportunities. This report aims to provide tailored guidance to one community, Salem, Massachusetts, on how to provide services to more youth. This includes evaluating its current after-school landscape, compiling data from local providers, applying lessons learned from after-school efforts across the country, and providing recommendations on how Salem can expand access to quality after-school.
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FY 2021 BUDGET PREVIEW: Delivering on the K-12 Education Funding Overhaul & the Student Opportunity Act (SOA)
Now that the state has revamped its education funding formula, how will lawmakers fund these changes in this first year of implementation?
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