Kids
Recent
How Many Would Benefit from the Gov’s Child & Family Tax Credit?
The Governor’s proposed Child and Family Tax Credit would help families by providing $600 each year for each child under 13 and dependent adults over 65 years of age or with disabilities. This dashboard identifies – by legislative district – how many dependents would be eligible for the proposed Child and Family Tax Credit.
Letter to Governor-elect Healey and Lieutenant Governor-elect Driscoll on a Family Tax Credit
A letter to Governor-elect Healey and Lieutenant Governor-elect Driscoll on a consolidating different family tax supports into one simpler, fully refundable Family Tax Credit.
Prospects for Investment, Stability, and Growth in Early Education in Massachusetts
As the challenges of the COVID pandemic continue to reverberate across the state, early education and care (EEC) providers persevere every day. Early care centers across the Commonwealth continue to deliver enriching support for young children while allowing parents to work and provide for their families. EEC has an essential role in keeping our state economy moving during these challenging times.
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
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 …
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 …
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.
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 law. One critical area that is not on track—increased support for students from low-income families through Low-Income Rates.
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.
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?
FY 2021 BUDGET PREVIEW: Will the Governor reboot his dependent deduction proposal or take a more targeted approach?
Will the Governor again propose to double the state’s dependent deduction, which wasn’t adopted by the Legislature, or will state lawmakers provide more targeted tax support for working families with greater need?
Impact of the Increase in the Massachusetts Minimum Wage to $12.75
These infographics show the impacts of the increase in the Massachusetts minimum wage on January 1, 2020, from $12 to $12.75 per hour.
Obstacles on the Road to Opportunity: Finding a Way Forward for the Children and Families of Massachusetts
Data describing our communities document that opportunity is not equally available to children and families across the Commonwealth. While effective public policy removes obstacles along the road to opportunity, good jobs play a central role in paving that road. Yet economic policies have allowed wages to stagnate, and important work support programs and other essential benefits that allow children and families to thrive are at risk, especially as a result of recent federal policy.
Massachusetts Poverty Rate and Median Income Improved in 2018, but Not by Enough
The United States is in the midst of the longest economic expansion in its history, following the Great Recession with sustained recovery. Massachusetts’ economy today exemplifies this, highlighted by continued job growth and a very low unemployment rate that is consistently below the national level. If a rising tide lifts all boats, we should see all Massachusetts residents benefiting, but this isn’t the case.
Credit Where Credit is Due: The EITC and CTC – two proven tools to keep low-paid workers out of poverty
One of the most successful ways to lift people out of poverty is through tax credits targeted to low- and moderate-income families. Families use these credits to reduce their income taxes or receive a refund check. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) are two widely successful tax credit programs for improving family economic security and well-being — combined, the credits lift more people out of poverty than any other federal program except Social Security. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to make these programs even better.
Making Every Student Count
Accurately counting low-income and English Language Learner students, who are more likely to require a diverse array of academic and social resources to succeed in school, is important to ensure that school districts receive the funding necessary to support all of their students. Communities with large numbers of immigrants are often disproportionately affected by the challenges of obtaining an accurate count of low-income students.
Infographic: Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as #LatinxHeritageMonth (running Sept. 15-Oct. 15), our infographics analyze the number of eligible Hispanic tax filers per county that could or already benefitting from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
