Ending Child Poverty Children’s Advocates’ Roundtable March 21, 2018 Michele Stillwell-Parvensky

Child Poverty in California According to the California Poverty Measure (a more accurate measure of poverty) in 2015: 21.6% of children (2.1 million) were poor 4.7% of children were in deep poverty (at less than half the poverty threshold) 46.0% of children were poor or near poor

Children of Color Are Disproportionately Poor

Impacts of Growing Up Poor Gaps in cognitive skills that can be seen in early childhood and continue to widen with age Toxic stress that negatively impacts brain functioning for life Jeopardizes children’s health and their ability to learn in school All of these disadvantages compound and produce lifetime negative consequences. Children who grow up poor are: less likely to graduate from high school less likely to find a well-paying job more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system Fuels the intergenerational cycle of poverty as poor children are more likely to be poor as adults

The Safety Net Works Safety net programs play a key role in reducing poverty Without programs like CalFresh, the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit, CalWORKs, child tax credit, and school meals, 1.3 million more children would be poor and the percentage of children in deep poverty would be doubled.

CalWORKs Supports 860,000 children with modest monthly cash grants CalWORKs supports about 860,000 children throughout the state by providing families with modest monthly cash grants, while helping parents overcome barriers to employment and find work.   

If grant levels had been adjusted for inflation each year beginning in 2007-08, the maximum grant in 2018-19 would be $983, which is $269 higher than the proposed value of $714. Because policymakers have not restored the value of CalWORKs grants, the purchasing power of the maximum grant will be 27% lower than in 2007-08. 

In 2008, the value of this grant dropped belowthe deep-poverty line In 2008, the value of this grant dropped belowthe deep-poverty line. Absent a significant grant increase in the 2018-19 fiscal year, this grant will equal just 41.2% of the poverty line, leaving it below the deep-poverty line for the eleventh straight calendar year.

SB 982 (Mitchell) Ends childhood deep poverty in CalWORKs Sets a floor for grants at 50% of the federal poverty level Protects children from the worst harms of chronically unmet basic needs Children in deep poverty suffer worse outcomes, even compared to other poor children

CalEITC Provides a tax credit to up to 1.9 million low-income working families

AB 2066 (Stone and Reyes) Extends the CalEITC to low-income working Californians who are currently excluded: Working young adults age 18-24 Working seniors over age 65 Working immigrant families who file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Makes the credit more inclusive and equitable Provides an income boost to working Californians who are struggling to get by

Thank you! Michele Stillwell-Parvensky msp@childrensdefense.org Children’s Defense Fund – California www.cdfca.org