Cash Assistance and Child Well-Being: Research and Policy Partnerships That Improve Children’s Lives

Join the Urban Institute and the Berkeley Opportunity Lab as we explore the impacts of providing cash assistance to low-income families with children and discuss how policymakers and researchers can leverage these insights to improve the well-being of some of our nation’s most vulnerable children. With the upcoming 2025 expiration of temporary modifications to the child tax credit enacted under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress will soon reexamine whether and how much to expand this benefit and, fundamentally, the value of investing in children.
Building on the insights from the 2023 convening, this session will explore new research on cash assistance and children that will be particularly relevant to the upcoming debate, including the impact of cash assistance on investments on early childhood outcomes, reductions in child maltreatment, and long-term employment and educational outcomes of children. Our conversation will also explore how research findings have influenced and improved policies for children at the state level.