Can Government Support Reduce Child Poverty?

In a new report 'Measuring Access to Opportunity in the United States: A 10-Year Update,' The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) notes that child poverty reduction has proved readily responsive to federal and state policy choices. The percentage of children living in poverty fell to a historic low of 5% in 2021, even as COVID slowed the economy, because programs like the expanded Child Tax Credit supported families. When these programs were wound down, even as the economy recovered, the child poverty rate rose, reaching 13% by 2024. Leslie Boissiere joins EconoFact Chats to discuss the report, highlighting the long-run economic and social costs of childhood poverty, and the role of public policy in addressing this problem. Leslie is the Vice President for External Affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She oversees the foundation's KIDS COUNT effort, as well as the areas of policy reform and advocacy, strategic communications, organizational effectiveness, and national partnerships.