Fact Sheet California’s Cash-Based Safety Net By Caroline Danielson May 20, 2024 Cash assistance helps keep low-income Californians out of poverty. Tax credits help those with low—and sometimes no—incomes, while several programs provide monthly assistance to children and other targeted populations.
Report Federal Formula Grants: Federal Child Care Programs By Tim Ransdell, Shervin Boloorian Jun 30, 2005 The fast-growing, multibillion dollar federal child care financing system provides resources primarily to low- and moderate-income families to subsidize child care services and activities. With women entering the workforce in record numbers in recent years, government-supported public and private child care networks have come to serve as an economic aid for growing numbers of working families, including federal welfare recipients. Studies monitoring the effect of child care services indicate that the availability of such services can measurably increase the likelihood that a welfare family will successfully transition from government assistance to self-sufficiency. This report reviews federal child care programs and the formulas used to distribute child care assistance funds to states, discusses California’s child care receipts under the current formula framework, compares the state’s experience to that of other states, and considers the effect of key child care reauthorization proposals in Congress on child care financing policies.
Report CalWORKs in Transition By Caroline Danielson Mar 20, 2012 In recent years, California policymakers have made a number of cuts to major safety net programs to help balance the state budget—even as hard economic times have meant that increasing numbers of Californians are relying on government assistance. The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program (CalWORKs) has been one of the most affected.1 Since 2009, CalWORKs has seen a number of cuts, some intended to be short-lived, and others that, arguably, are reshaping the program piece by piece. In his January 2012 budget proposal, Governor Brown advocated significant additional cuts. These recent and proposed changes raise questions about the program’s goals going forward.
interactive California Poverty by County and Legislative District Oct 18, 2023 These interactive maps show average poverty rates from the first quarter of 2023 for counties, congressional districts, state senate districts, and state assembly districts, according to the California Poverty Measure (CPM).
Explainer Is College Worth It? By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Vicki Hsieh, Hans Johnson Mar 8, 2023 Rising college costs and a reluctance to take on debt lead many students and families to wonder if college will actually yield a brighter future with higher earnings and better jobs. In this explainer, we explore whether the benefits of a college degree outweigh the costs.
Report Medi-Cal Expansion and Children’s Well-Being By Paulette Cha, Shannon McConville Nov 13, 2019 The Affordable Care Act allowed California to expand Medi-Cal to most low-income adults. Evidence indicates that access to health insurance improves the finances and behavioral health of adults—and that these improvements could benefit children.
Report Low-Income Students and School Meal Programs in California By Caroline Danielson Mar 12, 2015 School nutrition programs help improve nutrition among vulnerable children. In so doing, they help build a better future for these children and the state. Now that California is implementing the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), there is additional reason to make sure all students who are eligible for free or low-cost meals enroll in these programs. Along with English Learners and foster youth, low-income students—in other words, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals—are targeted for additional funds under the LCFF. This renewed focus on enrollment could also prompt further consideration of participation in school nutrition programs. This report looks at factors that might be linked to variations in student enrollment and participation in free or reduced-price meals. Not surprisingly, we find that districts with higher poverty rates identify higher levels of eligibility than wealthier districts. Low-income high school students appear to be enrolled at levels comparable to younger students, but students in elementary school districts are much more likely to participate in lunch programs than students in other types of districts. We also find that schools in districts with higher shares of foreign-born residents have modestly lower participation levels (but not identification of low-income students). Finally, we find evidence that schools with smaller enrollments are more successful than larger schools at identifying and serving low-income students. One way to further the goal of full enrollment among low-income students is to cut the large share of low-income students who must submit applications for free or reduced-price meals. Achieving this objective is arguably an important part of a larger state effort to integrate social safety net programs and services.
