Citizens' Committee For Children - Programs and Proposals

Programs and Proposals

The Citizen's Committee for Children has advocated on behalf of a number of proposed legislative changes that would benefit children and their families:

  • Birthright Trust Fund (BTF) - an account would be created at birth for all children in New York City or New York State that would be started with a government contribution of approximately $500, with additional contributions made to this account for low-income families from relatives, charitable organizations and the children themselves. Beneficiaries would be able to start making withdrawals at age 18 to fund education or a new business or place a down payment on a home, to foster steps that lead to economic self-sufficiency.
  • Child Care Tax Credit - In contrast to the existing non-refundable Child and Dependent Care Credit, a refundable New York City Child Care Tax Credit would be based on family income and would be returned as a refund if there were no other taxes to offset the amount, with a phase-out as income increased. With legislative changes, the proposal would provide cash to 48,000 families in New York City families and as many as 1.8 million nationwide.

Read more about this topic:  Citizens' Committee For Children

Famous quotes containing the words programs and, programs and/or proposals:

    Whether in the field of health, education or welfare, I have put my emphasis on preventive rather than curative programs and tried to influence our elaborate, costly and ill- co-ordinated welfare organizations in that direction. Unfortunately the momentum of social work is still directed toward compensating the victims of our society for its injustices rather than eliminating those injustices.
    Agnes E. Meyer (1887–1970)

    Although good early childhood programs can benefit all children, they are not a quick fix for all of society’s ills—from crime in the streets to adolescent pregnancy, from school failure to unemployment. We must emphasize that good quality early childhood programs can help change the social and educational outcomes for many children, but they are not a panacea; they cannot ameliorate the effects of all harmful social and psychological environments.
    Barbara Bowman (20th century)

    One theme links together these new proposals for family policy—the idea that the family is exceedingly durable. Changes in structure and function and individual roles are not to be confused with the collapse of the family. Families remain more important in the lives of children than other institutions. Family ties are stronger and more vital than many of us imagine in the perennial atmosphere of crisis surrounding the subject.
    Joseph Featherstone (20th century)