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Early Childhood Profile

Early Care and EducationParenting and Economic Supports 

State Choices to Promote Effective Parenting

Low-income young children with a parent employed full-time, 2009

Low-income young children with a parent employed full-time, 20091

  • Provide option to extend Medicaid coverage for family planning to otherwise ineligible low-income women [2011]2
  • Exempt single parents on TANF from work requirements until the youngest child reaches age 1. [2009]3
    Parent must return to work when child is 6 months; no exemption allowed after adult reaches 48th month of assistance
  • Reduce the TANF work requirement to 20 hours or less for single parents with children under age 6 [2009]4
  • Operate a statewide home visiting program. [2007]5

State Choices to Promote Family Economic Security

Education levels of mothers with young children, 2009

Education levels of mothers with young children, 20091

Maximum annual TANF benefit for a family of 3, 2009

Maximum annual TANF benefit for a family of 3, 20094

  • Establish a state minimum wage that exceeds the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hr). [2011]6
    $7.25
  • Exempt single-parent families of three below the poverty level from personal income tax. [2009]7
    Up to 158% FPL
  • Offer a refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit. [2010]8
    18% of federal Earned Income Tax Credit.
  • Offer a refundable state dependent care tax credit. [2011]9
    A credit of 25% of the "allowed" federal CADC credit.
  • Keep copayments for child care subsidies below 10% of family income for families of three at 150% FPL [2010]10
  • Allow families on TANF to receive some or all of their child support payment without reducing TANF cash assistance. [2009]11
  • Offer exemptions and/or extensions of the TANF benefit time limit for women who are pregnant or caring for a child under age 6. [2009]4
Early Care and Education 

Data Notes and Sources

Last Updated: September 26, 2011

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  1. National data were calculated from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (the March supplement) of the Current Population Survey from 2010, representing information from the previous calendar year. State data were calculated from the 2009 American Community Survey, representing information from 2009.
  2. Guttmacher Institute. 2011. State Policies in Brief: State Medicaid Family Planning Eligibility Expansions, as of August 3, 2011. New York, NY: Guttmacher Institute. http://www.guttmacher.org
  3. The federal poverty level for a family of three was $18,310/yr in 2009.
    Rowe, Gretchen; Murphy, Mary. 2010. The Welfare Rules Databook: State Policies as of July 2009. The Urban Institute. http://www.acf.hhs.gov (accessed February 18, 2011).
  4. Rowe, Gretchen; Murphy, Mary. 2010. The Welfare Rules Databook: State Policies as of July 2009. The Urban Institute. http://www.acf.hhs.gov (accessed February 18, 2011).
  5. Johnson, Kay. 2009. State-based Home Visiting: Strengthening Programs through State Leadership. New York, NY: National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
  6. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration. 2011. Minimum Wage Laws in the States, January 2011. http://www.dol.gov (accessed February 22, 2011).
  7. Oliff, Phil; Singham, Ashali. 2010. The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families in 2009. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. http://www.cbpp.org (accessed August 13, 2010).
  8. State EITC Programs, TaxCreditResources.org. Community Resources Information, Inc. website. Accessed August 3, 2011 from http://www.taxcreditresources.org
  9. National Women's Law Center. 2011. Making Care Less Taxing, Improving State Child and Dependent Care Tax Provisions. Washington, DC: National Women's Law Center. http://www.nwlc.org (accessed August 3, 2011)
  10. Schulman, Karen; Blank, Helen. 2010. State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm. National Women's Law Center.http://www.nwlc.org (accessed September 14, 2011).
  11. Vinson, Michelle; Turetsky, Vicky. 2009. State Child Support Pass-Through Policies. Center for Law and Social Policy. http://www.clasp.org (accessed November 10, 2009)