Lowering Poverty in America

What can we do to lower poverty?

The most effective anti-poverty program is to get the country back to work. Lower unemployment and lower underemployment translate directly into higher incomes, for families at the bottom and the middle. Lower unemployment and lower underemployment also work indirectly to raise incomes of all workers, by giving them the leverage they need to negotiate higher wages and better benefits. There was tremendous benefits of sustained low unemployment at the end of the 1990s, when wages and incomes at the bottom did better than at any time since the 1970s.

In both the short and the long run, fighting poverty means committing our country's resources to that fight. "The first step is a large-scale stimulus program to breathe life back into a dying labor market.
Economic analysts from the White House, to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, to former John McCain adviser Mark Zandi all tell us that the February 2009 stimulus package has created millions of jobs," (http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/testimony/the-crisis-of-poverty-in-america). Without those measures, poverty would have increased even more than it did in 2009.  But, we now know that the stimulus program put forth in early 2009 was just not big enough.  "The single most important step we could take to combat poverty in 2011 is to implement a large -scale stimulus and jobs program today. Once the labor market is generating jobs fast enough to lower the unemployment rate, the next challenge will be to restructure the labor market so that it once again channels the benefits of growth to workers and their families," (http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/testimony/the-crisis-of-poverty-in-america).
Lowering poverty will help America and the young children of America who are struggling and dropping out of school.  Many parents are unable to give their child or children the best and the children are taking action of their own.  Poverty has caused many of our young children to dropout of school and become imprisoned.  By lowering poverty we may be able to help save our young men and women of the future.

References

The Crisis of Poverty in America.
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/testimony/the-crisis-of-poverty-in-america

MY PERSONAL RESEARCH JOURNEY

Funding Early Childhood Care

            *How to get government assistance

            *Income Eligibility Limits

            * Eligibility for Parents Searching For a Job

            Funding for early childhood education has been a very huge issue in the United States.  In the United States any woman is eligible for childcare assistance.  However, many of them do not know how to acquire the assistance needed for childcare.  Childcare is very important for single mothers to continue working and to take care of their family.  The Human services Child Care Assistance Program may help those families with low or no income at all.

            Mothers of young children can apply for government assistance at the local Department of Human Services where they live.  “They can simply fill out the application and submit it to the Welfare office in their community.  By applying at the local Welfare office parents will be able to talk to a case worker about their household situation and their needs so that they can make an informed choice about any services they may want to receive” (http://bsure.hubpages.com/hub/Get-Government-Help-to-Pay-for-Daycare).

If parents choose to their local Welfare office they need to have the social security cards for each child they are applying for, long birth certificate forms, verification of income, and verification of enrollment if the parent is in college.  “By providing the needed information on hand as they apply for the assistance program will speed up the process.  Once the parent or parents receive a voucher for child care the Department of human Services will give them a list of agencies and individuals who work with the program,” (http://bsure.hubpages.com/hub/Get-Government-Help-to-Pay-for-Daycare). 

The child care assistance program helps many parents who have become unemployed continue to receive their certificate until the parent acquires a new job.  The child care assistance program will also help the parent look for employment by providing assistance so that the parent will have time and ease to search for a job, go on interviews and other activities. “Parents may also want to retain their child care while they are searching for work so it is available as soon as they find a new job, and so that their children have continuity in their care. Child care assistance for parents searching for a job is particularly important given the challenge of obtaining and maintaining employment in today’s economy,” (National Women's Law Center, 2011).

I choose this topic because I want to help the mothers who need childcare assistance in the community in which I live.  I want to help in any way I can and to make sure our young children are able to attend preschool.

References

Free Daycare - How to Get Government Help.  http://bsure.hubpages.com/hub/Get-Government-

            Help-to-Pay-for-Daycare

National Women's Law Center.  (2011). Child care assistance policies in states receiving Early     Learning Challenge grants. Washington, DC: National Women's Law Center. Retrieved       January 4, 2012, from             http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/state_policies_for_elc_grantees_analysis201   1.pdf.

Schulman, K., & Blank, H. (2010). State child care assistance policies 2010: New federal funds     help states weather the storm. Washington, DC: National Women's Law Center.Retrieved September 30, 2010, from             http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/statechildcareassistancepoliciesreport2010.pdf