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Professor of Social Work and
Public Affairs
On
developments in child and family policy in 2005:
1) The launch of the Make Poverty History Campaign in the UK, because it makes an explicit link between efforts to end poverty in that country and efforts to end poverty globally.
2) In the U.S., the first-ever randomized controlled study of Head Start, which found positive effects on three- and four-year-olds, and several studies pointing to the benefits of prekindergarten programs.
3) Progress by individual states in providing a better package of supports to meet the needs of young children. California celebrated the first anniversary of its "paid family leave" program, and Florida joined the growing number of states with universal prekindergarten programs.
What's ahead?
1) At least one more state will implement a paid family leave program, and more than one will move toward universal prekindergarten.
2) States will take more steps to address the challenge of providing health insurance not tied to an individual's employment.
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Source of Inspiration in 2005 Social Inequality (Russell Sage Foundation), edited by Kathryn Neckerman, looks at the consequences of 25 years of growth in income inequality in the U.S. and other industrialized countries, particularly in terms of family structure and children's life chances. It raises important questions about where we're headed as a country. |