This featured blog is an advocacy piece authored by our 2025 Karabelle Pizzigati Initiative Fellow, Melissa Mason.
For one bold, unforgettable moment, we saw what it looked like when policy truly met families where they were. The expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), passed under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, showed parents what is possible when the system has their backs.
Families used those monthly checks to buy groceries, pay rent, afford child care, and finally breathe. And it worked. Child poverty was cut nearly in half, which lifted 9.6 million people out of poverty. Children had full bellies. Parents slept more easily. And families felt what it meant to be seen.
But that moment didn’t last. When the expansion expired, so did some of the progress. Today, nearly 19 million children are once again left out of the full credit. Not because their families earn too much, but because they earn too little. The children the CTC was designed to support are now the ones shut out because their families earn too little to receive full credit.
And we know the consequences. Food insecurity has risen. Families are back to juggling impossible choices – between gas and groceries, rent and medicine. The safety net that caught so many is gone, and the cracks are widening again.
We also know the truth.
This is a policy choice. We’ve already seen what works. We’ve proven that putting money directly into the hands of families gives them the freedom and flexibility to care for their children.
And it’s why we are still fighting.
This fight isn’t happening in isolation. Across the country, a growing number of states are stepping up – passing or expanding their state Child Tax Credits and prioritizing families with the lowest incomes. A few highlights from this year:
- In Georgia, lawmakers enacted a $250 credit per child under six and boosted support for child and dependent care expenses.
- In Illinois, the new refundable Child Tax Credit equal to 40% of the state Earned Income Tax Credit took effect for families with at least one child under 12, with funding set to reach $100 million annually.
- In Colorado, the Family Affordability Tax Credit launched, which is projected to cut child poverty in half.
These wins are the result of determined advocacy, coalition-building, and community storytelling. Progress is happening, but many of the families who need support most are still being left out. Together, these wins show that state leadership can keep momentum alive and push us toward a future where every child can thrive.
There’s more work ahead.
Because this isn’t just about numbers or programs. It’s about what kind of country we want to be. Do we want to be a country where children fall through the cracks because their families earn too little? Or one where every child gets the support they need to thrive?
As advocates, parents, caregivers, neighbors, and community members, we have a role to play. We can keep sharing the stories. We can keep pushing the conversations forward. We can remind people that child poverty isn’t fate – it’s a system perpetuated by policies that our representatives pass. And systems can be dismantled, and rebuilt with more inclusive policies.
The Child Tax Credit is one of the most effective tools we have to lift children out of poverty and help families build stability. But its impact depends on how bold we’re willing to be.
Let’s not accept the rollback of progress as permanent. Let’s not forget what it felt like to see families finally catch their breath. Let’s carry that urgency forward – and keep pushing for a future where no child is left out. Because when we invest in children, we’re investing in the future we all share. We know what works. Now it’s on us to keep demanding it.