How The Expanded Child Tax Credit Could Cut Childhood Poverty In Half

WAMU 88.5 | By Amanda Williams

Published July 16, 2021 at 2:32 PM EDT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) attends a press conference on the newly expanded Child Tax Credit at the Barrio Action Youth and Family Center in Los Angeles, California.

In a historic move, Congress voted in early 2021 to temporarily expand the child tax credit, opting to send monthly payments to more families.The first payments rolled out last week. Depending on a kid’s age, families received between $250 to $300 per child.

Some estimates say it could cut child poverty in half if they can reach every family eligible.

From The 19th’s Chabeli Carrazana:

The expansion of the credit signals the first time the United States has attempted to curb child poverty through enhanced direct payments made widely available to almost all families with children. A study by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University found that, if successful, the policy could cut the child poverty rate from 13.6 percent to 7.5 percent — a 45-percent reduction.

How will this change raising a family in America? And what does the future of the program look like?