WHO WE ARE
Promise the Children is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1999. We recruit volunteers who will work together and advocate for the funding of public and private programs that support U.S. children and their families who earn low wages.
We offer information and action alerts for your consideration regarding the preservation of the safety net subsidies that our low-earning families depend on. These include youth mental health, early education, childcare, food stamps, health care and more. Information and action alerts are posted on our website News page, and on our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. 📧 Sign up to receive timely action alerts via email
1. Child-Care: Owners of child-care facilities across our nation are in debt from the expenses during the pandemic shut-down such as rental fees. Many teachers were terminated. Now the owners must pay their debt and employ teachers. The new safety regulations will double costs and tuition will increase. Many parents will not be able to afford tuition. Others may feel child-care isn’t safe until there’s a vaccine. Our nation’s child care system is on the brink of collapse, with serious implications both now and in the future. Urge legislators to focus on this issue and come up with a plan. For additional information and resources visit Campaign for Children or Zero to Three.
2. Public School Funding: Contact your state legislators to ensure strong state funding for your public schools. In Massachusetts, we have to urge our state legislators to fund all our schools fairly. For more resources and information, visit American Federation of Teachers.
3. Hunger: Coronavirus has left many with poor employment or none at all. Food stamps are part of the Farm Bill that will be voted on in the next 2 or 3 months. For more about the Farm Bill, visit the Food Research and Action Resource Center.
4. Medicaid & CHIP: Medicaid is paid for jointly by the federal and state governments. 50 states have voted to implement Medicaid. A major reform of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) is the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to people whose annual incomes are below 138% of the poverty level or $26,000+ for a family of 3 and $15,000+ for an individual. Only 14 states have yet to implement Medicaid Expansion, though 3 more states voted for implementation in 2020. This expansion will allow Medicaid to provide care for millions more adults and children and for thousands of people who have or will contact the Covid19. More info: https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/affordable-care-act-expansion.aspx.
5. Families: The lives of immigrant families are shattered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Parent(s) who pay taxes and support their families, may be detained or deported. No path for citizenship is under consideration by Congress. Sadly, when ICE arrests, parents, their citizen children are referred to state child welfare organizations and placed in foster care or in private, unregulated detention centers across the U.S. Urge Congress to regulate these detention centers and provide education, health care and appropriate activities. For more, visit the American Civil Liberties Union.
6. Gun Safety: Even U.S. teenagers are marching. Are gun owners licensed in your state? Are military weapons banned? Do salespeople have access to a list of violent people who should not be sold guns? Let your local legislators know your opinion on gun sales. More resources are available at Brady United and Giffords.
Contact Congress: To find your legislators’ contact information, visit the Congressional Institute. Here are more ways to get in touch with your federal, state and local elected leaders.
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