Welcome to Spring 2021 edition #ThePossibilists, our roundup of updates from our caffeinated den in Oakland and beyond. When we are not working with nonprofits, grant-makers, or innovators, we are co-managing three kids engaged in (now) hybrid learning during a pandemic.

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
(Frederick Douglass, 1817-1895)

What we've seen so far 

We’re barely over five months into 2021 and already we are seeing the benefits of new public policy initiatives linked to the Biden Administration’s response to COVID-19.

As parents of school-age children, we’ve seen first-hand the impact of remote learning and the lock down on our children’s mental health. We are grateful for the federal, state, and local efforts are underway to mitigate the effects.
 

2021 Is About the Future

The revelations of the pandemic have forced us confront structural racism, income inequality, and the toxic stress of poverty. Now is the time to enact bold policies to support children and families.

At Hickman Strategies LLC , we have the privilege to lock arms with our clients to reimagine a more just and equitable America while helping to address the lingering challenges of the pandemic in bold and innovative ways.

The passage of the American Rescue Plan last March included a Child Tax Credit that creates a universal basic income program for families with children. The tax credit provides $300 per month per child for nearly 69 million people or 93% of American families with children.

Setting the Pace

Hickman Strategies, LLC is excited to partner with First 5 Alameda County to help translate the American Rescue Plan, Alameda County’s Measure C, and hopefully the American Families Plan into a blueprint to remedy policies that have perpetuated systemic discrimination and racial and economic injustice against children and families. 

With the American Families Plan, President Biden seeks to extend the increased tax credits through 2025. This plan also calls for the Child Tax Credit to be permanently fully refundable and for payments to be made regularly. This single program has the potential to reduce childhood poverty by 50%. Listen to New York Times reporter Jason DeParle talk about this sweeping change here. 

As First 5 Alameda County CEO Kristin Spanos affirmed in her recent statement about the American Families Plan, “Today, the Biden administration is validating California’s long-standing commitment to direct public investments toward supporting children in the first five years of their lives.”

The American Families Plan includes historic support and reforms for the United States’ early learning and childcare system by proposing to provide a $225 billion investment to address the childcare needs of families and providers and an additional $220 billion to expand voluntary preschool access to all 3- and 4-year-olds.
 

The Next 100 Years

The first five years of a child’s life are of increasing importance as a child born today is likely to live to 100 or more. 

What kind of American Dream do we want for our children in the century ahead?

Dr. Raj Chetty wrote about the American Dream in The Atlantic. At the June 24, 2021, First 5 Alameda County Commission hearing, he will present, "Improving Equality of Opportunity in America: New Insights from Big Data," including how and why children's chances of climbing the income ladder vary across neighborhoods, how race still matters for economic mobility in the US today, and the relationship between equality of opportunity, innovation, and growth. The link to register is now open.

What Have We Learned So Far?

2021 is about the future. The decisions we make today about resetting our expectations about the role of government and the restoration and healing of long-struggling communities will change the trajectory of the health and well-being of our nation for generations to come.
 
Let’s be brave. Let’s be imaginative. Let’s be decent.