Parents Overwhelmingly Support Reinstating Expanded Child Tax Credit, New Poll Reveals

Majority of parents say the federal government should provide free lunch for all K-12 public school students, funding that goes directly to families to support mental health and education, and student debt relief

Boston, MA—A new poll released today by the National Parents Union found widespread support for the expanded Child Tax Credit, which is currently being debated among federal lawmakers as Congress prepares to pass a spending bill before the end of the year. Overall, 81% of parents, including 84% of registered Democrats, 81% of Independents, and 75% of Republicans support reinstating the Child Tax Credit, which previously delivered up to $3,600 to parents before expiring last December.

“Reinstating the Child Tax Credit expansion should be a no-brainer for Congress”, said Keri Rodrigues, co-founder and President of the National Parents Union. “There is overwhelming support for it among parents that are Republican, Democrat, Independent, Black, Hispanic, White, male, female, conservative, moderate, and liberal. Congress must listen to its constituents and understand the economic pain that millions of families are facing. American families across the country are struggling to make ends meet. There is a solution on the table that would bring relief to millions of hard working families and now it’s up to our elected leaders to show they care. If they fail to take action, millions of children are at risk of falling back into poverty.”

According to a U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report released last month, child poverty in 2021 fell to its lowest rate on record, 5.2%. The YoY drop from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021 was the largest single-year decline in child poverty on record and was driven primarily by the expanded Child Tax Credit included in the American Rescue Plan.

The poll also shows unified support among parents for additional action by the federal government to ease economic pain, including:

• 90% of parents support free lunch at school for all K-12 students
• 86% support direct funding to families to help pay for additional mental health support for children
• 83% support direct funding to help pay for educational support
• 69% support the Biden-Harris Administration Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

In the poll, parents also voiced concerns about their children’s futures and how the public school system continues to fall short in preparing students for success after they graduate from high school:

• 84% of parents said they would want to have a personalized pathway plan for their child outlining classes they could take in K-12 to help them achieve their individual career or college goals.
• 59% of parents said more support is needed in K-12 schools to help students who fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 58% of parents said K-12 schools should change the way they teach students reading and math to line up to what the newest research says is best.
• 54% of parents said they would like their child’s teachers to discuss their child’s performance and progress with them more often.

1,001 parents of K-12 students — Field Dates: December 5-8, 2022

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARENTS UNION

The National Parents Union is a network of highly effective parent organizations and grassroots activists across the country that is united behind a set of common goals and principles to channel the power of parents. Our family advocates improve the quality of life for children across the United States and define the education conversation. Learn more at: https://nationalparentsunion.org/