As President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address this Thursday, parents across the country will be listening closely to his remarks about issues that matter to them most: the economy and our children’s education. The National Parents Union (NPU) released a poll today that shows that families continue to feel crushed by high prices at the grocery store, the cost of fuel to heat our homes, the cost of childcare, and the fact that our kids are struggling to catch up in school after the pandemic fundamentally changed their childhoods.
American families need President Biden to lead us in a moment when we are constantly worried about making ends meet while we continue to have deep concerns about what the future will look like for our children.
As we have emphasized during the past several election cycles, our latest National Parents Union poll again reaffirms that the economy remains the most important issue that K-12 parents want addressed by President Biden followed by immigration and education.
Families are also looking for the Biden administration to show real leadership when it comes to addressing education and the nation’s literacy crisis. According to the NPU survey, families trust Republicans (42%) more than Democrats (37%) on handling the economy, with a critical 21% surveyed saying they are unsure which party they trust more.
Education is an issue that parents surveyed in the NPU poll feel Democrats have a better handle on than Republicans– 44%-35%, with another 21% unsure. One thing we know from parents across the country is that too much time has been wasted on the political culture wars and not enough time has been spent addressing the critical issues of mental health, literacy and math proficiency and ensuring every child leaves the American public education system with a path to economic mobility.
There are real actions that Democrats and President Biden can take to stand up for American families.
Miaya and Thaddeus Bennett were one of the millions of American families who felt relief when they received the expanded child tax credit. Their story was featured in a New York Times article in December of 2021. With the credit, they were able to afford childcare and ballet for their daughter, Bailey and karate for their son, Thaddues Jr. The fact is, the Child Tax Credit gave families the breathing room to enjoy their kid’s childhood- until Congress failed to reauthorize the program.
When the credit was instituted during the pandemic, what followed was the largest drop in child poverty ever recorded. Unsurprisingly, once the program lapsed, child poverty surged from 5.1% to 12.4%.
The House of Representatives passed The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers which would bring back a single payment (through a tax return) of the child tax credit for 16 million kids. A single mom with two kids earning $13,000 a year would receive $1,575. That’s an extra $125 a month for diapers, childcare or groceries.
According to our latest poll, The Child Tax Credit has broad bipartisan support- 87% of parents support bringing the credit back.
Putting money back into the bank accounts of hard working American families is necessary. President Biden must pressure the Senate to act.
President Biden must do everything within the power of the presidency to address rising costs. Last year, he took on junk fees, this year we hope that he tackles shrinkflation. Cereal costs are up 28%, the cost of peanut butter has risen 75.5% since 2004, the cost of bread has risen by 7.7%. It’s more expensive today to make a peanut butter sandwich than it ever has been before. And while costs are rising, items families rely on are getting smaller. We need President Biden to take executive action to reign in rising costs and ensure that families are getting our money’s worth.
Our kids are less prepared for their future than any other generation in our lifetimes. 7 out of 10 of our nation’s 5th graders are not meeting NAEP proficiency standards- our nation’s report card. 81% of parents surveyed in the NPU poll, want the government to set a goal for all public school students to be able to read at grade level by the time they are in third grade. We have seen states like Mississippi, Tennessee, New York and Massachusetts begin to adopt policies to better support struggling readers by ensuring kids are taught using evidence based methods and have access to tutoring when they are behind. It is time for federal leadership on this issue. This is a national crisis and deserves national attention.
On Thursday night, President Biden needs to show that he is fighting for American families. Families and children depend on his leadership.