PolicyLab Releases Report on Advancing Economic Security for Families

The report examines evidence behind ten policy areas to enhance economic security for children and families.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has released a new report reviewing scientific evidence that supports the protection, enhancement, and implementation of ten economic security policy areas. The report, produced in partnership with Maternity Care Coalition (MCC), finds that expanding or implementing these policies can enhance economic security for children and families at a time when affordability concerns dominate.

Why it matters

The report aims to provide state lawmakers in Pennsylvania and across the country with recommendations on how to support economic security for families now and into the future. It examines the impact of each policy area on children's long-term health, educational and economic outcomes, showing that investing in families from the prenatal period through early childhood can have a significant positive impact.

The details

The ten policy areas examined in the report include Medicaid, food and nutrition supports, housing supports, early care and education, cash assistance for families, tax credits for families, paid family and medical leave, minimum wage increases, predictive scheduling policies, and diaper assistance. The report finds that implementing these policies together could help move the needle for kids and families.

  • The report was released on February 9, 2026.

The players

PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

A center dedicated to achieving optimal child health and well-being by informing program and policy changes through interdisciplinary research.

Maternity Care Coalition (MCC)

A community-based nonprofit organization serving Pennsylvania and Delaware with over four decades of commitment to improving maternal and child health and early care and education.

Dr. Meredith Matone

Director of PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Rebecka Rosenquist

Deputy Director for Policy and Strategy at PolicyLab.

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What they’re saying

“Research shows that only half of people born in the 1980s, including today's parents of young children, outearn their own parents, raising serious concerns about economic security for children and intergenerational mobility for families.”

— Dr. Meredith Matone, Director of PolicyLab (PRNewswire)

“This report shows the direction that state lawmakers in Pennsylvania and across the country can take to support economic security for families now and into the future.”

— Rebecka Rosenquist, Deputy Director for Policy and Strategy at PolicyLab (PRNewswire)

The takeaway

The report from PolicyLab and Maternity Care Coalition provides a comprehensive review of evidence-based policies that can enhance economic security for children and families, offering state lawmakers a roadmap to support families and promote long-term health, educational, and economic outcomes.