U.S. Family Policy: In Whose Best Interest?

Children in the United States are often thought of as a sympathetic group that deserves government support. Yet, most federal programs which serve children in the United States are poorly funded and targeted to low income families. Moreover, they may not always serve child well-being. The United States is one of few developed nations that provide no support for universal childcare. For many families with children, little attention is paid to the conditions and circumstances in which they live until they are brought to the attention of child welfare authorities. When this occurs, we continue to provide poorly funded programs that view families outside of their socioeconomic context and ultimately fail to give families the tools they need to adequately provide for their children. Using child care and child welfare as examples, this paper discusses the inherent problems of targeted safety net programs (for children). We talk about the kind of broad-based coalition that might be necessary to bring attention to children and families in the U.S. and the challenges that such a coalition might face. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]