Child Tax Credits needed more than ever

Gov. Wes Moore, in his State of the State speech, called for expanding the Child Tax Credit. Bravo, Governor, what a fine idea (“Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s first State of the State speech”).

In my classroom, at a Baltimore City school with a high percentage of low-income families, one child literally fell asleep last week during the lesson. Though one might wonder if I was a boring teacher, in this case, we were meeting individually. Despite being the focus of attention and participating actively, the child could not keep her eyes open! At our school, she is not alone either. Household income struggles can make the ritual of routine sleep difficult.

Since the expanded Child Tax Credit (on the national level) expired at the end of 2021, child poverty has increased. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that over half of low-income parents had trouble paying for food or rent. With the dysfunction in Congress, Governor Moore is asking us to act at the state level. He estimates that 40,000 families in Maryland could be eligible.

That’s at least 40,000 children (and realistically many more) who would have a chance at regular bedtime and sufficient sleep. That’s at least 40,000 children who would have increased food and housing stability. That’s over 40,000 future leaders who could be alert at school.

To all the Baltimore delegation, please follow our governor’s lead and enact a Maryland Child Tax Credit. To our Congress members, please keep pushing to expand the national Child Tax Credit. Every dollar will help our kids, our schools and our future.