Sam Melvin

Who Suffers during Recessions? (Summer 2012) - In this paper, we examine how business cycles affect labor market outcomes in the United States. We conduct a detailed analysis of how cycles affect outcomes differentially across pers...

With news that the US economy is shrinking, who is most affected by recessions?

The same populations that already rely on Medicaid, SNAP, & Head Start to meet basic needs

Cutting these programs now would deepen poverty in a way that harms whole communities, most of all those directly affected

‘Father of Head Start’ and Zigler Center leader reflect on Head Start at 50 If you believe in karma — the good kind, that is — then you’ll believe it was working for Head Start pioneer Edward Zigler two years ago. He was preparing to

At #SRCD2025 Policy Preconference, Walter Gilliam reminded us that Ed Zigler, known as the father of #HeadStart, modeled the program on how we used to treat immigrant families, including his own. This story brought me to tears as we fight for that legacy: medicine.yale.edu/news-article...

What wasn’t mentioned in tonight’s #jointaddress:
❌ Access to affordable, quality health care and child care
❌ Costs of groceries, housing, and basic needs
❌ Paid leave and fair wages

How does ignoring families and gutting Medicaid, SNAP, programs that benefit babies = the American dream?

Needless to say there was a whole lot of awful going on in this speech tonight, but there was also a whole lot missing.

Trump spent a lot of time discussing the economy tonight, but you know what’s missing from his remarks? A plan for child care.

The President left out "for the wealthy' when talking about the tax cuts he supports. His proposals, which are included in the House budget resolution, cut taxes for the top 1% and pay for it by cutting food assistance and Medicaid. #CBPPJointAddress

Trump just claimed that his administration is prioritizing eliminating exposure to toxins, especially for children.

However, they are actively attempting to prohibit the replacement of lead service lines all while gutting the EPA.

3/ Detaining children without charge, separating families, & forcing kids into harmful conditions is NOT who we should be. Every policymaker who voted for this bill voted against children’s well-being. We must do better. #JointAddress

If you care about child cancer, maybe it's a bad time to cut #Medicaid, which covers over 40% of children in our country.

FACT: One of the best ways to keep our children healthy and help children with disabilities like autism is to NOT cut Medicaid by $880 billion — as proposed by congressional Republicans and Donald Trump. #MOMSky

What’s actually waste, fraud, and theft? Tax cuts for billionaires.

Tell Congress to stop the dismantling of federal agencies & unjust mass firing of employees! Take action now! Tell Congress to stand up to Elon Musk and Donald Trump and stop the dismantling of federal agencies and unjust mass firing of employees!

FACT: What Musk calls "government waste" are jobs and programs that lift veterans, farmers, small business owners, sick children, seniors, and families across the United States. Take action to say no to Musk, DOGE, and Trump's unlawful overreach: action.momsrising.org/sign/governm...
#MOMSky

Notice what Trump isn’t talking about in his #jointaddress to Congress:

The Republican plan to rip healthcare from people to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.

Fact Sheet: USAID cuts total $4 billion for children, tens of thousands of lives   | First Focus on Children Trump's USAID shutdown halts $4 billion in vital aid for children, threatening millions with malnutrition, disease, and death. Learn how this affects global health and security.

President Trump touts cuts to foreign aid during his #JointSession, but let's be clear: cutting USAID programs saves very little money, but it WILL cost millions of children their lives.
firstfocus.org/resource/fac...

4 Ways House Republicans’ Emerging Tax Package Would Put Billionaires Over Families The emerging House Republican tax package would raise working- and middle-class families’ costs to shower enormous tax giveaways on the wealthiest Americans.

Curious how Trump can balance the budget while providing TRILLIONS in planned tax giveaways, including to corporations and billionaires? If he does, it will be at a grave cost to the health care and economic security of working- and middle-class Americans. www.americanprogress.org/article/4-wa...

Babies and families—and the programs and people that provide resources that help them to thrive—are not wasteful #jointaddress #stopthecuts

Hero

"Notably, the Idaho hearing featured testimony from child care provider after child care provider stridently opposing the proposed changes, with one aptly noting, “how often do you get small business owners up here asking you to regulate them more?”" #childcare

The Republican House Budget Resolution's Potential $880 Billion in Medicaid Cuts by Congressional District The Republican House budget resolution would cost congressional districts an average of $2 billion each and could eliminate coverage for 15.9 million people.

What could House Republicans’ $880B in potential Medicaid cuts mean for your congressional district?

On average, we estimate a $2B funding loss per district and substantial reductions in coverage in states that expanded Medicaid. ⬇️

www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...

Head Start provides nearly a quarter (22%) of child care supply in rural areas. It is a critical early education and anti-poverty program. Cutting its resources is a cruel attack on families. www.americanprogress.org/article/proj...

Yesterday ~68 people employed in HHS's Administration for Children & Families early childhood offices were terminated. I'm told Office of Head Start lost ~20% of staff; Office of Child Care lost ~25%
These workers process grants for preschools/childcare centers, monitor health/safety issues, etc.

FANTASTIC

ICPSR at U Mich is coordinating the archiving of at-risk federal data (all of it?)

You can upload data you have & search for data you don’t have

www.datalumos.org/datalumos/

We're #hiring!
@zerotothree.bsky.social’s Policy Center seeks a Policy Research Analyst passionate about early childhood development and data-driven #policy for babies and their families. Pls share widely!
Apply now: job-boards.greenhouse.io/zerotothree/...
#ECEHiring #PolicyResearch #DataAnalysis

Wait, what? Child care costs more than rent?

New data released from the @dol.gov shows that families are paying a high price to access the care their children need #SolveChildCare

JUST IN:

Federal judges orders HHS, CDC, and FDA to restore “by no later than 11:59 pm” today their websites and datasets to pre-January 30th status.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

🌟 Did you know that most federal education data are archived in the @urbaninstitute.bsky.social Education Data Explorer? It's a great resource for research and analysis - and there's even a full API version linked in thread. 🌟

#EduSky #EdPoliSky #EduSkyECEC
educationdata.urban.org/data-explorer

Uh, this is a nuclear bomb on university budgets if I am reading it correctly. Mandating an indirect cost rate of 15% *overnight*?

Medicaid is a lifeline to babies, children and their families and covers 2 in 5 of all US births and 40% of all children. Urge your Members of Congress to #ThinkBabies and protect Medicaid. #HandsOffMedicaid

My university library is assembling a list of resources for disappeared US government #data. Check it out: subjectguides.library.american.edu/data_rescue

New immigration policy could devastate America’s fragile child care system Trump’s deportation threats are already affecting child care workers and the children in their care. The child care industry relies heavily on immigrants.

America relies on immigrants for critical child care roles: 1 in 5 child care workers is an immigrant. In recent weeks, providers have told me that some of those teachers are too scared to come to work, and children are staying home, due to fears around raids:
hechingerreport.org/1-in-5-child...

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