Julia Anderson
While the coronavirus pandemic made life difficult for most, many were struggling before it even appeared. To address this widespread problem, President Biden just announced his American Families Plan. Should it get approved, here are some of the benefits that could be coming your way.
Affordable Child Care
Would you like to get a job, but can’t because you have kids at home and child care would eat all of your income? If so, you may get relief in the future, especially if you have young children.
2023
Tax Forgiveness
We know how challenging it can be to pay off your tax debt.
The IRS just announced the 2023 Fresh Start Program, to qualify more people for tax relief!
The American Families Plan would invest $200 billion to provide universal preschool for children ages three and four. Most importantly, it would provide this child care at no cost. What would this mean for you? Besides being able to get a job since your kids would be taken care of, you could save $13,000 on those child care costs.
Under the American Families Plan, an estimated five million kids would get free, high-quality care through low student-to-teacher ratios and inclusive classroom environments.
While this may seem impossible, an investment in early childhood educators would help achieve that goal.
Anyone looking to study early childhood education would get free community college. And once they got their degree, they could look forward to advanced training, professional development, and competitive wages.
What about if your kids are older than four? The American Families Plan would provide a sliding scale based on income to make child care more affordable. And the families who need it most would receive child care at no cost.
Free College
Whether you’re graduating high school or are an adult student looking to go back to school, the American Families Plan would make community college free. You’d have four years to complete your degree or credential without having to worry about student loans.
If approved, the American Families Plan would give 5.5 million students the chance to earn that elusive degree without paying a penny.
While community college would be free under Biden’s plan, going to a four-year school would still be costly. To address this, the maximum Pell Grant award would increase by $1,400.
Going to college isn’t enough, though. You still have to graduate to make it count. To improve retention and completion rates, the American Families Plan would invest $62 billion to provide services like child care, basic needs grants, remediation programs, mentoring services, and more.
Paid Family and Medical Leave
Whether you need to bond with a newborn, heal from an illness, care for a loved one, or deal with someone’s death, a national paid family and medical leave program would help.
How? By offering up to twelve weeks of paid leave that would amount to up to $4,000 per month.
Free Summer Food for Kids
The Summer Pandemic-EBT program, which kicked in due to COVID-19, would become permanent under the American Families Plan. This would help parents buy food for kids when school is not in session over the summer.
