Baby Bonus Program

In 2023, Jackie held listening tours across San Mateo County with women and children living in poverty to better understand their challenges and needs. Potential solutions were discussed at the 2023 Ending Child Poverty Summit. At this event, Jackie announced seed funding for a major innovative Baby Bonus Program for newborn babies in San Mateo County.

 

The Baby Bonus Program is an evidence-based demonstration project that aims to show how a small amount of money can impact the health and well-being of infants and families with challenging living experiences in San Mateo County. Based on the preliminary results of an NIH study, "Baby's First Years", a monthly gift is expected to improve the physical and emotional health, cognitive development, and overall well-being of an infant. The project will provide a monthly cash gift of $300 along with support services for three years to 600 children on Medi-Cal who were born at Lucille Packard, Kaiser, Sutter Health, and a few other local hospitals. 

 

Currently a design team and Advisory Committee are actively creating the program and funding for the launching of this program in January 2025. An interdisciplinary team from Stanford University will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and generate valuable data to inform local and national policy on reinstating the enhanced child credit, as well as county-level decisions at the pilot's conclusion. Join us in rewriting the story of child poverty in San Mateo County by making a contribution here.