7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Trade Room Foyer, Lobby Level

Registration

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Brickell Room, Lobby Level

Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Welcome Remarks

• Mr. Arturo Vargas, Chief Executive Officer, NALEO Educational Fund

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Session I:

Part I: The State of Young Latino Children and their Families

As the United States continues to become more diverse, Latinos are a driving force behind this demographic shift.  Nationally, Latinos are the second largest demographic in the zero-to-eight age cohort. This means that the role of the Latino community in shaping our country’s future economic and civic strength and prosperity is more significant than ever.  In the first part of this session, policymakers received an overview of demographic shifts and trends nationally and across specific regions and the various indicators that support the success of children and their families in communities across the country.

• Dr. Mark Mather, Associate Vice President, U.S. Programs, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Ms. Laura Speer, Associate Director, Policy Reform and Advocacy, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
PRESENTATION

Additional Resource: 1

Part II: The State of Young Latino Children and Building Resilience

With one million new neural connections formed every second, the first few years of a child’s life are critical in building the architecture of the brain that is vital to lifelong success. Stable home environments and quality interactions serve as the precursor for school readiness and the overall healthy physical, social, and educational development of children. Conversely, as highlighted by recent events, exposure to significant adversity, such as poverty, family separation, and natural disasters, in the early years can have lasting negative impacts and impair children’s development. In the second part of this session, participants received an overview of how challenges facing young Latino children today can affect their development and identified strategies to build resilient and supportive family environments in the face of adversity.

Session Chair: Hon. José Javier Rodríguez, Florida State Senator

• Dr. Sarah Roseberry Lytle, Director of Outreach and Education, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington
Resource: 1

Additional Resources: 1 | 2 | 3

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Session II:

TCJA 101: Overview of the New Federal Tax Law and What It Means for States and Working Families

The passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has resulted in the most significant reform of the federal tax code in a decade.  Changes in federal tax law have historically informed states’ decisions in defining their own tax systems, and states have often entrusted the federal tax system to provide assistance to low-income working families through tax incentives.  To ensure that state budgets reflect the needs and priorities of their states, it is critical that policymakers have a deep understanding of the nuances embedded in the new federal tax law that will affect working families with young children. In this session, participants were guided through key provisions in the new federal tax law and enhanced their knowledge of its bearing on their revenues and on the economic security of the families they represent.

• Ms. Elaine Maag, Senior Research Associate, Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute
PRESENTATION

• Mr. Richard C. Auxier, Research Associate, Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute
PRESENTATION

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Brickell Room, Lobby Level

Florida Best Practices Plenary and Luncheon

Opening Remarks:
• Hon. Francis X. Suarez, Mayor, City of Miami, Florida

Moderator: Mr. Arturo Vargas, Chief Executive Officer, NALEO Educational Fund

• Hon. Francis X. Suarez, Mayor, City of Miami, Florida

• Hon. Bryan Avila, Florida State Representative

Additional Resource: 1

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Session III:

Tax Credits for Working Families Part I: Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the largest federal income support programs and reaches more than 25 million families across the country each year.  Research demonstrates that the EITC yields short-term and long-term benefits that move families towards economic security, such as promoting work, encouraging asset building and savings, and increasing educational attainment of their young children.  Meanwhile, some policymakers have leveraged the tax code of their own states to establish and expand access to State EITCs to lift more families out of poverty and help parents meet their children’s needs. This session will provide participants with a deeper understanding of the current parameters of EITC in the context of the new federal tax law and demonstrate best practices and innovative solutions states can build on to increase access to EITC.

• Dr. Jacob Bastian, Post-Doctoral Scholar, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Mr. Rich Williams, Program Manager, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO | Resource: 1

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Session IV:

Tax Credits for Working Families Part II: Leveraging Tax Credits for Child Care

Enacted in 1997, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) serves as a tax credit and a key lever through which the tax code can boost incomes of families contending with the costs of raising young children. Likewise, the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) assists families in meeting the expenses of child or dependent care that enable adult caregivers to work.  Numerous states have also implemented these tax credits in their own tax systems to support working parents, leading to education and health gains for their children. With the amendment of the federal tax code, TCJA increased the nonrefundable Child Tax Credit and significantly limits the eligibility of immigrant families and children to participate and receive the benefits of these credits.  This session provided an overview of the modifications to these credits under the new tax law and highlighted model states, like Louisiana, that have utilized their own tax provisions to offset child care expenses and promote access to quality care.

• Ms. Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Income Security, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Ms. Jackie Vimo, Economic Justice Policy Analyst, National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

Additional Resources: 1 | 2

National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Resources: 1 | 2 | 3

4:30 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Evaluations

4:35 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Closing Remarks

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Trade Room Foyer, Lobby Level

Registration

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Brickell Room, Lobby Level

Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Session V:

Workforce Development: Reskilling and Upskilling for Social Mobility

Latinos have become a critical share of the current workforce, revitalizing several industries and spurring new economic growth.  Gainful employment allows families to meet basic needs and create stable and nurturing home environments for their young children.  However, many Latino families struggle to balance work requirements with child care, due to job inflexibility, nonstandard work hours, and lack of benefits.  To adapt to a constantly changing job market and to generate increased financial stability for their families, Latino workers must have access to the education and skills-development training that a 21st Century workforce demands as well as improved access to quality care and learning programs for their young children.   Federal programs such as the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) can be leveraged to boost access to quality child care critical to supporting parents’ work and children’s well-being.  This session highlighted funding opportunities like CCDBG and successful models that can guide policymakers in creating pathways toward improved employment opportunities for Latino parents and better care for their children.

Session Chair: Hon. Annette Taddeo, Florida State Senator

• Ms. Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Director of Upskilling Policy, National Skills Coalition
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Ms. Christin Durham, Research Associate, Income and Benefits Policy Center, Urban Institute
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

National Skills Coalition (NSC) Resources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

NWLC State Child Care Profiles: Arizona | Colorado | Connecticut | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Illinois | Maryland | Massachusetts | Nebraska | New Mexico | New York | Rhode Island | Texas | Utah

Urban Institute Resources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Session VI:

Addressing the Health Needs of Working Families and Young Children: Medicaid and CHIP

Households with young children are less likely to receive benefits such as health insurance through their employers.  Research demonstrates that federal-state partnership programs such as Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid significantly reduce the number of children who are uninsured, improving health and educational outcomes and reducing the likelihood of preventable health conditions into adulthood.  With bipartisan Congressional support, CHIP has been extended through the year 2027; meanwhile, Medicaid is encountering shifting eligibility requirements and accessibility for immigrant families under the current administration and through state waivers.  In this session, policymakers received data on health care access for families with young children and strategies for states to respond to growing transitions and changes in these two programs.

Session Chair: Hon. Rene Garcia, Florida State Senator; Chair, Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee; Board Member, NALEO Educational Fund

• Ms. Elisabeth Wright Burak, Senior Fellow, Center for Children and Families, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
PRESENTATION | AUDIO | Resources: 1 | 2

• Ms. Maureen Hensley-Quinn, Senior Program Director, National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO | Resource: 1

Center for Children and Families State Profiles: Arizona | Colorado | Connecticut | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Illinois | Maryland | Massachusetts | Nebraska | New York | Texas | Utah

11:30 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.

Break

11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Brickell Room, Lobby Level

Luncheon Presentation:

Census 2020 – Make it Count! Natural Disasters and the U.S. Census

• Ms. Juliana Cabrales, Mid-Atlantic Director of Civic Engagement, NALEO Educational Fund

• Ms. Jackie Colon, Florida Director of Civic Engagement, NALEO Educational Fund
PRESENTATION | Resources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

• Ms. Jenny Hausman, Master of Public Policy Candidate, 2019, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University
PRESENTATION

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Session VII:

Critical Safety Nets for Working Families and Young Children

Across all age cohorts, young children are the most likely to live in households with income below the poverty line, with over one third of those children between the ages of zero and three.  Access to safety net programs can provide vulnerable families with the resources necessary to establish the stable home environment needed for young children to thrive.  Federal safety net programs like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offer an economic support for families who are unable to meet their basic needs.  Furthermore, in recent years, Disaster-SNAP (D-SNAP) has been utilized by states like Texas, Florida, and Louisiana as a rapid nutritional response to families affected by disasters.  In this session, participants were briefed on the most recent changes in federal investments, potential shifts in eligibility under the Public Charge Rule, and how states can realize the goals of these resources to better support families and young children.

Session Chair: Hon. Robert Asencio, Florida State Representative

• Ms. Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Director of Income and Work Supports, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Dr. Matt Childers, Director of Policy Research, Florida Health Justice Project
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

Additional Resources: 1 | 2

CLASP Resources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

3:00 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Evaluations

3:05 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Trade Room, Lobby Level

Closing Remarks