Families Valued
Our Focus & Impact
Families Valued conducts research, convenes partners, and educates citizens. The program orients its work around two core principles: that families are the foundation of healthy communities and societies and that all work, including family caregiving, has inherent dignity. Motivated by these principles, CPJ promotes:
- Paid family leave and pregnancy accommodation
- Maternal health access and family-oriented benefits
- A child care ecosystem that serves America’s diverse families well
Spotlight on Maternal Health
An October 2022 webinar, Black Motherhood Matters, examines the systemic factors that lead to higher maternal mortality rates for black mothers and their children. Guests Khadija Garrison Adams, Lauren Reilford, and Cessilye Smith and moderator Kathyrn Freeman discuss what it looks like for Christian communities to support and affirm Black motherhood.
Join CPJ in taking action to improve maternal health care.
Spotlight on Paid Family Leave
The U.S. remains one of the world’s few industrialized nations without guaranteed paid family leave.
CPJ convened a diverse Leadership Council to reflect on a principled, common ground approach to paid family leave. Their report, “Honoring Families, Loving Our Neighbors: A Common Ground Proposal for Paid Family Leave” offers sensible policies that can help secure the best health and future for families, and for our country by creating a universal paid family leave program offering benefits for new parents and end-of-life caregivers. It also urges policymakers to work toward guaranteeing all who work at least two weeks paid time off for routine health and caregiving needs.
Articles
Young adults, particularly those aged 18 to 25, face unique challenges within the criminal justice system, often overlooked in policymaking due to their age. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Thrive by 25” initiative aims to change that by focusing on strengthening communities for children and youth transitioning into adulthood.
In a nation grappling with the consequences of the decades-old “war on drugs,” a startling reality emerges: youth with substance use disorders (SUDs) are caught in a cycle of addiction, crime, and incarceration. The justice system, ill-equipped for rehabilitation, perpetuates this cycle, with SUD sufferers four times more likely to reoffend upon release.
What this cautionary tale of separate and unequal education ought to teach us is that without careful forethought and attention, parents and schools can knowingly (or unknowingly) foment education inequities. However, when carefully crafted public policy includes a call for a pluralistic education system that is grounded in the diversity found within the American public, and also importantly, in freedom of conscience, school choice policies can provide better education options for every child.
