|
When we advocate for breastfeeding equity, we must also advocate for the structural support families need to thrive. A new interactive tool highlights just how much state policy directly impacts the financial stability of households with young children.
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center recently launched the Policy Impact Calculator, which demonstrates how state-level decisions—such as paid family leave, minimum wage, child care subsidies, and nutrition programs like WIC and SNAP—add up to real-world resources for working families.
To illustrate the staggering gap between states, the center tracked "Lina," a single mother of an infant and a toddler working full-time at minimum wage and taking 12 weeks of leave:
- The Highs and Lows: In 2025, utilizing all the state benefits she qualified for, Lina’s family would have over $56,000 a year to live on in Colorado.
- The Reality in North Carolina: In NC, that same family would have just under $21,000.
This $35,000 gap isn't a matter of luck—it is the direct result of policy choices. For families working to balance employment with nursing and caring for an infant, even small policy shifts make a massive difference. For instance, just an additional $1,000 translates to roughly 7 weeks of groceries for a family of three.
As we continue to push for environments that allow parents to sustain breastfeeding and provide optimal early childhood nutrition, understanding these policy baselines is essential. You can use the calculator to look at North Carolina’s data back to 2020, compare us to neighboring states, and even simulate policy changes to see how specific legislative updates would directly lift up families in our community.
👉 Explore the Policy Impact Calculator here to see the data and learn more about how we can advocate for stronger prenatal-to-three policies in North Carolina. |
