“We should all work toward allowing people to have the dignity that they deserve at different phases of their life, including becoming a new parent.” – Vice President Kamala Harris
Under the Biden-Harris Administration’s President’s Management Agenda and Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery, an interagency team has worked to improve access to federal supports for families through the experience of Having a Child and Early Childhood. Through the PMA, the team has designed solutions and delivered results for families by distributing Newborn Supply Kits, connecting mothers with peer support, and sending text notifications before benefit enrollment deadlines.
In addition to piloting targeted interventions, the team has engaged with experts across levels of government and sectors on policymaking to support families with young children. Following A Global Conversation on Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Childhood, hosted in March 2024, the team and other Office of Management and Budget representatives visited the Canadian Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care to learn more about their implementation of three core policies.
- Paid Parental Leave;
- Nationwide Child Care (Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system); and
- Direct payments to families raising children (Canada Child Benefit).
These policies parallel Biden-Harris Administration proposals for a national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program; guaranteed affordable and high-quality child care; and restoration of the Child Tax Credit to 2021 levels.
Implementation Insights from Visiting the Government of Canada
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Designing for Behavior Change and Equity – Recognizing under-utilization of leave by fathers and non-birthing parents, the Government of Canada provides five extra weeks of standard parental benefits (up to 40 weeks total) for parents to share if they both take leave.
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Enabling Seamless Enrollment – Canada’s Automated Benefits Application allows parents to register for benefits and credits, like the Canada Child Benefit, when they register the birth of a child. Furthermore, the application is streamlined, removing questions that would require parents to gather information the Federal Government already has, such as income. This customer-centered approach has resulted in a 97% uptake rate among eligible parents.
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Collaborating Across Levels of Government – Effective delivery of universal child care and benefits requires coordination between federal, provincial and territorial, and local governments. While data-sharing and cross-government processes are complex, every effort should be made to make things simple and straightforward for families. In this vein, the Canada Revenue Agency consolidates the Canada Child Benefit, additional federal benefits, and benefits from the relevant province or territory into a single monthly payment for parents. More broadly, the Canadian government developed and is executing on frameworks for Indigenous and Multilateral early learning and child care.
Inspired by Canada’s approach, the Having a Child and Early Childhood team remains committed to ensuring that every family with a child under the age of five has access to the resources, services and care needed to grow and thrive.
Explore the Having a Child and Early Childhood initiative here. For more information on the Biden-Harris Administration’s agenda for child care, paid family leave, and care, see this White House Fact Sheet.
Stay Informed
We invite you to continue to track the Having a Child and Early Childhood Life Experience team’s progress and to keep up with announcements by following Performance.gov on LinkedIn and Twitter (X). Performance.gov will also be updated quarterly with progress on all agency and President’s Management Agenda priorities. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates straight to your inbox.
