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Federal Programs for Key Life Experiences: Having a Child

Federal Programs for Key Life Experiences: Having a Child

How might we improve federal support for families through childbirth and early childhood?

Partners & Funders

Executive Office of the President, Office of Management & Budget

The Project

Responding to President Biden’s executive order on customer experience, PPL partnered with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to collect first-hand insights from new families to improve federal support services.

The Outcome

After speaking with new families across the country, we produced design concepts responding to their needs. One of those concepts, the Newborn Supply Kit has since received $5M in federal appropriations, making this a public-private partnership that has grown into a real, sustainable HHS program.
Child Welfare

Federal Programs for Key Life Experiences: Having a Child

How might we improve federal support for families through childbirth and early childhood?

Partners & Funders

Executive Office of the President, Office of Management & Budget

The Project

Responding to President Biden’s executive order on customer experience, PPL partnered with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to collect first-hand insights from new families to improve federal support services.

The Outcome

After speaking with new families across the country, we produced design concepts responding to their needs. One of those concepts, the Newborn Supply Kit has since received $5M in federal appropriations, making this a public-private partnership that has grown into a real, sustainable HHS program.

Project Background

For parents of all income levels, carrying and delivering a child is one of the most significant experiences of their life — but the stresses and burdens are greater for low-income families.

Many eligible low-income families are not enrolled in the combination of supports that exist to help them thrive after a baby is born. Too often, the difficulty of knowing what programs exist and navigating siloed, complicated application processes results in critical benefits (such as health care, food, affordable childcare, and early childhood programs) not reaching the families who need them most.

We partnered with the Executive Office of the President to conduct qualitative research exploring what types of supports can assist families in navigating this crucial life event.

User Stories

We developed user stories story excerpts that serve as composite representations of the people we spoke with. The quotes and stories come directly from these conversations, but names have been changed. 

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Participants engaged

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States represented

What We Found

To start, we listened to people’s stories. The Life Experience research team spoke with people nationwide about this moment in their lives and where the government process could have been simpler and more helpful. This research took place virtually and in-person, in English and in Spanish. 121 people, from 10 states, participated in the research. This group included single parents, people facing housing insecurity and homelessness, people who are justice-involved, and people with disabilities.

The listening sessions captured honest conversations about peoples’ experiences, candid feedback on what could have worked better, and what really made a difference for them. We learned about some of the biggest pain points that could be addressed within the project:

  • Lack of access to physical resources The process of applying for benefits is time-consuming and complicated, which can disadvantage families balancing needs, including getting essential supplies.
  • Barriers to apply The burdensome application process makes it unclear if the costs of applying are outweighed by what it’s worth.
  • Benefits are burdensome to maintain Families face barriers to maintaining benefits as they juggle the responsibilities of parenthood.

We synthesized these stories and mapped them along a user journey, demonstrating the different touchpoints new families engage with, including pain points and bright spots.

Journey Map Excerpt

This map illustrates the journey of moms accessing public supports and benefits from pregnancy through early childhood. It contains key learnings, milestones, pain points, bright spots, and first-hand stories from research. 

What Was Implemented

Based on what we learned during research, we worked with the larger Life Experience team to develop design concepts. 

In 2024, three concepts moved into a piloting phase.

  • Piloting an “alumni peer navigation services” approach for families navigating supports aims to demonstrate the “benefits bundle” proof of concept through an Alumni Peer Navigator (APN) Service.
  • Piloting a “newborn supply kit” at the time of birth aims to form collaborations with new delivery partners for 2024 pilots and initiate future year pilots.
  • Piloting a text message notification for critical updates will continue collaborating with the city of Norfolk (Virginia) Department of Human Services, and aims to launch a second pilot.

These concepts are continuing to be tested and expanded across the United States. As of 2026, the Newborn Supply Kit pilot has received $5M in federal appropriations (“Newborn Essentials Support Toolkits” or NEST Act), making this a public-private partnership that has grown into a real, sustainable HHS program. More about the Newborn Supply Kit story can be found here.

PPL is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization.

info@publicpolicylab.org
+1 646 535 6535

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Brooklyn, NY 11201

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