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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 policy 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 policy 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 how to assist families who are having a child and parenting in early childhood. 

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

The Having a Child and Early Childhood project team spoke with people nationwide about their pregnancy, childbirth, and early-years experiences to learn how government services could have been 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.

Our sessions with members of the public captured candid feedback on what could have worked better and what really made a difference for them. We identified multiple pain points that could be addressed by federal policymakers:

  • Lack of access to physical resources. Many families lack essential supplies for their newborns and for postpartum recovery.
  • Barriers to apply. The process of applying for benefits is complicated and time-consuming, and families are not clear if the burdens of applying are worth the benefits on offer.
  • Burdensome benefits requirements. Families face challenges re-certifying and 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

Using what we learned during research, we worked with the White House team to develop policy and program concepts. In 2024, three of those concepts moved into a piloting phase:

  • An Alumni Peer Navigator program that connects families welcoming a new baby to a “Benefits Bundle” of core public benefits programs via personal case management
  • A newborn supply kit, provided at the time of birth by hospitals and community organizations, that gives families the basic supplies crucial in the first few weeks after delivery
  • A text message notification service to alert recipients at crucial points throughout the benefits enrollment and renewal process

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.

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+1 646 535 6535

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Brooklyn, NY 11201

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