A new brief by PCG’s Sarah Sparks, Jen MacBlane, and Kim MaGoon, “The Importance of Federal Funding for Children’s Services: Leveraging Entitlement Programs to Offset Potential Federal Funding Reductions and Prevent Foster Care Placements” brings clarity and strategy to ongoing conversations about federal budget cuts.

While proposed cuts may pose serious challenges, this brief is a call to action and a roadmap for how jurisdictions can respond with strength, strategy, and impact.

The authors outline how early behavioral health care, parenting support, and consistent access to medical services, especially through underused programs like EPSDT and Title IV-E Prevention Services, can keep families safely together and prevent the trauma of foster care placements.

Federal programs like Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and SSBG are essential in helping families meet basic needs. Without them, financial hardship may be wrongly viewed as neglect, putting more children at risk of unnecessary system involvement simply due to poverty.

Jurisdictions can:
• Deepen partnerships with Medicaid
• Strategically expand services based on local needs
• Maximize entitlement funding that’s more stable than discretionary dollars
• Monitor outcomes to focus investment where it works best

These aren’t just best practices, they’re proven, cost-effective strategies that build stronger communities and better futures for children.

Read the full brief now and explore our Children’s Services Solutions.