Act for Alice

Email Carin Buckman for local media contacts.

Op-Ed Template = 400 Words

Headline:

Create a permanent child tax credit to make CT the family-friendliest state

by [INSERT NAME]

[INSERT DATE]

Opening Paragraph: State Your Case

Gov. Ned Lamont set an important goal for our state: making Connecticut the most family- friendly state in America. We agree that it’s time to take action to invest in our families. Creating a permanent, fully refundable Connecticut Child Tax Credit (CTC) of $600 per child is an important, high-impact step to support our families.

Download the full Op-Ed template.

Thank you for standing with ALICE and asking your state legislators to stand with ALICE too! 

These sample phone scripts can help get your message across quickly. 

Not sure why your legislators are? You can search for them by your address here or use this excel sheet.

Please personalize the words in red text. 

Child Tax Credit Phone Script

Dear Rep/Senator Last Name,  

My name is First and Last Name, and my town’s ALICE families who live paycheck-to-paycheck or are falling behind on bills need your help now! Please support a permanent, fully refundable CT Child Tax Credit of $600 per child.  

Families in Connecticut are facing stark increases in essentials, including a 35% increase in the cost of childcare in just the last three years, and are hard hit by recent and substantial cuts in federal benefits.   

Thank you for your support!  

No-Cost School Meals Phone Script

Dear Rep/Senator Last Name,

My name is First and Last Name, and I am calling to let you know that my support for school meals for all kids in Connecticut has not wavered.

I urge you to fund giving all students in Connecticut the meals they need to be healthy and achieve in school. This is what we want for our Connecticut students. Let’s spend the money where it has the most impact.

Thank you for your support!

Thank you for standing with ALICE and emailing your state legislators to ask that they stand with ALICE too!

Not sure who your legislators are? You can search for them by your address here or use this excel sheet.

Please personalize the words in red text.  

Child Tax Credit Email

Dear Senator/Representative Last Name,

I am writing as a resident of Your Town, Connecticut. I am disappointed that the Connecticut Child Tax Credit was not included in the Finance Committee’s proposed budget.  

ALICE families who live paycheck-to-paycheck or are falling behind on bills need your help now! Please support a permanent, fully refundable CT Child Tax Credit of $600 per child. 

Families in Connecticut are facing stark increases in essentials, including a 35% increase in the cost of childcare in just the last three years. At the same time, have been hard hit by recent cuts in federal benefits that helped cover the costs of raising children, paying for childcare, and putting food on the table.

Thank you for your support in ensuring that a permanent Connecticut Child Tax Credit is included in the state budget. Please let me know if you would like further information. 

Sincerely,  
Your Name

No-Cost School Meals Email

Dear Senator/Representative Last Name,  

I am writing as a resident of  Your Town, Connecticut. My support for school meals for all in Connecticut has not wavered. I urge your support to include funding in the state budget.

More kids eat when ALL kids are fed. Our kids need the necessary tools to perform well and giving them nourishing breakfasts and lunches is the best way to increase student performance and decrease bullying and stigma.

Hunger is a real, but sometimes invisible, issue in every city and town in Connecticut. One in four households in 110 of the state’s 169 towns live paycheck-to-paycheck, but only 35 towns offer no-cost meals programs.

I urge you to fund giving all students in Connecticut the meals they need to be healthy and achieve in school. This is what we want for our Connecticut students. Let’s spend the money where it has the most impact.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,  
Your Name

You are about to put yourself in the shoes of a typical ALICE® family. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE families are those that have earnings above the Federal Poverty Level, but below a basic cost-of-living threshold. In other words, they are struggling to make ends meet. Despite working hard and holding important jobs in our state, more than one in four Connecticut families are ALICE; combined with those in poverty, 38% of Connecticut households is experiencing financial hardship.

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