An organization called Parents Together Action is calling on Montanans to advocate to expand the Child Tax Credit into a permanent benefit. The group claims to have 2.5 million members nationwide.
A marketing agency recently released information saying that many parents are still unaware of the federal program that gives parents $300 per child every month. Those who have already received payments say that it is very beneficial in being able to make ends meet.
They cite two examples of families being assisted:
Shari Daniels (Wolf Point, MT) is a single parent to one son and a teacher. Teachers don’t get paid until labor day, aside from a $300 stipend that is deducted from their first paycheck back, so these monthly payments would alleviate the stress of parenting with no summer pay.
Brad Wheeler (Stevensville, MT) is a parent to a 14 year old. While he didn’t lose his job in construction during Covid, his hours did get cut drastically, and the family income went to a quarter of what it was before the pandemic. The monthly checks would, along with help towards rent and utilities, be used for his son’s baseball travelling team which costs a lot of money per month. These payments would ensure that his son could keep playing baseball.