End Diaper Need Act of 2023 Is a Smart Investment in U.S. Children, Says National Diaper Bank Network

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, UNITED STATES, September 21, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) strongly supports the Lee-DeLauro End Diaper Need Act of 2023, which was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, along with the End Diaper Need Act of 2023 companion bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Tammy Duckworth and Senator Kevin Cramer.

“Nearly half of young families in this country struggle to provide the diapers that their children need to stay clean, dry and healthy,” said NDBN CEO Joanne Samuel Goldblum. “While nonprofits are already working hard to address diaper need, a problem of this scale cannot be eliminated without policy change.”

The End Diaper Need Act of 2023 would benefit families by: Appropriating $200 million per year for fiscal years 2024 to 2027 for the Social Services Block Grant Program, to be used to provide diapers and diapering supplies; improving access to diapers for medically complex children; and including diapers and diapering supplies as medically necessary expenses. That final measure would allow families to use health savings accounts to pay for diapers. Critically, diaper assistance would be disregarded in determining a family’s eligibility for other federal needs-based programs. In other words, the law will be genuinely helping families to thrive, not creating a new benefits cliff.

The child poverty rate more than doubled between 2021 and 2022 (from 5.2% to 12.4%) as Covid-era government programs that benefitted families expired. Lawmakers are introducing the legislation during National Diaper Need Awareness Week, when advocates across the country are working intensively to educate the public about diaper need.

“Clearly government has a role to play in addressing child poverty,” Goldblum said. “This is not only the right thing to do. It is essential for national security and prosperity.”

A national survey published earlier this year, The NDBN Diaper Check 2023, showed that diaper need is pulling families more deeply into poverty. Childcare operators generally require families to provide all the diapers a child will wear during the time the child is in care. One quarter of parents and caregivers in families with diaper need reported that in the past year they have had to miss work or school because they did not have enough diapers to drop their child off at childcare, day care or early education programs. Parents and caregivers who had to miss work reported missing, on average, a full week of work in the past 30 days. For a parent making the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, this represents $296 of missed income per month, or $3,550 per year.

The NDBN Diaper Check 2023, and earlier research, show that in addition to harming families economically, diaper need is associated with children being sick more frequently and requiring more medical care and with parents reporting symptoms of stress and depression.

“We hope that legislators can unite and recognize that it makes far more sense to ensure a baby is properly diapered than to pay for that child to see a pediatrician. It also makes more sense to let parents work rather than seek to repair the harm created when they cannot access childcare,” said Goldblum.

About the National Diaper Bank Network

The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) leads a nationwide movement dedicated to helping individuals, children and families access the basic necessities they require to thrive and reach their full potential…including clean, dry diapers, period supplies and other basic needs. Launched in 2011 with the support of founding sponsor Huggies^®, NDBN is dedicated to creating awareness, providing assistance and building community to #EndDiaperNeed in the U.S. Its active membership includes more than 300 basic needs banks serving local communities in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More information on NDBN and diaper need is available at nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org, and on Twitter (@DiaperNetwork), Instagram (@DiaperNetwork) and Facebook (facebook.com/NationalDiaperBankNetwork).

Troy Moore
National Diaper Bank Network
troy@diaperbanknetwork.org