Should parents be paid to be better parents?
What: A pilot program to test whether cash payments used as incentives can help families break the bonds of poverty.
When: Scheduled to start in September.
Who: 5,000 families from various New York City boroughs will participate, with half receiving benefits and half serving as a control group.
How: Families will receive cash grants of up to $5,000 for taking care of their health, doing well in school and bettering their job prospects.
Cost: $50 million over two to three years, to be provided by private donors and foundations.
Why: Mexico and other Latin American nations have reported success with conditional cash transfers, inspiring New York to become the first U.S. city to try the approach.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the U.S. having a difficult time taking care of illegal immigrants from various Latin American nations?
That incentive plan is doing a bang up job, isn’t it?
Thoughts? Do you think programs like this can work? Do you think it’s a further waste of taxpayers money?
Complete article in The Chicago Tribune
Tags: NYC, paid parenting, new york, grants
