Having a child and early childhood for low-income families
I wish I had [support] when I was pregnant, in order to understand what all the programs mean. I still don’t know all the things that are available to me.
Where we are
For parents of all income levels, carrying and delivering a child is one of the most significant experiences of their life — but the stresses and burdens are greater for low-income families.
Many eligible low-income families are not enrolled in the combination of supports that exist to help them thrive after a baby is born. Too often, the difficulty of knowing what programs exist and navigating siloed, complicated application processes results in critical benefits (such as health care, food, affordable childcare, and early childhood programs) not reaching the families who need them most.

1 Source: National Center for Health Statistics

Our approach
To start, we listened to people’s stories.
The Life Experience research team spoke with people nationwide about this moment in their lives and where the government process could have been simpler and more helpful. The listening sessions captured honest conversations about peoples' experiences, candid feedback on what could have worked better, and what really made a difference for them. Their stories have been combined and are represented here through illustrations. The quotes are real, but names have been changed.












This research took place virtually and in-person, in English and in Spanish. 121 people, from 10 states, participated in the research. This group included single parents, people facing housing insecurity and homelessness, people who are justice-involved, and people with disabilities.
The team spoke with:
- 32 members of the public
- 12 frontline staff
- 13 state/program administrators
- 64 subject-matter experts
Discovery insights
Framing for collective thinking about customer pain points
How might we factor in the physical goods that families need in the first year after childbirth to help people start their journey with essentials in hand?
How might we empower organizations and staff in local communities to help families have greater awareness and streamlined access to available benefits?
How might we help people have the right information at the right time about enrolling in benefits and the process to renew them as needed?
Next steps
Teams are currently working on identifying and scoping projects to move into the design phase. Please check back on this page in the coming months for updates.
Project Documentation
- Project Charter
- Project One-Sheet
- Customer Journey Map & Stories
- Information collection approved under OMB Control #3206-0276
- Life Experience Initiative Summary
- Executive Order 14058
- President’s Management Agenda
Agency collaborators
- General Services Administration
- Department of Labor
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Agriculture
- Office of Management and Budget
- Department of Education
- Department of Health & Human Services