The Parent and Caregiver Advisory Board has been instrumental in Child Tax Credit advocacy efforts across the country and in building the foundation for a child allowance that meets the needs of families with children. Their voices guide the work of the Automatic Benefit for Children Coalition and inspire intersectional advocacy nationwide. Members of the PAB have spoken on panels, hosted workshops, authored letters to Congress, and provided their insight to the IRS, among other work as unwavering and fierce advocates on behalf of parents, caregivers, and American families.
Take a look at the PAB 2024 Year in Review.
Take a look at our priorities for 2025.
PAB Leaders in the News
November 26, 2024
We Need to Invest in Families. Project 2025 Wants the Opposite
Chloe Medina, a mother of four in La Habra, California, shared the importance of public programs to support a wide range of families—including those like hers who have children with special needs—and the positive impact of the expanded 2021 Child Tax Credit. Chloe is a member of the parent advisory board of the Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition.
November 25, 2024
Candidates promised a bigger child tax credit. Will that actually happen?
Tia Simmons, a mother of two children and a caregiver to her niece, spoke with The 19th about advocating for a universal child tax credit that benefits all families. Tia is a member of the parent advisory board of the Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition.
October 21, 2024
Would Kamala Harris’s expanded child tax credit be worth the cost?
Kali Daugherty, a mother in Milwaukee, spoke with the New York Times about the positive impact of the expanded Child Tax Credit in 2021. She also discussed what an expanded Child Tax Credit under a Harris administration would mean for her and her family. Kali is a member of the parent advisory board of the Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition.
September 17, 2024
Raegen Selden Speaks on the Child Tax Credit
Raegen Selden talked with CBS Evening News about how the Child Tax Credit, which was temporarily expanded in 2021, is critical for children and families at all times. Raegen is a member of the parent advisory board of the Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition.
July 17, 2024
It's Time for a Child Allowance, No Strings Attached
During the pandemic, the expanded Child Tax Credit was a lifeline for millions of families. However, I was one of the many who couldn’t benefit from it.
Why? At 15, I gave my baby to family members. But because the adoption was never finalized, I actually ended up owing child support—and only found out after it had compounded. Because of that debt, I was unfairly denied the Child Tax Credit for the children I later had with my husband.
Today I have a Master’s degree, I’m a second-year law student, and my arrears are paid. But our years of struggle have left a lasting impact on my children. They missed out on the help they needed during their formative years—a loss that can never be fully compensated.
March 30, 2023
COVID created an expanded social safety net; activists are now quietly working to bring it back
In March 2020, the economy grinded to a halt as the COVID-19 pandemic forced widespread shutdowns of businesses. As Congress watched the economy collapse, it responded by doing something lawmakers have resisted since the 1960s: a large expansion of the social safety net.
April 19, 2023
DON’T SHRED THE SAFETY NET—EXPAND IT
When we invest our tax dollars in social programs that help everyday people get ahead, our whole society benefits. We become healthier, more productive, and able to access opportunities for a good life. And that’s good for the entire economy. Lawmakers should be expanding that safety net, not shredding it. They can start by bringing back the expanded Child Tax Credit.
Meet the Board
Eboni Brown, she/her/hers
Atlanta, GA
I am a native of the south and work full time in Social Justice focusing on Structural Change that will have a generational impact for my children and all children. I joined the PAB to represent the population for laws that are being made for who rarely have input on how it affects them. I am a mother of three—two young adults and one pre-teen—and my advice is to do the best you can, every child is different and just wants to be loved and cared for.
Kali Daugherty, she/her/hers
Milwaukee, WI
I am a single mother and have worked in homeless services in my community for over a decade. I joined the PAB because I wanted to make sure that parents had the opportunity to express how policy impacts them and their families. It is the hardest and most rewarding thing in the world being Sebastian’s mom. My advice don’t do things for your kids, do it with them.
Chloe Medina, she/her/ella
As a mother of four boys, including one with Autism, I am dedicated to providing a supportive environment that allows them to thrive. We enjoy spending time together at beaches, parks, aquariums, and museums. Motivated by my belief in addressing the root causes of food insecurity and poverty, I joined the PAB to be an advocate for change. I aspire to be a catalyst for creating a society where all children have access to a safe and nurturing environment that fosters their growth and helps them develop into empathetic and kind individuals.
Lupe Mendoza, she/her/hers
I am a mother to five boys and I have been advocating for over five years. I joined the PAB to create policy change. Being a parent is very rewarding, be patient with yourself, and have an open mind.
Stephan Palmer
I am a single father of five blessed to be in a position to help everyone around me reach stability for each family within my community. I joined the PAB to gain more knowledge to continue my path to uplift families everyday in my community that search for need information. To keep the fight alive to reach stability for their families.
Raegen A. Selden
I am married to my middle school sweetheart and together we have six children, two currently serving in the US Armed Forces. I joined the PAB because you “can’t complain about it, if you won’t do anything to make it better.” Parenting is the hardest and most rewarding job you will ever have and I thank all six of my children for keeping me “employed.”
Tia Simmons
Tia is a devoted wife, daughter, and mother of three from Hurricane, W.V. She is a second-year law student at Purdue Law and holds degrees in Political Science and Applied Economics from SNHU. In addition to the PAB, she is a 2024 RESULTS Organizing and Advocacy Fellow and Outreach and Partnerships Coordinator. She specializes in entitlement policy and its impact on children and has lived experience of how poor policy choices impact real people.
Huong Vu, sher/her/hers
Boston, MA
I have two daughters and have worked in the Early Education and Care and Family Engagement for eight years. I joined the PAB in order to have a deep knowledge of Child Tax Credit, other income support policies, and distribute to the policy changes. Love, acceptance, appreciation, encouragement, and guidance are all your child need in their lives.
Joseph Yusuf
Washington, DC
I’m a Father to one Queen by the name of Jakayla. I joined the PAB because I am committed to the mission of bettering the lives of young parents everywhere. Your child’s journey is a marathon. The best way to prep for that journey is love. But keep in mind, the love I’m talking about is TIME.
Additional PAB Members
Additional members of the Parent Advisory Board have declined to post their information but we recognize their value and service to this work here.
*The work of the Parent Advisory Board is supported by Share Our Strength and generous donations made by individual members of the ABC Coalition.*