Both long-term unemployment benefits and President Obama’s payroll tax cut could prove crucial to the U.S. economic recovery. Unemployment benefits are thought to promote demand, since families collecting unemployment insurance tend to spend the money right away. And the payroll tax cut is an effort to promote hiring at companies still wary in the slow recovery.

Read more in our most recent Speaking Out! newsletter, and sign up for it here.

This support helps keep kids out of poverty. And with the number of struggling families on the rise — with more than 1 in 5 American kids now living in poverty — this support is increasingly important. Learn more in a blog post from our friends at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

“While productivity has continued to grow robustly, middle-class families are no longer getting their share of that growth,” writes Half in Ten, and they’re right. About 15 percent of Americans live in poverty, and slightly more lack health insurance. Half in Ten recommend sensible policies to answer the problem, including raising the minimum and allowing it keep pace with increasing cost of living; greater tax credit support for low-income workers; and more. Read the report here!

Consulting scientists, doctors and nutritionists, Congress has come up with some suggestions on how children should be marketed to. With one in three children in America overweight or obese, it goes without saying that they should be encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables and consume fewer salts and fats. But despite being completely voluntary, these guidelines are meeting tough opposition from food companies that say they can regulate themselves. What do you think?

Graphing participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (as food stamps is now known), Kentucky Youth Advocates shows how a stagnating job market means more demand for government aid. Yet the same economic forces are also hurting the state’s revenue, so protecting these families from cuts is going to be tougher for child advocates.

Learn more in the blog post from Kentucky Youth Advocates. Voices for America’s Children also recently tackled this issue as part of its infographics campaign.

Yet Congress could target these programs for cuts as part of debt reduction. We need your voice to help tell Congress to reduce the debt in a balance, responsible way, without gutting the programs families depend on. Click to see our infographic and join our campaign!

Yet programs that help vulnerable families will present the softest targets for budget cuts as Congress tackles the national debt. Join our campaign to protect American families in this time of need, and learn more about smart investments in children through our infographics!

No one will argue that children who don’t get a healthy breakfast every morning are at a disadvantage. Children who are well nourished are more alert, healthier and better able to concentrate. Do you agree with the school districts who are now beginning to experiment with breakfast in the classroom?

As our infographic shows, America’s jobs problem has quickly turned into a nutrition problem, as millions of Americans who have never before considered themselves “needy” must seek government aid. As the economy continues to stagnate, food stamps are becoming increasingly important, especially to families with children. Learn more and take action!

Our infographic shows how demand for food stamps grew steadily as employment has slumped. Increasingly Americans are depending on government assistance to put food on the table. Learn how crucial food stamps has become and take action here!