By Amanda Li, B.A., Junior Policy Associate The idea of Uber was born on a snowy night in 2008, when Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp struggled to get a cab. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had reliable transportation available at the push of a button? Uber has since spread to over 530 cities across the globe, transforming the way …
The Need for Online SNAP Payments
By Amanda Li, Junior Policy Associate The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has come a long way since 1939, when the first food stamp recipients stood in lines that were thousands of people deep. In the past nearly 80 years of its existence, the program has undergone many important changes. In 1964, President Johnson made the Food Stamp Program permanent, …
The Health Benefits of a Tax
By Chideraa Ukeje, Policy Associate Obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay are just a few of the health consequences that result from sugary drink consumption. The good news is that over the last 20 years, sales of soda have plummeted by 25% in the United States. Public health experts have spent years fueling the discussion about how excess sugar can impact …
Farm to Food Bank: A Bill That Will Benefit Many
By Amanda Li, Junior Policy Associate Over 2.6 million New Yorkers are food insecure and depend on the Emergency Food Assistance Program for their food. Unfortunately, the number of food insecure people in New York and across the country is only increasing. In April 2016, hundreds of thousands of unemployed people lost their SNAP benefits when states brought back pre-recession …
Promoting Universal Well-Being in Schools
By Michele Calvo, Policy Associate It’s a scene that brings joy to parents everywhere—a room full of energetic kindergarteners competing to sit up straight, listen quietly to their teachers and focus on each lesson in pursuit of a treasured gold star. Losing means receiving a dreaded frowny face. This ritual—called the Good Behavior Game—now takes place in elementary school classrooms …