Suzanna Fritzberg, executive director of The Bridge Project, says moms know what their children need best. “They know when a dollar needs to go toward rent, food on the table, or even a camp scholarship for their kids,” she said.
The Bridge Project is a cash assistance program that gives expecting mothers unconditional, direct payments during a child’s most critical first thousand days of life. Begun in New York City five years ago, the initiative has expanded to nine states and this fall, to New Jersey. The goal is simple: To break the cycle of childhood poverty by trusting mothers to decide what their families need most.
“Our premise is when you trust moms with resources and no strings attached, children grow up healthier, and parents can thrive economically,” said Fritzberg. “And we’ve seen that in our own research and in the field again and again.”…