San Mateo County has one of the greatest income disparities in the country. The cost of living can be extremely high, especially for families raising children. There is a growing body of evidence that family income impacts children’s ability to pay attention, self-regulate, perform well in school and achieve long-term goals. To support our members, HPSM, in partnership with several organizations, has launched the new San Mateo County Baby Bonus pilot program.
The Baby Bonus pilot program is designed to evaluate the impacts of regular guaranteed income and early childhood supports on the health and well-being of parents and their new baby. It includes a randomized control trial that will compare social and health outcomes among different groups. The data collected by the program and stories collected from families will be used to inform policy changes aimed at reducing childhood poverty.
What are benefits for members? Program participants will be given one or more of the following supports:
- Cash aid
- Care coordination through a Community Health Worker (CHW)
- Incentives to participate in surveys
Who is eligible? The Baby Bonus program is for a limited number of San Mateo County parents who receive Medi-Cal through HPSM. There is no open application process for enrollment. Eligible HPSM members will be contacted after giving birth to their baby, either in the hospital or by HPSM.
Parents who are currently enrolled in the Baby Bonus pilot program can find information and support here.
The Baby Bonus program is a partnership between First 5 San Mateo County, HPSM, The Jackie Speier Foundation, San Mateo County Health, San Mateo County Human Services, UpTogether and faculty from Stanford University. Learn more about the pilot program’s goals and approach at First 5’s Baby Bonus website. If you have questions, email Mai Le at First 5 San Mateo County.
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