Executive Summary

Chicago ABCs will build on two recent public commitments - Illinois’ new universal child savings accounts (CSA) and the City of Chicago’s Family Connects visiting nurse program – to drive economic opportunity for 4,600 financially vulnerable families with additional transformational CSA deposits of $500 to $750 and cash transfers of $50 each month over 18 months. Cash transfers and home visiting programs are proven strategies that provide families immediate and direct financial, emotional, and physical support when a child is born. CSAs are powerful tools that invest in a child’s future career path. When combined, they provide investment and hope to families both now and in the future, creating a web of support from a child’s first days and propelling them through adulthood.