Baby's First Years
The first study in the United States to assess the impact of poverty reduction on family life and infant and toddlers’ cognitive, emotional, and brain development
Publications, by date of publication
Published Papers
Magnuson, K., Duncan, G., Yoshikawa, H., Yoo, P. Y, Han, S., Gennetian, L. A., Fox, N., Halpern-Meekin, S., and Noble, K. G. (2024). Can Cash Transfers Improve Maternal Well-being and Family Processes among Families with Young Children? An Experimental Analysis. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4955765 [PDF].
Hart, E. R., Gennetian, L. A., Sperber, J. F., Penalva, R., Magnuson, K., Duncan, G. J., ... & Noble, K. G. (2024). The effect of unconditional cash transfers on maternal assessments of children’s early language and socioemotional development: Experimental evidence from US families residing in poverty. Developmental Psychology, https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-16928-001 [PDF].
Das, A., Osypuk,. T. L., Yoo, P. Y., Magnuson, K., Gennetian, L. A., Noble, K. G., Bruckner, T. A. Poverty reduction and childhood opportunity moves: A randomized trial of cash transfers to low-income U.S. families with infants, Health & Place, Volume 89, 2024, 103320, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103320[PDF].
Sauval, M., Duncan, G. J., Gennetian, L. A., Magnuson, K. A., Fox, N. A., Noble, K. G., & Yoshikawa, H. (2024). Unconditional cash transfers and maternal employment: Evidence from the Baby’s First Years study. Journal of Public Economics, 236, 105159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105159 [PDF]
Egan-Dailey, S., Gennetian, L., Magnuson, K., Duncan, G., Yoshikawa, H., Fox, N., & Noble, K. (2024). Child-directed speech in a large sample of U.S. mothers with low income. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14139 [PDF].
Gennetian, L., Duncan, G., Fox, N., Halpern-Meekin, S., Magnuson, K., Noble, K. G., & Yoshikawa, H. (2024). Effects of a monthly unconditional cash transfer starting at birth on family investments among US families with low income. Nature Human Behaviour. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38907028/ [PDF]
Stilwell, L., Morales-Gracia, M., Magnuson, K., Gennetian, L. A., Sauval, M., Fox, N. A., ... & Noble, K. G. (2024). Unconditional
Cash and Breastfeeding, Child Care, and Maternal Employment among Families with Young Children Residing in
Poverty. Social Service Review, 98(2), 000-000. https:///doi/10.1086/729364 [PDF]
Adams, E. A., Scott, M. E., Amarante, E., Ramirez, C. A., Rowley, S. J., Noble, K. G., & Troller-Renfree, S. V. (2024). Fostering inclusion in EEG measures of pediatric brain activity. npj Science of Learning, 9, 27. PMCID: 38565857. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-024-00240-y [PDF]
Halpern-Meekin, S., Gennetian, L. A.., Hoiting, J., Stilwell, L., & Meyer, L. (2024). Monthly unconditional income supplements starting at birth: Experiences among mothers of young children with low incomes in the U.S.. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22571 [PDF]
Troller-Renfree, S. V., Sperber, J. F., Hart, E. R., Costanzo, M. A., Gennetian, L. A., Meyer, J. S., Fox, N. A., & Noble, K. G. (2023). Associations between maternal stress and infant resting brain activity among families residing in poverty in the U.S. Biological Psychology, 184, 108683. NIHMS1940081.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108683 [PDF]
Costanzo, M. A., Magnuson, K. A., Gennetian, L. A., Halpern-Meekin, S., Noble, K. G., & Yoshikawa, H. (2023). Contraception use and satisfaction among mothers with low-income: Evidence from the baby’s first years study. Contraception, 110297. PMCID: 37806470. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110297 [PDF]
Sperber, J. F., Gennetian, L. A., Hart, E. R., Kunin-Batson, A., Magnuson, K., Duncan, G. J., ... & Noble, K. G. (2023). Unconditional Cash Transfers and Maternal Assessments of Children's Health, Nutrition, and Sleep: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 6(9), PMCID: PMC10543132. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35237 [PDF]. For additional commentary, see The Impact of Poverty Reduction on Child Health, Nutrition, and Sleep in the United States | The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Premo, E., Magnuson, K., Lorenzo, N., Fox, N., & Noble, K.G. (2023). Mental health and sleep quality of low-income mothers of one-year-olds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infant Mental Health Journal. PubMed deposit in process. PMCID: PMC10403317 Available at Wiley Online Library: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/imhj.22074 [PDF]
Gennetian, L.A., S. Halpern-Meekin, L. Meyer, N. Fox, K. Magnuson, K. G. Noble, H. Yoshikawa (2023). Cash to U.S. families at scale: Behavioral insights on implementation from the Baby's First Years Study. In D. Soman, J. Zhao, and S. Datta (Eds.), Using Cash Transfers to Build an Inclusive Society: A Behaviorally Informed Approach. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Available at: https://www.biorgpartnership.com/books [PDF]. For a two minute video clip, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbPuz8JU2uc&list=PLG8y1Bk481eknlWkwSffbhIgPtXff7ESn&index=3
Troller-Renfree, S., Hart, E., Sperber, J., Fox, N., & Noble, K.G. (2022). Associations among stress and language and socioemotional development in a low-income sample. Development and Psychopathology, 1-9. 2022 May;34(2):597-605. Epub 2022 Mar 8. PMID: 35256040; PMCID: PMC9452599. doi:10.1017/S0954579421001759 [PDF]
Troller-Renfree, S.V., Costanzo, M.A., Duncan, G.J., Magnuson, K.A., Gennetian, L.A., Yoshikawa, H., Fox, N.A., Halpern-Meekin, S, and Noble, K.G. (2022). The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity. Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences U S A. 2022 Feb 1;119(5):e2115649119. PMID: 35074878; PMCID: PMC8812534. doi:10.1073/pnas.2115649119 [PDF]
Yoo, P.Y., Duncan, G.J., Magnuson, K., Fox, N. A., Yoshikawa, H., Halpern‑Meekin, S., & Noble, K.G. (2022). Unconditional cash transfers and maternal substance use: findings from a randomized control trial of low-income mothers with infants in the U.S. BMC Public Health. 2022 May 5;22(1):897. PMID: 35513842; PMCID: PMC9070980.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-12989-1 [PDF]
Troller-Renfree, S.V., Morales, S., Leach, S.C., Bowers, M.E., Debnath, R., Fifer, W.P., Fox, N.A., & Noble, K.G. (2021). Feasibility of Assessing Brain Activity using Mobile, In-home Collection of Electroencephalography: Theory, Methods, and Analysis. Developmental Psychobiology 2021 Sep;63(6): e22128. Epub 2021 Jun 4. PMID: 34087950; PMCID: PMC8478406. doi:10.1002/dev.22128 [PDF]
Noble, K.G., Magnuson, K.A., Gennetian, L.A., Duncan, G.J., Yoshikawa, H., Fox, N.A., Halpern-Meekin, S. (2021). Baby’s First Years: Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Poverty Reduction in the United States. Pediatrics. 2021 Oct;148(4): e2020049702. Epub 2021 Sep 2. PMID: 34475270; PMCID: PMC8487960. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-049702 [PDF]
Rojas, N.M., Yoshikawa, H., Gennetian, L., Rangel,M.L., Melvin, S., Noble, K.G., Duncan, G., Magunson, K. (2020) Exploring the experiences and dynamics of an unconditional cash transfer for low-income mothers: A mixed-methods study, Journal of Children and Poverty. doi:10.1080/10796126.2019.1704161 [PDF]
Working Papers and Preprints
Gennetian, L. A., Maury, M., Stilwell, L., Shah, H., Magnuson, K., Noble, K., ... & Yoshikawa, H. (2024). The Impact of Monthly Unconditional Cash on Food Security, Spending, and Consumption: Three Year Follow-Up Findings from the Baby's First Years Study. Spending, and Consumption: Three Year Follow-Up Findings from the Baby's First Years Study (April 2, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4781670 [PDF]
Sperber, Jessica F. and Gennetian, Lisa A. and Hart, Emma R. and Kunin-Batson, Alicia and Magnuson, Katherine and Duncan, Greg J. and Yoshikawa, Hirokazu and Fox, Nathan A. and Halpern-Meekin, Sarah and Noble, K.G., The Effect of a U.S. Poverty Reduction Intervention on Maternal Assessments of Young Children’s Health, Nutrition, and Sleep: A Randomized Control Trial (May 26, 2023). Available at MedRxiv: https://medrxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.05.25.23290530v1 [PDF]
Gennetian, Lisa A. and Duncan, Greg and Fox, Nathan and Magnuson, Katherine and Halpern-Meekin, Sarah and Noble, K.G. and Yoshikawa, Hirokazu, Unconditional Cash and Family Investments in Infants: Evidence from a Large-Scale Cash Transfer Experiment in the U.S (August 2022). NBER Working Paper No. w30379, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4203053 [PDF]
Sauval, Maria and Duncan, Greg and Gennetian, Lisa A. and Magnuson, Katherine and Fox, Nathan and Noble, K.G. and Yoshikawa, Hirokazu, Unconditional Cash Transfers and Maternal Employment: Evidence from the Baby's First Years Study (November 30, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4297310 [PDF]
Gennetian, L.A., S. Halpern-Meekin, L. Meyer, N. Fox, K. Magnuson, K. G. Noble, H. Yoshikawa (in press). Cash to U.S. families at scale: Behavioral insights on implementation from the Baby's First Years Study. In D. Soman, J. Zhao, and S. Datta (Eds.), Using Cash Transfers to Build an Inclusive Society: A Behaviorally Informed Approach. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4286345 [PDF]
Magnuson, K., Yoo, P., Duncan, G., Yoshikawa, H., Trang, K., Gennetian, L., Halpern-Meekin, Sarah and Fox, Nathan and Noble, K.G., Can a Poverty Reduction Intervention Reduce Family Stress Among Families with Infants? An Experimental Analysis. (May 6, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4188131 [PDF]
Policy Briefs
Regular Monthly Cash Gifts in the Baby’s First Years Study: Program Design and Families’ Experiences Research Brief (August 2024)
Regular, Monthly Unconditional Cash Gift Increases Families’ Investments in Young Children Research Brief (June 2024)
Impact of Monthly Unconditional Cash on Food Security, Spending, and Consumption Research Brief (April 2024)
The Impact of Monthly Unconditional Cash on Food Security, Spending, and Consumption: Three Year Follow-Up Findings from the Baby's First Years Study Working Paper (April 2024)
Qualitative Study: Publications
Barnes, C. Y., Halpern-Meekin, S., & Hoiting, J. (2024). “They need more programs for the kids:” Low-income mothers' views of government amidst economic precarity and burdensome programs. International Journal of Social Welfare, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12641 [PDF]
Barnes, C., Halpern-Meekin, S., & Hoiting, J. (2023). "I used to get WIC ... but then I stopped": How WIC participants perceive the value and burdens of maintaining benefits. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 9 (5) 32-55. PMCID: 38486832. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2023.9.5.02 [PDF]
Collins, J. M., Halpern-Meekin, S., Harvey, M., & Hoiting, J. (2023). “ If I don't have credit, I don't have anything”: Perspectives on the credit scoring system among mothers with low incomes. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 57(4), 1605–1622. PMCID: 38214004. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12561 [PDF]
Collins, JM, Halpern-Meekin S, Harvey M, Hoiting J. "I Don't Like All Those Fees" Pragmatism About Financial Services Among Low-Income Parents. J Fam Econ Issues. 2022 Nov 5:1-14. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36373018; PMCID: PMC9638425. Available at Springer Link: doi: 10.1007/s10834-022-09873-w [PDF]
Blogs and Podcasts
Strengthening randomized evaluations with qualitative research: Baby’s First Years mothers' experiences. Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, blog (5 November 2021). https://www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/11-5-21/strengthening-randomized-evaluations-qualitative-research-part-5-babys-first-years
Strengthening randomized evaluations with qualitative research: Baby’s First Years household measurement. Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, blog (18 February 2022). https://www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/2-18-22/strengthening-randomized-evaluations-qualitative-research-babys-first-years-household
Centering parents and parenting in randomized evaluations of cash transfers to families. Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, blog (15 March 2024). https://www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/3-15-24/centering-parents-and-parenting-randomized-evaluations-cash-transfers-families
Grocery and meal insight from the Baby's First Years project. World Food Policy Center, Duke University: The Leading Voices in Food (28 March 2024). https://wfpc.sanford.duke.edu/podcasts/grocery-and-meal-insight-from-the-babys-first-years-project/