2021 was an exceptional year for progress against child poverty in America.

By expanding the Child Tax Credit to all low-income families and sending it out as a monthly payment, over 3 million children were kept from poverty each month from July to December.

As an educator in a Title I school in West Phoenix, I have heard from many of my own families what this assistance has meant to them.

Columbia University researchers estimate that continuing the 2021 CTC could reduce child poverty by a stunning 45 percent. I can’t stop thinking about the impact lifting half of all children out of poverty would have on their learning experiences and our country.

Maybe I wouldn’t have to stock up on “emergency snacks” for kids who hadn’t eaten, or worry about absenteeism or concerning behaviors. But unless the Senate acts soon, none of that will happen.

The expanded CTC expired on December 31. So far, the Senate has refused to extend it, just as COVID-19 started to surge in our school’s community and all over the country. My students and their families deserved better.

It’s time to put our children first. I strongly urge our senators, Sen. Sinema and Sen. Kelly, to extend the expanded CTC for all low-income children and resume the monthly payments immediately.