U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill) spoke at Jane Addams Elementary School in Springfield Thursday to tout the Child Tax Credit, payments from which are due to start going out next week and are expected to drastically reduce the number of children living in poverty.
The credits are part of the American Rescue Plan, passed in the spring.
Families with children under the age of six can now receive up to $3,600 per child, and families with children ages 6 to 17 can receive up to $3,000 per child for 2021.
Monthly advance payments of up to $300 per child under six and up to $250 per child between the ages of six and 17 will begin on July 15 and continue through December.