New
Practice
Lab
2024 IMPACT REPORT
The New Practice Lab is a team of designers, researchers, policy experts, data scientists and technologists building a tighter link between policymakers and the families they serve.
This year, we went deep with more than 100 Americans to understand what families really need in order to thrive.
75
civil servants and frontline workers
58
families
31
1-on-1 interviews
589
diary study messages
“Happiness is... when your children come to you and say ‘Mommy, I want this.’ You are able to give it to them… especially when it comes to basic needs, like food, clothing.”
“A perfect morning, in my opinion, for my household, would be...me wake up in the morning before the kids, kind of get the house settled and open for the day. I like to try to open the blinds and, you know, make the whole house filled with sunlight and kind of get myself mentally prepared...Kids are an amazing blessing in our lives. However, as a stay-at-home mom, a lot of us stay-at-home moms don’t have a break...”
“We don’t have a big family here, just my husband, and my kids...and we always like to go to the park to do some barbecue.... The kids love this, and we enjoy, all of us, this time because it is the only time in the week we can spend together...”
We used that learning to help public agencies shape critical new programs and improve existing ones.
4
pieces of legislation or regulation influenced
12
government partners
9
states
9
public programs worked on
We shared what families taught us with as many people as we could, in print and at public events.
12
speaking engagements
8
op-eds
15
public citations
The result?
The work we did this year will improve access to cash, childcare, and time with loved ones for more than
1.7M Americans,
nearly 40% of whom belong to economically excluded families with young children.
A message from our founder
We have never had a greater need for leaders and institutions that can listen.
Our team at the New Practice Lab is building a new discipline of delivering by listening to what families need to thrive. When we really listen to families, we can use what we hear to move from pain points to real fixes. This listening is an essential ingredient for building institutions that can actually deliver.
Our team helps government leaders across the country serve families better by engaging with them directly to understand the realities of their lives. We’ve heard that families need money in their pockets and time to care for their loved ones. We also learned how much strength families find in connection to others, and how it matters to be seen and understood.
It is only through listening and connecting with those we aim to serve that we can begin to imagine policies that will enable us all to thrive.
— Tara Dawson McGuinness
Executive Director,
New Practice Lab
Explore our work
Our team’s expertise in the world
Our team
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Tara Dawson McGuinness
Founder and Executive Director
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Amira Choueiki Boland
Chief of Staff
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Ayushi Roy
Chief Program Officer
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Vontisha Fludd
Financial Analyst & Account Manager
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Sarah Gilliland
Senior Policy Analyst
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Nikki Lee
Director of Product
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Erica Meade
Director of Policy
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Nhi Nguyễn
Social Policy Analyst
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Jacklynn Pham
UX Design Lead
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Devyani Singh
Data and Strategic Impact Lead
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Soren Spicknall
Data Engineering Lead
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Jessica Weeden
Senior Design Lead
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Simone Brody
Special Project Fellow
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Elizabeth Garlow
Fellow
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Marina Nitze
Fellow
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Cecilia Muñoz
Senior Advisor
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Jake Maguire
Advisor
Our Partners
We are thankful to our partners, who continue to contribute to this work as investors, thought partners, advocates, and co-strategists.