Association For Children For Enforcement Of Support, Inc.

Causes: Children & Youth, Children & Youth Services, Civil Rights, Single Parent Agencies, Unknown, Women, Womens Rights

Mission: ACES works as a national advocate for the implementation of new public policies to assist working, low-income, single-parent families and those in transition from dependence on public benefits to self-sufficiency. We help raise public awareness by addressing the social, economic, and moral issues that affect financially abandoned children.

Founded in 1984, the ACES Board of Trustees now coordinates an organization with 400 chapters, 5,000 volunteers, and 40,000 members in 48 states nationwide. Geraldine Jensen is the founder and president. ACES headquarters is located in Toledo, Ohio.

Over the years, ACES has been an important catalyst for enactment of federal and state laws. One law set up income withholding for child support payment beginning at the time of divorce or establishment of paternity; a second required that child support enforcement orders include provisions for health insurance coverage; a third requires states to establish paternity at the time of birth in the hospital. Another example of ACES work is our successful advocacy and collaboration with other organizations to remove California District Attorneys as the government agency responsible for child support enforcement. The county based, fragmented system had only a 14% collection rate. About 5 million children were owed more than $8 billion. Due to ACES members speaking out for the children, a new statewide system has been put in place. State government will, in conjunction with the Franchise Tax Board, make children as important at taxes!