• ArchiveSocial, a social media archiving platform, is hosting an open archive consolidating more than a quarter-million White House social media posts that are easily searchable by date, platform, and keyword. The open archive is now available to the public at http://ObamaWhiteHouseArchive.social
• Rhizome, a digital art organization, is publishing a series of multi-media, digital essays that explain Internet culture associated with the Obama administration—starting with the history of the “Thanks Obama” meme, the First Lady’s Turnip Vine, and the #LoveWins hashtag on Instagram and Twitter. Learn more on Rhizome’s website. 
• MIT Media Lab’s Electome group and Derek Lieu, a programmer, both used topical analysis to understand what issues the White House was talking about most on Twitter. Electome’s interactive tool compares Administration tweets with a sampling of citizen tweets, and Derek’s analysis examines and how White House tweet topics fluctuated over the course of the Administration.
• GIPHY, a GIF search engine, will launch a page that enables the public to view all of the GIFs that the White House has ever shared, as well as a collection of all of the White House’s Vines. The page will also include many other White House related GIFs that have been pulled together by GIPHY's Editorial team. Check it out at giphy.com/Obama
• A new Twitter bot built by the Portland, Oregon-based studio, Feel Train, will republish White House tweets over the next eight years to mark some of the most significant moments of the Obama administration as experienced on Twitter. Follow along by visiting @Relive44 on Twitter.
• Students will be diving into our social media data, too. At the University of Texas-Austin, students in Dr. Amelia Acker’s graduate seminar will be utilizing White House social media data in their final projects. And NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) Fellows are hosting an “Obamathon” on January 6th—a special hackathon to spawn the creation of new projects, like the ones listed above.
• Internet Archive is making White House social media data available to download from their website—ensuring it’s publicly-accessible for years to come—and hosting a public hackathon this Saturday, January 7th.

The White House convened these citizens in the hopes that their creations would inspire people (like you) to dive into the archives themselves—to build research tools, art projects, and the like. That’s why, starting today, you can download the White House’s Twitter, Facebook, and Vine archives yourself. All of the tweets published by President Obama and the First Lady are available, as well. We can’t wait to see what you make. 

The challenge many families face finding affordable diapers is just one example of the many ways in which families with young children face constraints in making investments in their children's development, including high-quality care and education experiences, as discussed in a new CEA issues brief released today. 

From the start of their children’s lives, the high costs driven by “Surge Pricing for Diapers” strain young families’ finances and jeopardize their health. Low-income parents with infants and toddlers spend 14 percent of their income on diapers alone – leaving less room to cover rent, food, or heat.  Unsurprisingly, nearly one in three low-income families report that they lack the diapers they need for their babies, causing some caregivers to stretch the time between diaper changes to make their limited resources last.  This pressure can lead to serious health problems for children and unimaginable stress for parents.  That public health crisis is why, earlier this year, the White House challenged the private sector to employ innovative technologies and business models to help struggling families access the basic necessities they need to care for their children.

Today, we’re excited to report that these innovative efforts are working – and expanding.

• Since its unveiling in March, the JetCares Community Diaper Program — a collaboration between Jet.com and First Quality — has shipped nearly five million diapers to non-profits in forty-eight states. Thanks to this program, some participating non-profits have doubled the number of diapers they can distribute to low-income families with the same underlying funds . Best of all, the model has proven sustainable for the participating companies, and Jet.com launched a new tool that now allows consumers to support this cause as well. 
• Today, Huggies is announcing a new diaper program providing bulk shipments of diapers to National Diaper Bank Network locations at competitive prices beginning in 2017. Through “No Baby Unhugged”, Huggies and its partners have donated more than 48 million diapers and wipes in 2016 alone.
• Pampers built on its 10-year partnership with Feeding America to donate a total of nearly 19 million diapers and 19 million baby wipes to food banks across the country this year.
• LA-based Baby2Baby is on track to distribute 5 million diapers this year to over 120 non-profit partner organizations across the country - a new record for the organization.
• The Honest Company has donated 3.3 million diapers and 1 million other baby, personal care, and household products to the National Diaper Bank Network and other community partners this year.

Today the White House wants to pause to recognize the continued commitment of these organizations to closing the #DiaperGap, and their amazing progress to date.

Though the progress is encouraging, there is still more work to do to ensure that all families have access to the basics their babies need.  Find out how you can get involved today.

How you can get involved:

• Join the conversation online using #DiaperGap
• Share your own story about why it’s important for all families to have access to affordable diapers.
• Host a ”Diaper Drive” in your community.
• Read the President’s take on this need for action in his Mother’s Day Medium Post on the #Diapergap.
• Learn more about barriers in accessing the tools of the new economy and innovative solutions in this “Surge Pricing for Diapers” Medium post.
• Find out what public health issues are at stake in this post by Cecilia Muñoz. 

Luke Tate is the Special Assistant to the President for Economic Mobility.

The White House strives to meet people where they are -- bringing the Administration's voices to communities across the nation through digital engagement. Last week, Roberto Rodríguez, who advises President Obama on education policy, joined an online group of over 9,000 educators in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, to discuss the issues important to them. The online group DFW Teachers' Lounge is a space for educators across the Dallas-Fort Worth area to share tips, advice and support.

Read Deputy Assistant to the President Rodríguez' contributions below (names have been removed to respect the privacy of the commenters).

"Thanks, [Redacted]. We will be talking a lot about testing today, but want to also focus in on your point on what works to improve our schools. I couldn’t agree with you more that aligned standards, deep interactions, and supportive environments are key, and that type of change needs to be initiated and supported at the local school level."

"Thanks, [Redacted]. It sounds like you’re experiencing what we’re seeing across the country – in too many places, testing is competing with valuable classroom learning time and it doesn’t have to be that way. We want to eliminate unnecessary, duplicative and low-quality tests and improve how we use tests for student learning. More info on President Obama's Testing Action Plan here: http://1.usa.gov/1LQHUWE

Teachers should never be judged solely on test scores. We know that too many conversations around education policy, particularly evaluation, have left teachers and school leaders feeling unfairly blamed or judged by a single test or one-size-fits all approach. We’re working to reset that dialogue.

The work you do teaching our kids couldn’t be more important – and we’re working to make sure we’re supporting you in every way we can."

"President Obama’s goal has always been to increase the number of students successfully completing college, and that begins by making sure all of our students are prepared to succeed when they arrive on campus. The President supports high standards across all of our schools, and we're proud that 49 states and DC have established college and career ready expectations for what students know and are able to do when they graduate from high school."

"Every case is different, but we’ve seen a number of states and districts providing strong leadership on this front. You can learn about some of best work being done across the country here: http://1.usa.gov/1LQHUWE

The Innovation Lab Network over at the Council of Chief State School Officers is also doing good work in a number of states – I’d be interested to hear what you think of their ideas! http://www.ccsso.org/What_We_Do/Innovation_Lab_Network.html

We need to do more to support our teachers so that they can personalize teaching and learning for their students."

"Couldn’t agree more [Redacted] and [Redacted], and expanding early learning is one of the issues closest to my heart! President Obama believes that high quality early education is among the smartest investments that we can make. In his 2013 State of the Union address, he called on Congress to expand access to high-quality preschool for every child in America. Since the President’s call to action, more than 35 states have increased funding for their preschool programs, amounting to over $1.5 billion in new state resources dedicated to early education. Communities across the country have engaged public and private partners to establish new preschool programs, and pushed forward with major expansions to become strong early learning communities. More info on our early learning agenda is available here: http://1.usa.gov/1N7MSSI"

"We so appreciate your work, [Redacted]. My team and I think about you and our nation's dedicated teachers every day in the work that we do."

"[Redacted] you are right! A single test cannot capture the full picture of a student’s learning and progress. The Every Student Succeeds Act that President Obama signed last year encourages a more balanced approach to testing and accountability by moving away from a sole focus on standardized tests to drive decisions around the quality of schools, and by allowing for the use of multiple measures of student learning and progress, along with other indicators of student success. As states and school districts implement this new law, we will see real changes in our school."

"I agree, [Redacted]. Career and technical education plays an important role in helping many of our students prepare for success later in life. Check out our blueprint on reforming and strengthening career and technical education, which will make sure programs are aligned not only with college -- and career-readiness standards, but also with the needs of employers, industry, and labor. https://www2.ed.gov/.../transforming-career-technical..."

"Learning begins at birth, and we can’t get started early enough in preparing our children for success in kindergarten and later in school. Access to high-quality early-learning programs is one of the most important things we can give our learners. Learn more about the President’s Preschool for All plan which would support that: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/.../fact-sheet-president-obama..."

"I hear you loud and clear, and this is something that the President is passionate about too. We know more needs to be done to respond to the challenges our teachers face in balancing meaningful learning with testing time. Here's more straight from President Obama: https://www.facebook.com/ObamaWhiteHouse/videos/10153858935674238/"

"I agree with TNTP that we lose too many of our best and brightest teachers because we don't provide the right leadership opportunities for them to grow and contribute to their schools and to the teaching profession. We must do better. One response to this challenge is the Department of Education's R-E-S-P-E-C-T program, and it's why President Obama’s budget included $1 billion to support teachers, improve working conditions and increase teacher salaries in high-need schools. Now you don’t want to hear me sing R-E-S-P-E-C-T… http://www2.ed.gov/docu.../respect/blueprint-for-respect.pdf"

"President Obama believes that the arts are one of the most important ways to engage our students and help them develop and discover their creativity and talent. We need investments that support a well-rounded education for all our students. Learn more about reinvesting in Arts and Education in this report from the President’s Commission on Arts and the Humanities: http://www.pcah.gov/.../photos/PCAH_Reinvesting_4web.pdf

And learn more about their Turnaround Arts program: http://turnaroundarts.pcah.gov/"

"We're hosting listening sessions around the country to make sure that the voice of our nations teachers is reflected in the policies discussed and shaped here in Washington. But at the state and local level, we also need your voices, especially as state and school district leaders implement the new Every Student Succeeds Act. I’d encourage you to make your voice heard in that process. Thanks for sharing your voices with me today."

"Take [Redacted]'s advice and get the information you need to apply for public service loan forgiveness: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dfwteacherslounge/permalink/832641926847821/

We've taken steps to expand this important program, and ensure that public service workers – including teachers – can have remaining student debt forgiven after 10 years.

More info here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/.../public-service-loan...

And FAQ’s here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/.../public-service-loan..."

"[Redacted], spot on! We don't all have to agree on the solutions -- and there is no silver bullet to addressing the challenges in our schools. But we all have to be willing to work to make things better in our education system. We can start here in Washington by listening and learning more from the work that is happening each day in our classrooms. Fun fact: Our new Secretary of Education, Dr. John King, began his education career as a middle school social studies teacher."

"We are all life-long learners, [Redacted]! Our teachers need more meaningful opportunities to grow, learn, and lead in their classrooms. We need better induction and mentorship to support our beginning teachers in their early years. And our teachers need a greater voice in choosing the PD opportunities that will help them the most."

"The work you do every day makes a difference in the lives of your students, Cris. In fact, The White House will recognize paraprofessionals and school support staff at a Champions of Change event later this spring: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/.../nominate-school-support.... I’d encourage you to tune in!"

Over 21,000 mothers use The Addicts Mom (TAM) Facebook Group to share stories, information, and help each other as they support their own family members. Director Botticelli dropped by TAM to listen to the experiences of these mothers (and their loved ones), and respond to any questions that they had. In all there were over 900 questions and comments—many related to heroin and prescription opioid use disorders--which was more than Director Botticelli could have answered in one sitting. Below are some of the highlights of his conversations (names have been removed to respect the privacy of the commenters).

Director Botticelli also took time to answer a collection of FAQs from the chat which can be viewed here.

It's a testament to the strength of citizens' voices, to what happens when we band together to improve our country. The technology and design that powers these petitions enables people to organize -- to speak as "we,” not just "I." It’s this instinct to work together that makes America exceptional. As the President said in Selma, Alabama last spring:

"America is not the project of any one person."

We the People belongs to all of us, from the petitions right down to the code base. Since 2011, the White House has hosted many hackathons and meetups centered around improving the tool, visualizing civic engagement in action, and readying the API for use by more organizations. And, so far, anybody has been able to use We The People’s public API to host and design their own petitions on top of our platform. Now, heading into the President Obama’s final year in office, we want to take it one step further.

This year, the Office of Digital Strategy is rekindling a focus to improve the petitions platform. Everything is on the table — from the logo and layout to API endpoints and the method used to process signatures — and we want to incorporate your insights! Starting today, we're welcoming your contributions to the We The People GitHub page so you can suggest changes to how the petitions platform looks and works. 

While we can't promise we will be able to act on all submissions, the White House is committed to the idea of We The People, by the people, and we will review your feedback and do our best to incorporate as many constructive improvements as possible. So check out We The People, take a look at our GitHub page, and help us figure out how to make the product better for you. Even if you’re not a designer or developer we still want to hear from you. Simply submit any suggestions you have in the form at the bottom of this page. 

Thank you in advance for sharing your ideas and contributions.

This form is now closed. Thank you for your interest.

There are over 100 million daily active Snapchat users, and over 60 percent of American smartphone users between the ages of 13 and 34 use the platform. In light of the number of Americans who use the service to consume news and share with their friends, the White House is joining Snapchat to engage this broad cross-section of the population in new and creative ways. Tomorrow, our Official Story will take you behind the scenes of the White House's State of the Union preparations, with footage and angles you won’t find anywhere else.

To tune in, find the White House on Snapchat by adding "WhiteHouse" as a friend or scanning the snapcode below:

We’re doing everything we can to get the word out. Today, Mint -- a personal financial management tool -- sent an email from President Obama to young Americans with student loans who use Mint to make sure they heard the news.

We need your help to spread the word, too. And don't just take our word for it: Find out just how much your monthly payments could be cut with this repayment estimator.

This is just one of the many ways President Obama has worked to help Americans get a college education without being burdened with a mountain of debt. The President has also:

• Doubled investments in college scholarships by expanding Pell Grant and the American Opportunity Tax Credit programs
• Made student loans more affordable by cutting interest rates and launching PAYE so student borrowers can cap student loan payments at 10 percent of income
• Called for two years of free community college for responsible students

Sign up for the new plan or visit the Federal Student Aid website to learn more about the details of Pay As You Earn and related plans.

Build outreach efforts that can reach these remaining uninsured Americans and help them gain coverage.

Today, the White House is highlighting the creative ways that two health care companies, ZocDoc and Oscar Health, stepped up to answer this call, and showing how they are part of a growing trend of companies using the Internet to address our nation’s problems together.

Starting today, ZocDoc, which helps people book appointments online with doctors across the country, will be using its Web and email products to reach out to hundreds of thousands of customers it believes may not have health insurance, for example, people who have booked doctors’ appointments on ZocDoc but signaled that they will pay with cash. ZocDoc will remind these customers to sign-up for coverage at Healthcare.gov before the December 15 deadline to enroll in or change plans for coverage starting on January 1, 2016. 

We know that many uninsured Americans question whether they can afford coverage, and may not realize that more than 7 in 10 HealthCare.gov customers can find insurance for $75 a month or less after tax credits. So for uninsured Americans who remain skeptical about the costs of getting insured, health insurance company Oscar Health has created a digital video public service announcement (PSA) that explains why health insurance is actually more affordable than people may think. Oscar will distribute this video in key markets online, too, including in California, New York, and Texas.

Both ZocDoc and Oscar Health are just two recent examples of how creative use of new technologies can help empower citizens with knowledge and opportunities to help address today’s public policy challenges together. In October, in response to a call issued by the President to help aid refugees, tens of thousands of Americans donated to refugee relief efforts — with opportunities to donate made ubiquitous thanks to independent product integrations from Kickstarter, Instacart, and others. And when the First Lady called for the private sector to help employ veterans and end veterans’ homelessness, companies across the economy responded with hiring commitments and other creative actions. This past Veterans Day, ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft enabled tens of thousands of Americans to donate free rides to homeless veterans to help them get to job interviews, employment events, and home from new jobs when public transportation is not an option.

Scores of companies and non-profits, from a wide range of sectors, are stepping up to help address today’s collective challenges and support expanded civic participation. The President and First Lady have rallied citizen engagement on many key collective challenges: protecting the climate, improving access to healthcare, giving our veterans the support they deserve, fighting childhood obesity, making sure every child finishes school ready for college and career, and so many more. The Internet’s ability to empower citizens to engage and take immediate action has helped expand opportunities for companies and non-profits to work with members, customers and the public to facilitate broader civic participation. At the White House, the Office of Digital Strategy is constantly looking for new and creative ways to expand opportunities for civic participation in solving todays’ problems together. If your organization is using the Internet to help citizens pitch in to solve our nation’s problems, or would like to and think you can help in some way, please get in touch.

And, don’t forget: the deadline for January 1 coverage is December 15, and open enrollment ends on January 31. If affordable health insurance is available, but you choose to not enroll in coverage for 2016, you may be required to pay a fee when you file your 2016 federal income taxes. So go to HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 for more information or to sign up today.

Get Covered

Today, almost 12 million people – roughly the size of New York City and Los Angeles combined – have been displaced by the conflicts in Syria. Over half of these displaced persons are children. Under President Obama, the U.S. is increasing the number of Syrian and other refugees we admit from around the world on an annual basis to 100,000 in the next two years and has provided $4.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to people affected by this conflict. Large corporations have donated millions more. But you do not need to be a government or Fortune 100 company to #AidRefugees.  

“This isn’t just about what I can do as President. Every single one of us – from citizens to NGOs – can help refugees find safe haven.”

President Obama

From non-governmental organizations to small businesses to congregations in communities across the country, Americans are using what they have to contribute to this effort. Just like we banded together in 1885, we can join together to provide shelter, food, and medical assistance to these people in need. It’s the American thing to do. 

Today, we want to highlight a few examples of American businesses that have heeded the President’s call and built a novel way for citizens to contribute what they can to #AidRefugees. 

In the spirit of the Statue of Liberty story, Kickstarter has partnered with UNHCR to build and launch their first-ever non-profit campaign outside the creative universe. Aiming to raise awareness around the crisis, Kickstarter has designed a new type of campaign page to enable anyone to donate directly to support refugees. 

Similarly, Instacart, which enables users to order groceries from stores, has also joined forces with UNHCR to provide food to refugees in the region. Instacart customers, while in the process of buying groceries for their families, will have the option of also buying food for refugee families — right at their fingertips. Enabling this experience will make it incredibly easy for American citizens to contribute what they can, to a very real need. 

Doing what you can comes in many shapes and sizes. Twitter responded to the President’s call and launched its donation product early, allowing NGOs groups working on the refugee crisis to raise funds on their platform. Airbnb is providing free housing credits to aid workers in the region and matching any gifts from their community. Starbucks is using its social media channels to ask its customers to donate to a partner NGO. The list goes on. 

In the words of President Obama, “We have a moral responsibility to do what we can for families forced from their homes.” The White House would like to thank Kickstarter, Instacart, Airbnb, Starbucks and the scores of American businesses doing what they can to #AidRefugees. 

Learn more about how you too can take action at: AidRefugees.gov 

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