January 24, 2013

Keeping Track of New York City’s Children: A Tool for Overcoming Barriers to Child Well-Being

At the national, state and local level, geography is often a predictor of child outcomes. For far too many New York City children, the cumulative barriers to well-being — poverty, food insecurity, unstable housing, and lack of access to essential programs — are great, and disparities are profound and apparent on a geographic level.

Today’s New York Times editorial by Nicholas Kristof made this point all too clear, stating that, “Something is profoundly wrong when we can point to 2-year-olds in this country and make a plausible bet about their long-term outcomes — not based on their brains and capabilities, but on their ZIP codes.”

On February 12, CCC will release the Tenth Edition of Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, the most comprehensive data book on child well-being at the municipal level. The 2013 edition of Keeping Track brings front and center the profound impact that the recession has had on children and families in New York City. Keeping Track illustrates how children are faring citywide, by borough, and at the community district level. The data suggest that more attention must be paid to how we can help individual communities, and the children and families residing in them, to recover from the economic downturn. Keeping Track also makes abundantly clear the need to keep a watchful eye on the budget and policy decisions made at the federal, state and local level, as these decisions define the presence and absence of essential supports and services for children.

CCC recently released an infographic highlighting how investments in services to support children and families — such as prenatal care, pre-school, child abuse prevention, and after school services — are crucial to the well-being of New York City’s children, families and communities. We know what works for children. It is incumbent upon us to make certain that all children have access to the fundamental services and opportunities that support success in school and in life.

Please register today for the release of the Tenth Edition of Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, and take action on behalf of our city’s most vulnerable residents.

Stay up-to-date on the latest issues concerning New York City’s children and the ways that you can join CCC in speaking out on their behalf.

Tags
child well-being, Data, Keeping Track

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