Citizens’ Committee for Children Releases Keeping Track 2013, Comprehensive Databook on New York City’s Children

Released February 12, 2013

Contact: Elysia Murphy, 212-673-1800 x18; emurphy@cccnewyork.org

Over 400 Indicators Shine Light on Disparities Experienced by NYC Children across Communities

New York, NY – Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC) released today the Tenth Edition of Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, the most comprehensive centralized database tracking the well-being of New York City’s children. Keeping Track 2013 brings front and center the improvements in citywide outcomes for children made in recent years, as well as areas where children continue to face barriers to well-being, including poverty, food insecurity, unstable housing, and lack of access to essential programs. The databook includes more than 400 hundred indicators that create a picture of how children, from infancy to adolescence, are faring citywide, in each borough, and in each of the city’s 59 community districts.

“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,” said Jennifer March-Joly, CCC’s Executive Director. “Keeping Track provides every New Yorker with the tools needed to ensure that the budget and policy decisions made at all levels of government help to strengthen the future of our city’s children.”

Keeping Track 2013 shows the impact of the recession on New York City’s children and families, with one third of New York City children living in poverty, more households relying on food stamps, and homeless populations at record highs with more than 20,000 children living in homeless shelters. The data, when broken down by geography and racial and ethnic groups, suggest that more attention must be paid to help individual communities recover from the economic downturn. For example, more than half of children living in the Bronx neighborhoods of East Tremont, Morrisania, and University Heights and the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint/Williamsburg and Brownsville live in poverty.

Keeping Track 2013 highlights areas where the city’s reform efforts are leading to better outcomes for children and families citywide, including decreases in the number of youth placed in juvenile justice facilities and the number of children living in foster care. However, the data also shines light on areas where more attention is needed at the community level. For example, while the citywide infant mortality rate has continued to decline, Black babies are more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday than White and Asian babies. Citywide education trends are also improving with increased reading and math scores, higher graduation rates, and fewer dropouts; however, the data show disparities in these indicators among racial/ethnic groups and across neighborhood school districts.

As New York City prepares for a mayoral race in 2013, Keeping Track 2013 demonstrates the importance of early and targeted investments in the lives of children, as well as the adverse results when investments are not made. The databook includes overviews of the city budget allocations and spending on programs that support children and families. The data show how investments in primary prevention, such as prenatal care, early childhood education, youth services, and child abuse prevention, produce both better outcomes for children and significant savings for taxpayers.

For an overview of CCC’s findings and report excerpts, view the Keeping Track Press Kit. Contact Elysia Murphy at emurphy@cccnewyork.org, with address information, to receive a complete copy of Keeping Track 2013.

About CCC

Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York educates and mobilizes New Yorkers to make the city a better place for children. Our advocacy combines public policy research and data analysis with citizen action. We cast light on the issues, educate the public, engage allies, and identify and promote practical solutions to ensure that every New York City child is healthy, housed, educated and safe.