Citizens’ Committee for Children Releases New Databook on State of NYC’s 1.8M Children

Released April 23, 2015

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 23, 2015

“Keeping Track,” the Most Comprehensive Dataset on NYC’s Children, Details Persistent Racial & Geographic Inequality

Citizens’ Committee for Children (CCC), one of the city’s oldest children’s advocacy organizations, today released the eleventh edition of Keeping Track of New York City’s Children (2015), the most comprehensive databook to track the well-being of the city’s 1.8 million children.

Keeping Track 2015 includes hundreds of 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. The newest edition highlights improved outcomes for children that have been made in recent years, as well as areas where children continue to face barriers to well-being – including poverty, unstable housing, and lack of access to essential social services.

“While there have been improvements to child well-being over the past several years, the data shows persistent, significant racial and geographic disparities among New York City’s children. Low-income children of color are the most at-risk, and too often lack access to basic services that are proven to pave the way for a brighter future. As our elected officials make budget and policy decisions that seek to address inequality in New York City, it is our hope that Keeping Track makes a strong case for investment in programs and services that ensure all children and families thrive,” said Jennifer March, Executive Director of Citizens’ Committee for Children.

The data in Keeping Track 2015 shows profound racial disparities among children. Black and Latino children, who make up approximately 60% of the child population, suffer disproportionately across nearly all measures of child well-being. Key findings include:

• Poverty: 38.9% of Latino children live in poverty, and 32.5% of black children;
• Infant mortality: A black baby is more than three times more likely to die before his first birthday than a white baby (infant mortality rate of 8.5 deaths per live births versus 2.7 for white infants);
• Educational attainment: Latino and black youth have the lowest graduation rates (56.6% and 58.8% respectively) and highest drop out rates (12.7% and 9.6% respectively)
• Reading and math scores: among 3rd -8th graders, only 18.1% of black students and 18.3% of Latino students are reading at grade level; 18.6% of black students and 23.1% of Latino students are proficient at Math for their grade level.

Keeping Track 2015 also shows persistent geographic disparities, suggesting that in the Bronx, in particular, children face multiple barriers to their well-being. All of the communities that rank as highest risk to children are located in the Bronx, with the cumulative risks being greatest in the Hunts Point community. Children in Northern Manhattan, Harlem, North and Central Brooklyn also face significant and multiple risks to their well-being.

“The Citizens’ Committee for Children does New York City an extraordinary service by compiling critical data and then publishing it in Keeping Track,” said Phoebe C. Boyer, president and CEO of The Children’s Aid Society. “This is a tool we will use every day in our work to ensure that all young people in the city have an equal opportunity to achieve and thrive, from cradle through college, no matter what neighborhood they call home.”

“This report gives us objective updates on the Hunts Point neighborhood and helps us define our overall strategic priorities,” said Krystal Reyes, Executive Director of the Hunts Point Alliance for Children. “With each updated report, we are reinvigorated in developing the most effective ways of understanding and meeting the neighborhood needs.”

“The data from the Citizens’ Committee for Children underscores the need for both public and private engagement when it comes to the wellbeing of our children,” said Bonnie Stone, President and CEO of Win. “These are incredibly complex issues and the solutions will only emerge through a united and collaborative commitment to ensure the health and safety of our children today with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations.”

The findings in Keeping Track 2015 lay bare the need to combat inequality by ensuring that all children across every New York City community have access to the opportunities and services that will keep them healthy, housed, educated, and safe.

CCC has been compiling Keeping Track for over 20 years. The dataset is presented in the form of a print publication available for purchase, and through a free, interactive online database.

About Citizens’ Committee for Children

Citizens’ Committee for Children (CCC) educates and mobilizes New Yorkers to make the city a better place for children. CCC’s advocacy combines public policy research and data analysis with citizen action. CCC casts light on the issues, educates the public, engages allies, and identifies and promotes practical solutions to ensure that every New York City child is healthy, housed, educated and safe. For more information about CCC, visit www.cccnewyork.org.

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