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Policy Development Using Child IndicatorsSecuring Every Child’s Birthright to be Healthy, Housed, Educated, and SafeCitizens’ Committee for Childrenof New York, Inc.The 1st International Society for Child Indicators (ISCI) ConferenceJune 26th-28th 2007: 

Policy Development Using Child Indicators Securing Every Child’s Birthright to be Healthy, Housed, Educated, and Safe Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Inc. The 1st International Society for Child Indicators (ISCI) Conference June 26th-28th 2007

About CCC: 

About CCC Since 1944, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Inc. (CCC) has convened, informed, and mobilized New Yorkers to make the city a better place for children. CCC has spent the last six decades developing and refining an approach to child advocacy, using facts to educate policymakers and the public and building a set of legislative, budget, policy, and program priorities. CCC is known for its intentional and strategic use of data and facts to promote policy and advocate for children.

CCC’s Signature Report:Keeping Track: 

CCC’s Signature Report: Keeping Track Keeping Track of New York City’s Children is CCC’s signature data report. First released in 1993, it serves as an encyclopedia of child well being, cataloguing the facts and telling a story of what life is like for a child growing up in New York City. The data in Keeping Track is categorized by issue, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and neighborhood. Data is used to paint a picture of a child’s life in every neighborhood and borough in New York City. Keeping Track identifies and tracks specific communities where risks to children are clustered to focus relief efforts and target resources.

Detailed Information Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood: 

Detailed Information Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood

Child Well-Being Indicators: 

Child Well-Being Indicators Measures of child well-being are proxies for assessing New York City’s vitality and the strength of the city’s economy, social fabric, and community infrastructure. Keeping Track: Helps policymakers, funders, providers, and the civic, religious, and business community think strategically about the city’s future. Provides evidence about the scope and dimensions of children’s needs and risks to child well-being. Uses trended data to document improvement or decline in conditions and to support public and private expenditures for children’s services, benefits and amenities that are working and producing positive results. Single indicators are used and indices are created to make the data in Keeping Track easy to understand and use.

Key Findings: 

Key Findings Overall, conditions for children in New York City have improved. NYC is safer: arrests for violent felonies, down 9% from 2000. More (91%) New York City children now have health insurance. Reading and math scores are improving in NYC public schools. Unemployment is decreasing: 5.5% in 2005.

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But serious challenges remain. Disparities exist across communities and rates of improvement are uneven across racial and ethnic groups (indicators of poverty, teen pregnancy, child abuse and neglect, among others, disproportionately affect children of color). Over half of all New York City children are born poor. Too few students graduate on time: only 60% of NYC high school students graduate in four years. Affordable housing has grown more scarce: the trend continues: fewer apartments are renting for under $600 and more are renting at prices over $1,000. The number of homeless families with children is at a record high.

Comparing Child Well-Being: 

Comparing Child Well-Being   Data is from 2004-2006.

Risks by Race and Ethnicity: 

Risks by Race and Ethnicity   *Race categories do not include Latinos. **Race categories include Latinos. Data is from 2005.

Economic Conditions in NYCAre Strong but Softening: 

Economic Conditions in NYC Are Strong but Softening More New York City families claimed the New York State Earned Income Tax Credit –741,323 claims in 2004, up from 673,168 in 2000 (a 9% increase). Unemployment has decreased from 7.6% in 2002 to 5.5% in 2005. Median household income has remained steady since 1999, and was $43,434 in 2005. The number of children receiving food stamps rose from 390,448 in 2002 to 454,447 in 2004. The welfare caseload dropped from 572,800 in 2000 to 393,800 in 2006, its lowest since CCC began collecting data (1991).

Persistent Poverty Remains: 

Persistent Poverty Remains New York City children are more likely to live in poverty – 28% compared with 19% in both New York State and the US 34% of NYC children are in households with incomes below 60% of US median household income of $46,242. The number of children receiving food from food pantries and soup kitchens rose (20% in 1999 to 29% in 2003), an increase of 217,000 children.

Children’s Health is Improving: 

Children’s Health is Improving In 2005, 91% of children had health insurance. Recently enacted state policy makes insurance coverage of children in New York State universal. Babies start out with better chances, as virtually all – 99.5% – expectant mothers in New York City received prenatal care in 2005, up from 92.1% in 1999. Infant mortality continues to decrease, from 6.7 deaths per 1,000 births in 2000 to 5.5 in 2005. (Although racial and ethnic disparities persist.) Asthma hospitalizations, although still a concern, have decreased by 43% for children ages 0-14 from 1995 to 2005.

But, Health Concerns Persist: 

But, Health Concerns Persist Children in New York City are hospitalized for preventable illnesses: respiratory infections and dehydration, more often than children in NYS Nearly one in four New York City elementary school children is obese. Nearly one in four New York City households include people who smoke. 213,000 children in NYC have mental health needs that warrant treatment, but only 16,000 children receive services.

Community Life is Better, but Affordable Housing Remains a Problem: 

Community Life is Better, but Affordable Housing Remains a Problem Neighborhoods are safer from crime, especially violent crime. There is more park space available for children, with 93 children per park acre in 2005. 93% of streets are rated acceptably clean. Over a quarter of families pay half or more of their income on rent. Nearly a quarter of housing citywide is in fair to poor condition. There were 13.5 structural fires per 1,000 children in 2005, compared to 14.2 in 2000. There were 12,313 children in homeless shelters in 2006, compared to 6,966 in 1990 and 9,290 in 2000.

More Children Receive Quality Child Care and Early Education, but Unmet Needs Remain: 

More Children Receive Quality Child Care and Early Education, but Unmet Needs Remain The number of children 0-5 receiving early care and education has increased from 180,957 in 2001 to 202,572 in 2005. The number of accredited child care programs has increased from 28 programs in 2002 to 143 programs in 2007. The number of children on waiting lists for ACS child care (publicly subsided) decreased by 15% from 2001 to 2006. (ACS child care enrollment is at 92% capacity.) Keeping Track estimates that nearly 80,000 eligible children 0-5, need subsidized child care but do not receive it.

Tools to Link Data to Solutions: 

Tools to Link Data to Solutions CCC uses data to identify a problem, determine its scope and scale, to catalogue risks and create an inventory of existing services and resources in each community. CCC also tracks budget investments and the impact on children. These tools are used to educate New Yorkers and policymakers and to evaluate the well-being of New York City’s communities.

From Keeping Track Data to Securing Every Child’s Birthright: 

From Keeping Track Data to Securing Every Child’s Birthright Disaggregating data at the neighborhood level, or by gender or race/ethnicity, can help to focus attention and provide a strong rationale for targeting resources and developing interventions and programs to meet needs and produce measurable results. Despite some notable gains reflected in KT data, too many New York City children still face a future where achievement and economic security are out of reach. Securing Every Child's Birthright is a CCC effort to harness the power and commitment of New Yorkers to insure that every child is healthy, housed, educated and safe. Big visions need big commitments. Securing Every Child’s Birthright promotes an agenda from a base of factual evidence to champion bold policies and initiatives that will reduce barriers to economic, housing and developmental security that stand in the way of a productive future.

Securing Every Child’s Birthright: 

Securing Every Child’s Birthright This CCC effort uses data to offer new thinking about old problems. It challenges policymakers and fellow New Yorkers to think big about public amenities, public services and public benefits that can create structural and lasting improvements in well-being for all New York City children. The campaign seeks: Economic Security—creating financial stability for all children. Housing Security—promoting housing affordability and stability for all children. Developmental Security—helping all children grow up healthy and with a foundation for learning.

Linking Data to Policy and Advocacy Produces Big Wins for NYC Children: 

Linking Data to Policy and Advocacy Produces Big Wins for NYC Children Victories: 2004: Creation of the New York City Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), benefiting 800,000 households. ($55 million) 2006: Expansion of the Newborn Home Visiting program to 9,500 households. ($1.6 million expansion; $3.2 million total budget)

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2007: $150 million invested in NYC antipoverty initiatives: Conditional Cash Transfers Asset-building Financial Literacy Tax Policy

Recent Victories: 

2007: Increased NYS investments in Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK). ($61 million to NYC) 2007: New York City Food Policy Coordinator begins work to combat hunger and improve access to nutritious, affordable food. 2007: Enactment of a New York City Child Care Tax Credit benefiting 48,000 households earning under $30,000. ($42 million) Recent Victories

Linking Data to Solutions: Moving Forward: 

Linking Data to Solutions: Moving Forward Asset Building and Tax Policy Housing and Community Development Promote Healthy Development

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Asset Building and Tax Policy Create a Birthright Trust Fund for every child from New York City Reduce tax liability and increase tax refunds for low-income working families Improve Financial Literacy and help families get banked, build and protect savings

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Housing and Community Development   Create a refundable Renter Tax Credit to offset high rental costs Dedicate resources to a Housing Trust Fund to support the development of affordable housing Create time-limited Housing Subsidies for working families

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Promote Healthy Development Expand Newborn Home Visiting Program to all newborns in New York City Expand Infant/Toddler Child Care opportunities Provide every 3 year old with half day and every 4 year old with full day Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) opportunities Increase access to and availability of nutritious affordable food in food deserts

Securing Every Child’s Birthright: Why Children’s Data Matters: 

Securing Every Child’s Birthright: Why Children’s Data Matters Researchers, academics, social scientists, and others who develop, collect and analyze child indicator data must play a role in disseminating facts about the condition of children’s lives. Child indicators can be used to identify risks, highlight gaps in service, measure results and prompt public debate to secure resources and develop responsive policies and programs that are vital in Securing Every Child’s Birthright to be healthy, housed, educated and safe.

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A future of security, well-being, and achievement is possible for every child. Achieving this goal means: Ending poverty and improving health Combating hunger and homelessness Protecting the environment New York City is in a position to be a national leader in child and family policy and programs and where research and policy development is taking place to solve complex social problems. New York City’s progress in alleviating poverty, homelessness, and hunger will shape the national debate and the US domestic policy agenda. But only if we continue to collect, analyze, and disseminate data and measure progress made in reducing risks to children.