Child Poverty Reduction
Nearly one in five New York children live in poverty, and that rate approaches one in three among children of color and in some under-resourced communities. The chronic stress of poverty can have devastating effects on growing families and impacts the brain development of young children.
Historically, many parents of young children do not have access to or enough information about state programs — including the Empire State Child Tax Credit and enough financial aid to afford college — aimed at putting New Yorkers on the path to more economic stability and reducing child poverty.
Report: Reducing child poverty in New York State through the Empire State Child Tax Credit
Although New York was among the first states in the nation to offer a child tax credit, it has quickly fallen behind as other states have instituted more generous credits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this report, we analyze the Empire State Child Credit, compares it to other state models, and provide recommendations on how New York can ensure the ESCC effectively reaches all eligible families to tackle our state’s child poverty problem.
From Barriers to Opportunity: Confronting New York’s Systemic Barriers to Early Childhood and Poverty-Reduction Programs
Far too many New York families do not benefit from local, state, and federal support they need to raise healthy and thriving children due to systemic barriers standing in their way. These hurdles are especially steep for Black and Latinx families, immigrants, and other historically marginalized groups.
Across child care and public benefit programs, we found striking similarities in terms of the barriers that were most pernicious in limiting families’ access to resources, such as lack of information; difficulty applying for and securing benefits; and program-specific limitations.
Latest Posts
What’s next in 2023 for Raising NY
As we wrap up the first three years of the Raising NY coalition, we are taking the opportunity to reflect on the progress we’ve made thus far and recalibrate our coalition priorities to ensure that we are maximizing the opportunities of our current context and...
Rally and support for the federal Child Tax Credit
As the Raising NY coalition continues to band together and advocate for an expanded federal Child Tax Credit, advocates from across the state recently hosted rallies in New York City and Rochester to call on congressional lawmakers to put children before...
It’s time to expand the Empire State Child Credit, New York!
As it stands currently, the Empire State Child Tax Credit policy excludes young children under 4 and its phase-in structure reduces the credit amount for children in families experiencing deep poverty – meaning families earning below $9.667 are ineligible to receive the full ESCC amount.