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June 14, 2024 The Children's Week edition. This week is Children’s Week, with two important sets of events focused on children. First Focus on Children sponsored or co-hosted events aimed at protecting the health, safety, and well-being of America’s children. Topics covered this week included the benefits of expanding the Child Tax Credit, addressing youth homelessness, raising the voices of dads in setting child policy, improving the conditions of children and families in Puerto Rico, and reducing the dangers of lead exposure for children. National Black Child Development Week focused on outcomes for ensuring the health and well-being of Black children, guaranteeing clean air and water and nutrition for Black families, and promoting safety in schools, communities, and in the digital world. Reading below, you’ll be reminded of the challenges we face in building a better future. You’ll see how federal spending on children rose during the pandemic, but has slipped down again. You will see the problems of child mortality and hunger. You will read about youth homelessness and lead exposure. You will learn how, in the midst of a mental health crisis, some of our youth experience dire shortages of counselors in their schools.
You’ll see far too many inequities between Black, Latino, and Native American children, and White children.
We’ve so much to do.
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-16% |
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After increasing to a record high during the pandemic, the share of federal spending allocated to programs that help children has started to fall. The share of spending on children declined to 9.89% by FY2023 – a drop of nearly 16% from the year before. Retweet this. |
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16 million 3 in 10 |
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The bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, which includes an expanded Child Tax Credit, would benefit 16 million children in families with low incomes during its first year, including 1 in 3 Black and Latino children and 3 in 10 American Indian/Native Alaskan children. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House but is stuck in the Senate. Retweet this. |
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14 |
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In 2024, 14 states will provide child tax credits, many of which are targeted to those most in need, and made refundable so that children in families with the lowest incomes are not excluded from the full benefits. Retweet this. |
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20% |
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Child and teen mortality increased by more than 20% between 2019 and 2021, the largest increase in 50 years. Retweet this. |
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From 6.8% & 5 million To 10% & 7.3 million |
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One in 10 kids in America, or 7.3 million, were “food insecure,” or lacked enough food to ensure a healthy and active lifestyle in 2022. That is a startling increase of 2.3 million children over the previous year, and rates of food insecurity were significantly higher for households with children that included a Black or Hispanic adult. Retweet this. |
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For the full report, click here.
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