Dear John,
Children's Defense Fund (CDF) last released our State of America's Children Report (SOAC) in the Spring of 2021, the zenith of a global pandemic that significantly impacted the nation's health and safety. As shifts in life and culture occurred faster than researchers could track, the impact on our children and youth was unclear. With gratitude to our hardworking Public Affairs team and research partners, I’m pleased to share that the fog is lifting.
CDF's 2023 State of America's Children report, a comprehensive look at the well-being of children and youth in the aftermath of a global pandemic, will be released in the coming weeks!
CDF’s SOAC provides analysis of the well-being of young people across the United States. The report covers a wide range of issues, including economic mobility, health, education, child welfare, and racial equity.
The report is vital to ensure honest policy dialogue informed by data on the lived experiences of marginalized children and youth. It helps policymakers, advocates, and practitioners identify areas in which progress has been made and those where more work needs to be done to make sure young people thrive. It provides communities with a valuable resource to help them make informed decisions and protect the well-being of children and youth.
For the last generation of America’s children, CDF's SOAC report has raised awareness about the systemic barriers and structural impediments to youth flourishing. By bringing attention to these issues, the report incentivizes action and investment in programs and policies that can improve outcomes for generations to come.
As a recap, some key takeaways regarding pandemic impact from the 2021 report included:
- October 2020 data analysis by the Center on Poverty & Social Policy (CPSP) at Columbia University showed that an additional 8 million Americans—including 2.5 million children—had fallen into poverty since May 2020.
- As of February 2021, more than 1 in 7 adults with children (14.5 percent) reported that their children were not getting enough to eat—more than five times the pre-pandemic rate.
- Center-based childcare for an infant cost more than public college tuition in 28 states and the District of Columbia in 2019. More than 80 percent of two-child families were paying more for childcare than for rent.
Please be on the lookout for CDF’s 2023 SOAC report. If you are willing to read, respond, and rally around its findings, we can build a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive.
