New York’s child poverty rate improved slightly from 2016 to 2017, but we still ranked 33rd among the states, with almost 20 percent of our children living in poverty. Additionally, the sheer number of children living in poverty in New York is overwhelming. New York ranks fourth in the country – only behind California, Texas and Florida — with over 800,000 children living in poverty in the state. In nearly half New York’s counties 1 in 5 children lives below the poverty line. Having the basic necessities of life such as nutritious meals and financial security is a universal human right and something all people concerned with the well-being of children should work to secure.