Child Poverty

  • Child Poverty

    Child Poverty in America 2019: National Analysis

    Official poverty data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on September 15, 2020 show nearly 10.5 million children in America lived in poverty in 2019, about 1.4 million fewer than in 2018. The national child poverty rate declined from 16.2 percent in 2018 to 14.4 percent in 2019. Although 2019 data show a decline in poverty numbers, these estimates do not reflect the current realities and heightened disparities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Child Poverty

    Why Changes to the Tax Credits Are Critical Before Congress Adjourns

    Before Congress leaves for the holidays, critical changes are needed to adjust how our tax credits are calculated for next year's tax filing season. Unfortunately, neither the bipartisan framework nor the McConnell stimulus package includes changes to the tax credits, and that’s a problem for children and families.

    | National
  • Child Poverty

    Eviction Moratorium Is Expiring and Millions of Children Are at Risk of Losing Their Home

    The rent has come due again amid another spike in COVID-19 cases and millions of families can’t afford to pay. According to the latest Census data, 1 in 4 renter families with children are behind on the rent. The only thing standing between these families and eviction is the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) temporary eviction moratorium, which took effect in September and is set to expire at the end of the year. If the eviction moratorium is not extended by the CDC before the year’s end and does not include some changes to the existing language to ensure more families are covered, 30 to 40 million renters are at risk of losing their home.

    | National
  • Child Poverty

    New Census Data Shows Child Poverty Persists Across America, Even Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic, Especially for Children of Color and Indigenous Children

    Saint Paul, Minn. – The Census Bureau has released its annual poverty data indicating that in 2019, 10.5 million American children lived in poverty, among them 143,000 Minnesota children (11.2 percent), making them the poorest age group. While these estimates do not adequately capture the present-day realities of Americans due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, they do reveal the vast racial inequities of income and wealth in Minnesota that have only become more pronounced during this public health crisis.

    | Minnesota
  • Child Health

    The Work That Remains

    On behalf of the Children’s Defense Fund, I’m asking you to recommit yourself to the important work of eradicating the evils of poverty and racism and pushing for a just future for all children. This work is not easy, it can be uncomfortable, and it can be messy. But as fully engaged participants in this democracy, we must do the work.

    | National
  • Child Poverty

    California Immigrant Families Will Benefit from New Tax Credit Eligibility

    Last month, Governor Newsom signed AB 1876, which removed exclusions of Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) filers for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) and Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC), making it possible for people who do not have a Social Security Number (SSN) to claim credits.

    | National