TCA in the News - Child Poverty

We get a status update on accessibility issues with New York’s child care subsidies and consider what needs to be done to realize the state’s statutory goals to cut child poverty. Our guest is Pete Nabozny, a member of the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council and deputy executive director…

Which expense is most difficult for your family to afford? That question was raised during a recent public hearing hosted by New York State's Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council. The goal was to hear from the public about the financial challenges they face, while also examining the council's anti-poverty efforts. What's working?…

New York State’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council held a public hearing on Aug. 4 to present their anti-poverty efforts and to hear experiences and suggestions from New Yorkers. Barbara Guinn, commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said the purpose of the hearings is…

NEW YORK — New York City lawmakers and advocates are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to boost funding for child care vouchers to shrink a rapidly growing waitlist of thousands of families — or risk undermining efforts to expand access to child care. Hochul’s executive budget proposal earlier this year…

Voters across New York — both Democrats and Republicans — want the state to invest more in affordable child care, a new poll found. It’s the latest sign of growing political pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul to push for the popular but expensive program ahead of a tough reelection race…

As part of ARC Rochester's Spotlight on Hunger, we learn more about The Children's Agenda and their work tackling food insecurity. Community and parent advocacy coordinator Isabel Rosa tells us more.

A new report shows Monroe County is spending millions of dollars each year on unfounded calls to CPS. Community agencies in our area say those resources could be better spent elsewhere.

Of the 6,768 Child Protective Services investigations in Monroe County in 2024, 76% were unfounded with no abuse or neglect, according to a report published by HOPE585 and The Children's Agenda. "That is real economic loss, pulling directly from families who are already living in the margins," said Ashley Cross,…

When a teacher, health care professional, or social worker believes that a child is being abused or neglected, they are legally obligated to report the matter to Child Protective Services (CPS), potentially facing legal penalties if they don’t. But the report from Hope 585 and The Children’s Agenda, another nonprofit…

Approximately 28,000 households in Rochester would lose access to SNAP benefits in November. Over 31 percent of the city’s households rely on the federal program. Members of Voices of Community Activists and Leaders joined the Children’s Agenda at St. Peter’s Kitchen last week calling attention to the impact on food-insecure…

While childhood poverty is creating a number of issues in communities across New York state, work is being done to stop it at its source. "I’d argue it's one of the most significant challenges facing New York state as a whole and certainly families in New York state. About 1…

Several groups, including representatives from VOCAL-NY, are advocating for people who rely on assistance in paying for their groceries, demanding the Trump administration reverse the cuts to SNAP and restore the Household Food Security report, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture stopped the survey which tracks food insecurity. “We stand…

Earlier this year, lawmakers approved the largest cut to food assistance in U.S. history as part of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Advocates also called for the Trump administration to reinstate the Household Food Security Report, the federal government's annual report on hunger in America, which it…

“The emergency food pantry network in town are asked to do always more with empty shelves, do more with less. That’s just not possible without a partner in the federal government restoring sanity to food policy,” said Children’s Agenda CEO Larry Max.

Rochester City Council Vice President LaShay Harris, released a comprehensive report detailing the current state of childhood poverty in the city of Rochester. Compiled in collaboration with City Council’s People, Parks, and Public Works Committee and The Children’s Agenda, the report highlights troubling statistics and offers actionable recommendations to address…

Pete Nabozny, Director of Policy for The Children’s Agenda, discusses the expected impacts of the State's budget on child poverty.

New data reaffirms that families continue to struggle financially, with Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature under pressure to address rising child poverty statewide. The Rockefeller Institute of Government and the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York want the state to boost the Empire State Child…

Qutisha Britt is finding it harder to support herself and her daughter as the cost of living continues to go up. She said inflation has made shopping for healthier meals more difficult, clothes are more expensive now, and rent in safer neighborhoods is simply unaffordable. “I know what my child…

Rochester City Council Vice President LaShay Harris, released a comprehensive report detailing the current state of childhood poverty in the city of Rochester. Compiled in collaboration with City Council’s People, Parks, and Public Works Committee and The Children’s Agenda, the report highlights troubling statistics and offers actionable recommendations to address…

City Council Vice President LaShay D. Harris released a 200+ page report detailing 13 initiatives to enhance the lives of Rochester’s children. A December report by The Children’s Agenda reveals that 40% of children in Rochester live in poverty.

A new report hopes to give the city of Rochester tools to prevent childhood poverty. Members of Rochester City Council presented the findings on Tuesday. The report was a collaboration with the Children’s Agenda. It outlines key causes of childhood poverty in the city and presents 13 possible solutions. These…

Advocates argue that by sending payments directly to families, the Working Families Tax Credit will help cover essential costs like groceries, childcare, and rent, ultimately lifting thousands of children out of poverty.

The share of New Yorkers in poverty is nearly double the national average, according to a report from Columbia University and an anti-poverty group. A quarter of New York City residents don’t have enough money for staples like housing and food, and many say they cannot afford to go to…

According to data from the 2022 census, more than one in five New Yorkers under the age of 18 are living in poverty. New York State's child poverty rate is the fourth highest in the U.S. What would it take to change that? The Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council has…

“We believe families struggling with affordability in New York would be better served by a larger Empire State Child Credit expansion and investments in other priorities like child care and affordable housing,” Nabozny said.

Pete Nabozny, director of policy for The Children’s Agenda and a member of the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, weighs in on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed expansion of the state’s child tax credit and new funding for child care facility construction.

A delegation of local elected officials and organizations, such as The Children’s Agenda and Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), are pledging their support for a series of recommendations from the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) that would help reduce child poverty in Rochester area and across the state.

The Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council just issued recommendations to cut the state’s child poverty rate in half, as Hochul committed to do in 2021 when she signed legislation creating the council. The council voted Wednesday to endorse a $9 billion package of proposals that it estimates would provide financial…

On Wednesday, the advisory council created by this statute released a slate of recommendations for realizing that goal. Members of the council voted unanimously to support the expansion of public assistance benefits and the Empire State Child Credit — causes they hope will feature in Hochul’s executive budget next year.

Local officials and advocacy organizations expressed their support on Wednesday for recommendations from the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council.

Lawmakers and organizations have voiced their support for recommendations by the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council that would reduce child poverty statewide by 50 percent by 2031.

More than 155,000 public school students experienced homelessness in New York in the 2022-23 school year, the highest level since at least 2009.

A proposal from state Senator Andrew Gounardes would send some new parents $1,800 in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Hope 585, a nonprofit that works with kids and families, is planning to host a town hall next week to hear directly from people about their interactions with Child Protective Services.

Stable, safe housing is critical for kids' mental, physical and social well-being. National studies have found that frequent moves and the inherited stress of not knowing how long you'll stay in your home or school hit children hard. Instability and poor housing conditions can increase kids' likelihood of developing anything…

More than 200 education, farm, union and anti-hunger groups have sent a letter to the governor urging her to include universal free meals in her next state budget.

A new report by The Children’s Agenda, EdTrust-NY, and Raising New York outlines strategies for New York State to enhance families’ economic well-being, ultimately benefiting children and communities. The report recommends making public benefits programs more accessible to eligible families.

There's a new effort in Rochester to combat child poverty. A series of hearings is being held on Nov. 5 and 12 with local childhood advocacy leaders. City officials say families need more help to meet basic needs like food, housing and after-school activities.

The Children’s Agenda Director of Policy Pete Nabozny discusses a recent survey of Monroe County parents who receive social services and considers how the administration of these programs can be improved across New York.

The Children’s Agenda published a new report on Thursday that aims to give New York state officials recommendations on how to make it easier to enroll in public assistance programs like WIC, SNAP, and Medicare.

The Children’s Agenda released a new report this week highlighting the experiences of families who apply for public benefit programs. This includes programs like WIC, SNAP, and Medicaid.

A new report from The Children’s Agenda, EdTrust-NY, and Raising New York highlights the need for more accessible public benefits programs in New York. The report surveyed 50 Monroe County families with young children, revealing challenges like confusing applications and long wait times for benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, and…

The presidential campaign has included discussions on family, on having children, on who has kids and who doesn't, and why.

We’ll highlight the work of the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, consider whether anything in the current state budget will put a meaningful dent in child poverty rates, and debate the different policy options to address this persistent problem that plagues communities across the state.

"No child is born destined to live in poverty, and the fact that nearly one of every two children in Rochester do – along with so many others in New York State – is a failure of public policy."

“No child was born destined to be in poverty. We have choices that we can make, like state tax credits that can be expanded that would fit families out of poverty."

“A lack of investment in poverty-fighting measures isn’t just a missing line in the budget. It’s felt by the family stretching to afford rent and child care, it’s felt by a child going without school lunch, and it’s felt by families deciding whether New York is a place where they…

You shouldn’t have to be a millionaire to be able to raise kids in New York. That’s why we crafted the Working Families Tax Credit to help working parents make ends meet, and why we’re pushing the state Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul to include it in this year’s budget.

The State Legislature is seeking to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to keep child care centers open in a crisis that is straining many families and their budgets, and also is a drag on the state’s labor market. A shortage of qualified child care workers, many of whom have left for…

Hevesi’s Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) bill, co-sponsored by State Senator Andrew Gounardes, would consolidate three existing benefits—Empire State Child Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Dependent Exemption—into one omnibus tax credit. The bill’s supporters project it would help 2.4 million families. “Basically, every family with kids in New…

The Rochester City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on funding for six organizations which will test out “innovative food models” for a period of 30 months. In late 2023, the Children’s Agenda released a report based on a survey of Monroe County parents. The report said that 82% of…

Why does the United States have more poverty than any other advanced democracy? Author Matthew Desmond has answers. Hear from local leaders.

Child poverty, inadequate and unstable housing, untreated medical conditions – these are not failures of children or families. They are failures of our systems.

Housing costs are out of reach for many families, leaving 8% of Rochester children homeless at some point in 2022.

61% of families in Monroe County who make less than $100,000 a year say they are rationing food for their families in between paychecks — according to a report released on Wednesday by The Children’s Agenda.

New findings from a recent poll through the Children’s Agenda surveyed 600 parents across Monroe County, and show staggering numbers on the level of food insecurity locally.

Parents across Monroe County are struggling to afford food, housing, mental health care, and enrichment opportunities for their children, according to poll results released Wednesday by The Children’s Agenda.

The council is also confronted with the scope of New York’s varying demographics, and appointee Pete Nabozny, Director of Policy for The Children’s Agenda in Rochester, says it’s crucial to have representatives from various regions.

Over the past two academic years, nearly 40 percent of students in the Rochester City School District experienced some kind of housing or school instability.

The Children's Agenda has been closely studying housing instability and its impact on kids and education, and its report found lower grades and graduation rates are closely linked to unstable housing.

Housing instability hurts children's education. A new report calls for policies to limit the harm housing instability causes to children.

'Devastating' housing instability in Rochester with almost 38% of students moving or changing schools over two years.

“What we will see is more children who aren’t ready for kindergarten, more health issues for children and families, more food insecurity. We’ll be seeing more housing instability, and seeing a lot more mental health problems as a result of all of this.”

Access to nutritious food is vital. Free school meals will be available in Greece Central School District starting this fall.

As state lawmakers discuss how to reduce child poverty, the city of Rochester will soon open applications for a new grant to bolster savings accounts for kids to help strengthen economic opportunities for young New Yorkers.

Research shows work requirements tend to reduce the population receiving assistance, while having little effect on the employment rate.

State lawmakers and advocates have been pushing to have the New York State child tax credit for families increased.

New York needs to expand and strengthen its child tax credit to cut child poverty.

Attendees demanded that congressional leadership in Washington oppose any new tax breaks for wealthy corporations in their year-end spending bill unless passed together with relief for working families.

Community leaders in Rochester gathered Saturday, calling for Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit as Congress reviews their end-of-the-year federal budget.

Across the state, approximately 1 in 5 children were living in poverty last year. In Rochester, that number spikes to nearly 1 in 2.

There's a new initiative in the works with a goal of cutting childhood poverty in half over the next decade.

With just days before the district's budget is due, there are still many unanswered questions as to what is and is not included in the final draft.

The recently adopted state budget includes a one-year expansion of two tax credits designed to help low-income New Yorkers. Listen to learn what it all means.

Children of any background or socioeconomic status can be a victim of child abuse. However, pediatrician Jeff Kaczorowski says he sees poverty be a huge stressor for families.

Rochester non-profit The Children’s Agenda recently released the results of a poll that surveyed 400 Monroe County parents about issues their children and families have faced and the solutions they support.

Carrying baggage into a situation where focus is paramount can make even the simplest of tasks a challenge. Such is the case for nearly half the children in Rochester who are all living at or below the federal poverty line.

Nearly half of all children in Rochester live in poverty according to the U.S Census Bureau. That ranks second highest in the nation of areas with a population of 100,000 or more. Local non-profits are disappointed but explain this is nothing new after decades of economic and political systems working…

A county-wide poll is revealing many parents are facing a series of similar struggles.

Monroe County families are in crisis, according to a recent poll conducted by The Children’s Agenda.

The Children’s Agenda says mental health is a top concern for parents in Monroe County. The organization released findings from a survey.

Hundreds of Monroe County parents participated in a first-of-its-kind poll conducted by The Children's Agenda.

On December 1, Governor Hochul signed the Child Poverty Reduction Act into law. The bill commits New York to reducing child poverty by 50 percent over the next ten years.

The Biden administration has launched the biggest anti-poverty program in more than half a century in this country. The money started rolling out last Thursday: checks to households in every state, aimed at helping more than 60 million children. Who gets the money, and how far will it go?

Almost every family with children in the country is expected to be eligible for direct payments from the U.S. government for the next several months.

Roughly 133,000 children in Monroe County will benefit from the new Child Tax Credit payments that began rolling out Thursday. The payments are an expansion of the existing child tax credit which is normally paid out at tax time every year. But now, qualifying families can expect to receive this…

The New York State Legislature passed the Child Poverty Reduction Act. The goal of the legislation is to cut childhood poverty in half within ten years. Now, the bill awaits Gov. Andrew Cuomo's signature.

A bill setting the goal of halving child poverty in New York within a decade has passed the Legislature and now goes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his signature.

New York state could soon be engaging in a new push to help reduce child poverty. The Childhood Poverty Reduction Act has passed both houses in the State Assembly and is awaiting the governor's signature.

The crisis of child poverty has gotten even worse during the pandemic. Now the State Legislature is pushing a new plan to cut child poverty in half over the next decade.

New York’s Legislature has voted overwhelmingly to set a goal of cutting child poverty in half in 10 years.

The two leading plans in Washington to support children and families come from President Biden and... Mitt Romney? It's true - the Republican Senator has released his own plan to boost financial support for children, leading some in his own party to call it "welfare expansion."

Congress passed the expanded federal child tax credit as part of the latest stimulus package. While eligible families can get the credit, some may miss out because their income is below the income threshold for filing taxes. 

Schumer also addressed the extension of the Child Tax Credit, saying that the law will funnel about $7 billion to eligible families in New York. Some of them will receive $300 monthly payments from the federal government beginning in July.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer visited Rochester on Wednesday, enumerating the bounty of recent federal stimulus funding and promising even further spending in President Joe Biden's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill.

The American Rescue Plan also includes an additional round of direct stimulus checks that have already started going out, aid to help schools reopen, an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, new rental assistance, pension relief for thousands of retirees, and more.

When the pandemic ends, it will not be cheap for East’s staff to get students, many of whom have checked out during the school’s remote learning offerings, back up to speed. While the new American Rescue Plan funnels nearly $130 billion into K-12 nationally to deal with fallout from the…

Robin Hood, the largest poverty-fighting organization in New York City, held a press conference with elected officials and advocates calling for the immediate and permanent expansion of the Empire State Child Tax Credit (ESCTC) to confront a crisis of poverty in New York that has left nearly 1 in 4 New York…