Child Poverty
Poverty is a policy choice, not a personal failing.
Structural inequities like housing discrimination, disinvestment in neighborhoods, and barriers to learning opportunities – within and outside of school – prevent children, families, and communities from thriving. That’s why The Children’s Agenda helps policymakers connect the dots between issues like housing, education and child health.
Time and again, research and practice have shown that one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways of improving education and health outcomes for children is keeping more money in families’ pockets. That’s why The Children’s Agenda advocates for expansion of child tax credits at the state and federal levels.
Read the Latest from The Children's Agenda
Advocacy
State-level testimony
- Our testimony to the 2024 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on State Taxes, calling for the Working Families Tax Credit
- Our testimony to the 2023 NYS Senate Standing Committee on Cities about housing in small and medium sized cities
Public statements
- Our statement when the Child Poverty Reduction Act was signed into law in 2021.
Facts and Reports
Working Families Tax Credit
Join our Child Poverty Work Group!
Meeting the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 6:30-7:30pm, online via Zoom.
Fill out this form and Carmen Torres will be in touch to welcome you and tell you how to join the next meeting.
You can also call her at (585) 256-2620 ext. 2613 with any questions you may have. Se habla español.
Our Partners
NYS Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council
In 2021/2022, the New York State Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, the Child Poverty Reduction Act, committing the State to reduce child poverty by 50% over 10 years, with attention to racial equity. With this law, New York joined a small handful of states leading the way on poverty-fighting legislation. Enactment of the Child Poverty Reduction Act clearly signals that our state will no longer tolerate having two in five children experiencing severe economic hardship.
Among other provisions, the Act established the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council which is chaired by the Executive Chamber (Office of the Governor) and the Commissioner of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). Appointed Council members include NYS agency leaders, advocates, impacted community members, heads of county social services departments, and others working to end child poverty in New York State. Pete Nabozny, Policy Director at The Children’s Agenda, is an appointed member of the CPRAC.
The Council is charged with establishing a timeline, inclusive of yearly benchmarks, for reducing child poverty in the state by 50% by 2031 and developing reports and proposals. Additionally, the Council must consider the disproportionate impact poverty has on various racial and ethnic communities and what policies may assist in alleviating such disparities.
