NC Child produces publications that document trends in child well-being and the impact of public policy decisions on children and families.
A new report from NC Child and NALEO Educational Fund, “The Statewide Implications of Undercounting Latino Children,” explores one of the major factors that could thwart a complete and accurate count of North Carolina residents and the distribution of critical funding for the state.
North Carolina’s latest child health report card gives the state high marks for children’s health coverage, but also points out some troubling trends. The rate of youth suicide in the state has nearly doubled over the previous decade. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-17 in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Child Health Report Card, issued annually by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and NC Child, tracks key indicators of child health and well-being in four areas: Healthy Births, Access to Care, Secure Homes and Neighborhoods, and Health Risk Factors. The report provides data on such health concerns and risk factors as asthma, teen births, infant mortality, poverty, and child deaths.
Nearly 1 million children in North Carolina live in poor or low-income homes.1 The state is ranked among the lowest in the nation for the ability of a child from the bottom 20% of the income bracket to reach the top 20% in adulthood.2 Family financial security is one of the strongest determinants of children’s success in life. Fortunately, there is a great deal of evidence about policies and practices that can move families from poverty to economic opportunity. Promoting what works to break the cycle of family poverty is critical to expanding opportunity for every child in North Carolina.
Parents work hard so that their children’s futures will offer more opportunity than their own did. Those efforts are increasingly futile in North Carolina, where children born into poverty are more likely than children in other states to remain in poverty as adults. Promoting family economic mobility is critical to ensuring opportunity for every child in North Carolina.
Children living in financially secure families are more likely to succeed in school, stay healthy, and to become economically self- sufficient as adults. Unfortunately, nearly half of North Carolina’s children (43%) live in poor or low-income homes. Growing up in poverty increases the likelihood that a child will be exposed to factors that can harm brain development, making success in school and life harder to achieve. Promoting financial health is critical to making sure every child in North Carolina has the opportunity to succeed.
Download our 2017 Impact Report to celebrate the big policy wins we achieved for kids in North Carolina. Thanks for being a voice for children!
The 2018 session might have been short, but it was highly consequential for children—both in terms of what happened and what didn’t happen. Legislators missed big opportunities on early education funding and school safety, stopped short of making some harmful decisions on health care, and approved six constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot this fall, including one to cap the state income tax rate. Below is a summary of the most important decisions for kids from the 2018 legislative session.
Children flourish in stable and supportive families. Unfortunately, the presence of substance misuse and substance use disorders can disrupt family life and render parents unable to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children. In North Carolina, families statewide are feeling the impact of the nation’s opioid epidemic as parental substance dependence gives rise to a second crisis in the state – a rapid increase in the number of children entering foster care due to parental substance misuse. The high cost of health insurance often means that parents do not have access to the resources to successfully fight addiction and reunite their families.
The North Carolina General Assembly commissioned its Program Evaluation Division
in 2016 to examine the school nurse shortage across the state. The Division’s report, prepared in 2017, provides a roadmap for state legislators seeking to end North Carolina’s school nurse shortage. This paper represents a summary of key findings from that report.