NC Child produces publications that document trends in child well-being and the impact of public policy decisions on children and families.
This session legislators took some positive, incremental steps toward safeguarding child well-being, particularly in the areas of child health and safety. While we applaud those actions, we must also point out that the policies and budget decisions approved by legislators in 2016 were largely insufficient to meet the myriad challenges faced by North Carolina’s children and families.
Every child deserves a strong start in life and a chance to become a happy, healthy, and productive adult. Unfortunately, data show too many babies in North Carolina are born too small or too soon, placing them at risk for long-term health challenges or death within the first year of life.
State budgets for children give a glimpse of a state’s future—over a period of not so very many years, the strength and viability of a state will mirror the health and wellbeing of its youngest people. As the primary instrument of state policy, North Carolina’s budget for its 2.3 million children is a strong indicator of the quality of life that will unfold around us, whether or not we are parents ourselves.
In 1985, the NC General Assembly formally affirmed the authority of local boards of education to determine whether corporal punishment would be allowed as a measure of student discipline. At the time, all 115 local districts used the practice.
To this day, the legislature has declined to prohibit corporal punishment statewide. Thus, NC Child and a coalition of professional and advocacy organizations have worked locally on the issue. Now, just three districts–Robeson, Graham and Macon–use the practice.
The North Carolina Child Health Report Card tracks key indicators of child health and well-being.
On October 28, 2015, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed HB 318 into law. The bill, titled the “Protect North Carolina Workers Act,” takes effect immediately and raises serious concerns for the safety and well-being of North Carolina’s growing immigrant population. Nearly 750,000 immigrants currently call North Carolina home, including nearly 350,000 undocumented immigrants. It is also estimated that more than 170,000 U.S. citizen children living in mixed status-families are growing up in North Carolina. This fact sheet outlines some of the key implications of HB 318 for children and families.
Each year, our elected representatives have an extraordinary opportunity to use public policy to improve the lives of children and families in North Carolina. By expanding access to high-quality health care, strengthening our schools and early learning opportunities, and growing economic opportunity, policymakers can change a child’s life trajectory. Conversely, policy decisions can also create or worsen barriers to opportunity and success.
The 2015 Data Book focuses on key trends in child well-being in the post-recession years, measuring child well-being in four domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.
Working parents and their children would receive significant help with health insurance coverage if North Carolina implements a plan to accept federal Medicaid funding set aside for North Carolina, according to a new report released today by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) and NC Child. In the report, researchers point to several studies that establish the direct connection between insurance coverage for parents and the health of their children.