Publications

Planting A Seed for Expanded Educational Opportunity: An Introduction to Children’s Savings Accounts

August 2016

Higher education is an important ladder to financial success and stability for children. College graduates earn more, are more likely to be employed, and are less likely to live in poverty than those with a high school diploma. In North Carolina, 4 percent of adults who have a bachelor’s degree or higher live in poverty, compared to 21 percent of adults who have a high school diploma or less.

One promising approach to expand educational and economic opportunity for low- income children and strengthen their college-bound identity is Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs)

2016 Legislative Summary

July 2016

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.

Strengthening Women’s Health: A Key to Reducing Infant Mortality and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities

July 2016

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.

Recommendations for 2016 State Budget Conferees

June 2016

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.

Corporal Punishment in North Carolina’s Public Schools: Almost Gone and Good Riddance

March 2016

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.

2016 North Carolina Child Health Report Card

February 2016

The North Carolina Child Health Report Card tracks key indicators of child health and well-being.

How Does North Carolina’s HB 318 Impact Children?

November 2015

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.

2015 Legislative Summary

November 2015

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.

2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book

July 2015

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.