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27 EARLY CHILDHOOD
Challenge New York City is home to more than 100,000 children aged 0-3 who live in poverty. Developmentally, low-income children, on average, are one to three years behind their more affluent peers upon entering kindergarten. About 64% of New Yorkers live in child care deserts, and one in four low-income women develop symptoms of depression after childbirth. Research tells us that programs like Pre-K and high-quality child care best position children to enter kindergarten ready to learn, a predictor of long-term academic success, including high school completion and graduation. Response Improving the mental health of mothers, families, and caregivers gives children the strongest start in life, and your support ensures these essential services are accessible to low-income women and their families from pregnancy through early childhood. Your commitment also empowers parents and Here’s What You Made Possible Reached 17,230 MOTHERS AND INFANTS with evidence-based physical and mental health programs that have been shown to improve birth outcomes and reduce rates of illness, mortality, and postpartum depression. Screened 94,000 CHILDREN for mental and physical health at 67 sites operated by our grantee partner HealthySteps.
Screened 18,272 CHILDREN to identify risks for negative health and learning outcomes and connected 3,025 children under the age of 3 to therapies that help put them on track to meet developmental milestones and tremendously impact their ability to learn and grow. Improved the quality of care provided by more than 1,000 CHILD CARE WORKERS, creating better learning environments for 9,810 children under the age of 4. for children under 4, and to nearly double it to $500 for older children. This proposal represents the single largest boost to New York’s child tax credit in its history. This measure, if enacted by the legislature, will reduce child poverty by 8.2% across the State. Robin Hood was instrumental in securing passage of the law, which requires NYS to halve child poverty by 2033. caregivers with evidence-based strategies to support children’s cognitive, language, and socioemotional development, while investing in the expansion of Pre-K and child care. Last year, our advocacy helped to restore $112 million to the City’s 3-K and Pre-K programs, saving access for 100,000 children while securing an additional $5 million in City funding to ensure that eligible families know about their child care options. As a member of the statewide Children’s Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC), Robin Hood was instrumental in securing a commitment from the Governor to triple the size of New York’s child tax credit to $1,000
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $ 20.7 MILLION
Twenty-six percent (26%) of New York City’s children live in poverty—the highest rate observed since 2017—and nearly double the national child poverty rate.
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