North Carolina’s economy and tax system are failing more and more of the state’s families and children. The rising cost of basic family necessities, wages that are not keeping up with inflation and a tax system that increasingly relies upon middle-class and low-wage workers are combining to make it more difficult for many North Carolina families to make ends meet.
This
page features a listing of Action for Children's Economic Security Publications, featured in chronological order (most recent first). To
see more information, click "Read More."
New! Emerging Issues Report: Children in Immigrant Families - February 2010
All children deserve access to good health, safety, a sound education and the stability that comes with family financial security. And yet, Action for Children's newest report finds that access to these basics has been denied to far too many of the 340,000 children in immigrant families in
North Carolina. Although children in immigrant families make up 15 percent of the child population of the state, and the vast majority of them are U.S. citizens, many of them are blocked out of the health care system, pushed out of school, and relegated to the economic margins. Click here to read the full report.
This data report finds that the national
housing crisis is negatively affecting North Carolina and profoundly impacting
children's physical, academic and social development. Nearly 40,000 North Carolina children were directly impacted
by foreclosure in 2008, which will leave a lasting effect on their futures. Children
who don't have stable homes are more likely to struggle in school and more
likely to drop out. The loss in housing value has a further negative impact on
children's ability to receive a sound, basic education by diminishing the local
property taxes that support schools.
Action for Children North Carolina's 2009 North Carolina Children's Index offers a wealth of child and youth well-being data that demonstrate the state's public policy successes as well as missed opportunities. The report shows that important investments in children's services pay off, that sound research enhances the ability to build effective programs and that, despite progress in addressing children's needs, geographic and racial disparities persist.
In order for
North Carolina to overcome its current
economic crisis and establish a stable and strong economy, students must be
taught basic financial concepts. A combination of factors, including the availability and use of information,
institutional and individual behavior and the broader economic and policy
context, have been to blame for the recent economic downturn. Therefore, any
approach to preparing young people to join the workforce must include a
combination of information, experience and protection.
North Carolina's children are
increasingly disconnected from the network of institutions that provide an
opportunity for success and make prosperity possible. The repercussions of this
disconnection can be seen in the increased number of children in households
burdened with high housing costs or in the number of children in poverty despite
having full-time workers in their households.
NEW DATA! The North
Carolina Local Asset Poverty Indexprovides data on
asset poverty by region for the first time.Asset poverty
is defined as the lack of sufficient financial resources to remain above the
Federal Poverty Level for three months without earned income. Assets matter for
a family’s economic stability and intergenerational mobility.Nearly 30 percent of
North Carolina’s children live in asset poor
households.Variation in asset poverty
by region can provide information about the need for greater opportunities to
save and build assets in communities across the state.
Child Poverty in North Carolina: A Preventable Epidemic highlights the stunting effect poverty has on children’s cognitive development, academic success, health outcomes and opportunities to improve economic circumstances.
Specifically, Child Poverty in
North Carolina: A Preventable Epidemic recommends that
North Carolina policymakers work to:
Support families with decent wages; affordable, high-quality child care and housing; and access to tax credits and health insurance.
Strengthen communities through increased access to traditional banking services, improved public and adult education, environmental clean-up efforts and strategic economic development investments to attract socially responsible businesses.
Invest in children’s futures through increased opportunities for asset creation, such as appropriate savings vehicles, affordable financial education for adults and children, greater support for small businesses and increased access to homeownership.
The 2006 North Carolina Children's Index includes more than 75 indicators of child and youth well-being in the following areas: child health and safety, economic (in)security, early care and education, child maltreatment, juvenile justice and demographics. The 2006 Index also includes a special section highlighting how the children and youth of
North Carolina are developing in positive ways.
Copies of the Children's Index are free. If you would like to order multiple copies of the Index, we do ask that you pay postage costs. Please email your name, organization, mailing address and phone number to admin@ncchild.org
North Carolina children who live in families above 200% of the federal poverty line—about $38,700 for a family of four—are more likely to enjoy excellent physical and dental health, more likely to be read to as young children, more likely to participate in after-school activities and sports, and less likely to repeat a grade than their lower-income peers.
