A 50-State Comparison of TANF Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection

The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) 50-State Comparison of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection can support the work of policymakers and advocates. Research using data from 2004 to 2016 shows that states that adopted any of seven restrictive TANF policies in those years saw increases […]

Balancing Priorities: Foster Parents’ Child Care Search and Selection Process

The Arkansas Office of Early Childhood is collaborating with SRI International, the National Center for Children in Poverty, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to learn about the supply, quality, and stability of early care and education (ECE) for children in foster care, as well as the facilitators and barriers to children in […]

Early Care and Education Is an Essential Component of the Foster Care System: A View From Arkansas

The Arkansas Office of Early Childhood is collaborating with SRI International, the National Center for Children in Poverty, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to learn about the supply, quality, and stability of early care and education (ECE) for children in foster care, as well as factors that promote or reduce access to […]

Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children Under Age 9, 2023

This brief uses ACS/Census data to highlight key facts that should inform policy debates about preserving and strengthening supports for children in their earliest years (under 9 years).

A 50-State Comparison of SNAP Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection

The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) 50-State Comparison of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection for the program can support the work of policymakers and advocates. In states that enacted them during the years 2004 through 2016, each of four policies included here contributed to reductions in […]

A 50-State Comparison of Restrictions on TANF Access

This resource presents a comparative view of the 2024 status of five restrictive state TANF policies that affect family and child well-being across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A 50-State Comparison of TANF Benefit Amounts

NCCP has conducted a review of many of the state TANF guidelines for the administration and distribution of cash assistance to families with adults and children across 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) in 2024. On the following pages, we focus on the maximum amount of cash assistance provided by each state and […]

Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 18 Years, 2020

This fact sheet shows the disparities in economic hardship experienced by children in 2019. These hardships have been exacerbated during the pandemic. For more information about economic hardships experienced by young children, under age 9, please click here.

Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 9 Years, 2020

This fact sheet shows the disparities in economic hardship experienced by young children, under age 9, in 2019. These hardships have been exacerbated during the pandemic. For more information about economic hardships experienced by all children, please click here.

Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children under 9 Years, 2016

To find comparable information for young children, see Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children Under 18 years, 2016. Among all children under 18 years in the U.S., 41 percent live in low-income families and 19 percent—approximately one in five—are poor. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation’s poor; they represent 23 percent of […]