It is important that young children have safe, supportive and economically stable homes in order to grow and thrive most successfully. However, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty, there are over 6 million infants and toddlers in the United States living in low-income families; half of which are living below poverty. These families and their children are often experiencing multiple demographic and familial risk factors. The young child risk calculator, developed by NCCP, is a tool that allows users to calculate the percentage of young children in a state, within a specified age range, who are experiencing selected risk factors or a combination of selected risk-factors (such as having a teen parent, low parental education and residential mobility) and economic hardship at a specified level (extreme poverty, poverty, low-income). This tool is a great way for policymakers to consider the scope of risks affecting young children in their state.
To learn more about the ways that communities, families and support services can work together to build protective factors for all children so that they are safe, healthy and able to thrive visit CSSP’s Strengthening Families.
For policy strategies to ensure children grow-up in safe, supportive and economically successful homes visit PolicyforResults.
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