Children's Services

The Soaring Cost of Child Care, In 5 Charts

The cost of raising children has gotten so overwhelming for so many families that policymakers on both the federal and state levels are floating proposals.

  • By Heidi Steinour, The Conversation

The Soaring Cost of Child Care, In 5 Charts

The cost of raising children has gotten so overwhelming for so many families that policymakers on both the federal and state levels are floating proposals.

  • By Heidi Steinour, The Conversation
Children's Services

The Soaring Cost of Child Care, In 5 Charts

The cost of raising children has gotten so overwhelming for so many families that policymakers on both the federal and state levels are floating proposals.

  • By Heidi Steinour, The Conversation

The Coming Care Crisis as Kids With Autism Grow Up

The number of adults with autism diagnoses is soaring, but there aren’t enough programs and services to meet the demand.

  • By Noah Remnick, The Atlantic

Foster Parents Have Become Professionals in Some States

The idea of hiring professional foster parents to take care of children is controversial, but is being tested as a solution to the shortage of families in these state systems.

  • By Teresa Wiltz

New Survey Finds Big Increase in U.S. Teen Vaping

One in five high school seniors vaped in 2018.

  • By Katherine Ellen Foley, Quartz

Fears Raised of ‘Chilling Effect’ on Kids If Trump Proposal Is Adopted

Changes to the “public charge” rule could make it harder for immigrants to secure green cards if they seek government services like Medicaid.

  • By Laura Maggi

Measuring Results of Early Childhood Spending

Finding more resources to help struggling populations “needs to be reframed as an economic imperative, even a national security issue.”

  • By Timothy B. Clark

New Rules Could Open More Homes to Foster Kids

The proposed federal guidelines would eliminate square footage and bedroom requirements, among other changes.

  • By Teresa Wiltz

Report on Uninsured Children in the U.S. Shows Distressing Trend

“With an improving economy and a very low unemployment rate, the fact that our nation is going backwards on children’s health coverage is very troubling,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families.

  • By Laura Maggi

If Parents Get Deported, Who Gets Their Children?

One in five children being raised by extended family members—grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins—live in an immigrant household, more than half a million children, a new report shows.

  • By Teresa Wiltz

Summer Food Programs Face Challenges in Rural Areas

Paperwork, administrative burdens and transportation issues can lead to lower participation among children in rural areas, experts said at a House subcommittee hearing.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Watchdog Projects Ongoing Drop in Share of Federal Spending on Kids

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released its estimates as the nation's debt and deficits are on the rise.

  • By Bill Lucia

More Money—and Stricter Scrutiny—for Child Care

“What we’re seeing is an influx of state policymakers starting to wrap their arms around the fact that learning doesn’t start in kindergarten,” said Bruce Atchison of the Education Commission of the States.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

Share of Kids Facing Food Insecurity Still Above Pre-Recession Levels

“In 16 states, more than one-in-five children live in food insecure households,” new research from The Hamilton Project notes.

  • By Bill Lucia

Federal Judge Asked to Appoint ‘Special Master’ for Illinois Child Welfare Agency

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Intergovernmental ‘venom’ in S.C. … Colo. to adopt Calif.-style auto emission standards … and coral disease heading to Key West.

  • By Michael Grass

Houston Officials May Try to Foil Trump Plans for ‘Tender Age’ Shelter

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | D.C. voters approve measure to eliminate tipped minimum wage … Del. blood emergency … and a Calif. mayor ends up with 5,000 purple water bottles.

  • By Michael Grass

Will the New Foster Care Law Give Grandparents a Hand?

Some advocates for children being raised by grandparents worry that a new federal law will make it more difficult for caregivers to get help from state agencies and financial assistance.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

Everyone's Welcome: Saving Families With Movie Nights and Meetups

Can family enrichment centers help keep kids out of foster care?

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

This New Federal Law Will Change Foster Care As We Know It

Most child welfare advocates have hailed the changes, but some states that rely heavily on group homes fear that now they won’t have enough money to pay for them.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

29 Local Governments Selected for Childhood Development Partnership

Communities selected for StriveTogether have demonstrated a commitment to ensuring kids have a strong start in life.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Food Stamps Fall Short of Meal Costs in Most Counties, Study Finds

The findings come at a time when the Trump administration has proposed lower spending on the program in the coming years.

  • By Bill Lucia