Child Trends

01/28/2026

According to recent Child Trends analysis, child welfare agencies are spending more federal dollars than they did a decade ago. In state fiscal year (SFY) 2022, child welfare agencies spent $16.8 billion in federal funds, representing a 6 percent increase over 10 years (after accounting for inflation). This increase in child welfare agencies’ use of federal funds is due to the creation and expansion of programs funded by Title IV-E of the Social Security Act and a large influx of pandemic relief dollars.
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/child-welfare-agencies-federal-funding-sources

01/27/2026

In 2023, 37.5 percent of children experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), a small but statistically significant improvement from 39.8 percent in 2018, according to a new Child Trends analysis.

ACEs, broadly, refer to a range of childhood circumstances or events that pose a serious threat to physical or psychological well-being, and are associated with many negative physical and mental health outcomes throughout the lifespan.

Although this analysis indicates that the prevalence of ACEs has declined slightly over the past six years, these improvements are modest—particularly in light of the increased focus on preventing ACEs and greater awareness of the effects of trauma in childhood over the same period.

In 2023, 37.5 percent of children experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), a small but statistically significant improvement from 39.8 percent in 2018.[1] According to a new Child Trends analysis, the percentage of children (birth to age 17) who experienced ACEs remained relative...

01/26/2026

📢 New Resource Alert! The National Early Care and Education Workforce Center’s new brief, “Driving Systems Change in the ECE Workforce via Early Educator Engagement and Leadership,” highlights how authentic requires shared decision-making power. Early educators are not just advisors—they must be recognized as co-creators and decision makers in systems change to ensure reforms truly reflect their lived experiences.
In the third brief in a series on the drivers of systems change for , you’ll learn that:
- Systems change requires authentic educator engagement and leadership, which ensures that educators have meaningful influence and decision-making power.
- Early educators are key leaders in ECE systems change because they have practical insight into the challenges, opportunities, and solutions that work in the real world.
- State-led and educator-led systems change initiatives illustrate how authentic educator engagement is being leveraged to drive systems change.

Read the full brief to get inspired:

Systems change requires authentic educator engagement and leadership, which ensures that educators have meaningful influence and decision-making power. This brief […]

01/23/2026

2025 was a busy yet exciting year for Breakthrough Accelerator! From their inaugural cohort completing their journeys and presenting at their first-ever Demo Day to onboarding and training their second cohort of innovators, 2025 was a year filled with learning, innovation, community, and progress.

Read Breakthrough's newest blog to learn more about their milestones and accomplishments, training strategies, and more. https://breakthrough.fund/breaking-through-in-this-year-of-innovation-impact-and-momentum/

01/22/2026

Nearly half (46%) of Hispanic children under age 18 live in families with low incomes, according to our new analysis of 2023 American Community Survey data. For this analysis, low-income families include those with earnings up to two times the official poverty threshold (i.e., 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, or FPL) as a general approximation of the income needed to meet a family’s basic needs. In 2023, this was $60,000 per year for a family of four.

Hispanic children make up more than 1 in 4 children under age 18 in the United States and, by 2050, are expected to make up more than 1 in 3. How Latino children fare economically will play a large role in determining the country’s overall social and economic well-being.

This product was partially developed with funding from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families. It is being posted here following the end of federal funding to the Center.

01/21/2026

Extended foster care provides ongoing services and supports to youth ages 18 to 21 to ease their transition to adulthood and increase positive outcomes such as educational attainment, employment, and housing stability. A new Child Trends blog, by Rachel Rosenberg, highlights the benefits of extended foster care for youth ages 18 to 21.

Even a short tenure in extended foster care has measurable benefits for young people. They are:

• 69 percent more likely to earn a high school diploma/GED
• 63 percent more likely to be currently enrolled in a secondary or post-secondary education program
• 61 percent more likely to receive financial support for their education

The transition to adulthood is a critical developmental milestone for all young adults, marked by identity exploration, increased autonomy, and growth and learning as youth finish school and enter the workforce. During emerging adulthood, many young people continue to receive monetary and emotional....

01/20/2026

If you’re working to strengthen and reimagine early childhood systems in your state or community, the ECE Access Center was created for you. We offer tools, partnership opportunities, data and evaluation, and other supports to strengthen ECE systems, thereby opening more doors for families to access care that meets their needs and helps children thrive. If you’re seeking clear, effective strategies and approaches aligned with families’ needs, we’re here to work alongside you.

Vision: Our vision is that every family is able to access high-quality early care and education that meets their needs and helps their children thrive.

01/16/2026

January is , and prevention often begins with knowing how to ask the right questions.

This research-based resource from Activate Center helps youth-supporting professionals think through when, where, and how to start a conversation with a young person who may be a s*x trafficking survivor—centering safety, trust, confidentiality, and trauma-informed care. Explore the resource. https://activatecenter.org/resource/conversation-young-person-s*x-trafficking-survivor/

01/15/2026

More mothers are now being screened for depression during home visits funded through the the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS' Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program than in prior years. A new Child Trends data point shows that, in fiscal year (FY) 2024, 81 percent of enrolled mothers received depression screenings within three months of enrolling in home visiting or delivering a child (up from 75% in FY2017). The rate of screening in MIECHV-served families greatly outpaces the national average of approximately 3-9 percent.

More mothers are now being screened for depression during home visits funded through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Data from the MIECHV Outcomes Dashboard show that, in FY 2024, 81 percent of enrolled mothers received depression screenings within three mon...

01/14/2026

Parents work hard to make informed decisions about their children’s education, but inaccessible education research can make it difficult for them to effectively use research and data to guide their choices. Child Trends’ latest resource highlights three opportunities for researchers and education agency staff to better share education research and data to support parents’ involvement in their child’s education. Each takeaway is accompanied by a practical, research-informed recommendation.

Parents work hard to make informed decisions about their children’s education. Whether evaluating school options, interpreting a test score, or monitoring their child’s safety at school, they consistently seek trustworthy information. However, the often inaccessible education research landscape ...

01/13/2026

Many states are looking for ways to lower families’ child care costs. Vermont’s Act 76, passed in 2023, increased the income limit for families to still be eligible for child care subsidies and offered child care providers more financial support. Since then, thousands of additional families have begun using the subsidies. Read a new analysis from our researchers to see how Act 76 is playing out for Vermont families.

New Child Trends analysis of administrative data finds that the number of families receiving child care subsidies in Vermont increased by 48 percent, from 5,389 families in July 2023 to 7,983 in April 2025. This increase is at least partly due to 2023 legislation, called Act 76, which aimed to ensur...

01/12/2026

Today, one in every four U.S. children is Latino, a figure estimated to rise to one in three by 2050. Child Trends’ new Latino Families Flourishing (LFF) project, funded by the RWJFoundation, highlights the rich tapestry of the Latino population in the United States and aims to drive systems change by recognizing the power rooted in the size and significance of this growing population. LFF collaborates with communities, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to inform and transform systems, ensuring that Latino families and communities have access to the opportunities and resources they need to thrive.

https://www.childtrends.org/research-centers/hispanic-institute/latino-families-flourishing