Popular discussion of the harm caused by firearms often focuses on deaths, overlooking the impact of non-fatal injuries. For every child in the United States who dies due to firearms, two more are treated for bodily harm resulting from a shooting. Firearm injuries can cause lifelong physical ailments and mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For Californians under age 25, firearm injury has been a top 10 cause of hospitalization for the past five years. Nationwide, across all age groups, it is estimated that initial emergency department and hospital treatment for firearm injuries costs over $1 billion annually.

The latest data available for California show that firearm-related injury hospitalizations among young people under age 25 remain elevated. The state’s 1,315 firearm hospitalizations in 2021—representing a rate of 10.1 hospital discharges per 100,000 children and young adults—were just 70 fewer than the number recorded in 2020 (1,385—10.6 per 100,000). Both years saw substantially higher rates than 2018 or 2019, though not as high as 2016 (the first year for which comparable data are available).

Trends at the county level varied widely over this period. In San Bernardino, firearm hospitalizations almost doubled between 2016 (65 hospitalizations—7.9 per 100,000) and 2021 (118 hospitalizations—14.5 per 100,000), and San Diego saw an increase of around two-thirds. By contrast, rates fell by more than a third in Sacramento and by half in Monterey over the same period.

Data for the two most common types of firearm injury intent—assault and unintentional injury—have generally mirrored the statewide trend in gun-related hospitalizations among youth overall. Youth firearm hospitalizations due to self-harm, by contrast, have been on the rise since 2019, and were higher in 2021 than in any of the five previous years.

Demographic characteristics are associated with striking disparities in the likelihood of being hospitalized for a firearm injury. In 2021, young males in California experienced firearm injury hospitalization rates seven and a half times higher than their female counterparts. The rate of firearm injury hospitalization among African American/Black young people statewide (52.3 per 100,000) was substantially higher than for any other racial/ethnic group with data—almost five times higher than for Hispanic/Latino young people and almost 20 times higher than for white young people. And while older teens and young adults experience higher rates of firearm injury than younger children, rates among those under age 15 have been climbing steadily since 2016.

Read about strategies to prevent child and young adult injuries from firearms and other causes.

Opportunity

Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) Public Seminar: Modernizing Poverty Measurement

CNSTAT will host a public seminar September 29 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET addressing conceptual questions around the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of different poverty measures. A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, An Updated Measure of Poverty: (Re)Drawing the Line, will be featured.

Take Action

Comment Request: American Community Survey (ACS) Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Test Questions

The U.S. Census Bureau invites public comment on its proposal to test question wording, response categories, and placement of SOGI questions on the ACS questionnaire. Of specific interest is how the questions perform when one person answers about others (or proxy reporting, which is typical in the ACS). Submit your comments by November 20.

Children’s Health Resources

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Active Transportation: Recognizing the Relationship Between Adversity, Resiliency, and Active Transportation

The California Essentials for Childhood Initiative, California Department of Public Health Active Transportation Safety Program, and All Children Thrive California have developed a brief to support efforts to meet basic transportation needs and physical activity requirements, which can foster environments in which people and communities can heal from trauma and build resilience.

The Return on Investing in Children: Helping Children Thrive

Investments in children—particularly very young children—can have short- and long-term payoffs for individuals and society at large, a recent study by Urban Institute finds. Yet only a small share of spending in the federal budget targets children, and even less will be spent on children in the coming years.

Recently Released Data

We recently released data about injuries. See links to the latest here.

Posted by kidsdata.org

There are many ways to connect with KidsData. We’re committed to building a robust community of researchers, educators, providers, decisionmakers, advocates, and others working on behalf of children and families in our state—and we want you to be part of it.

Nearly 5,500 people and organizations follow KidsData. Join them to keep up with our latest work, the work of our partners and peers, and research and news on child health and well-being. Find us on:

• LinkedIn
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Follow us on your preferred platform and share your feedback. The more you participate, the stronger our community will become.

KidsData in the News

Where Child Well-Being Stands in California

An article in Axios San Francisco cites KidsData figures on students not completing high school in San Francisco County (where the percentage is substantially higher than the statewide average, due, in part, to a large charter high school for adults with a dropout rate above 90%).

Opportunities

Census Bureau Feedback Opportunity on Potential Removal of the Ancestry Question From the ACS

The Association of Public Data Users will host a webinar August 30 at 3:00 p.m. ET in which U.S. Census Bureau staff will provide context on the potential removal of the ancestry question (“What is your ancestry or ethnic origin?”) from the American Community Survey. Participants will have an opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions.

Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) Fee Schedule and Partnership Capacity Grants

The next webinar in CYBHI’s five-part series on Leveraging and Aligning Opportunities to Advance and Sustain School Mental Health [PDF] will be held August 30 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT. Participants will learn about a new opportunity for schools and their partners to receive increased sustainable funding for student mental health services.

Creating Protective Environments Web Conference

The California Department of Public Health’s Rape Prevention and Education Program and ValorUS will host a two-part web conference September 6 and 7, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT. Discussion topics will include community connectedness, gendered social norms, placemaking strategies, alcohol-related policies, and violence prevention policies in schools, municipalities, and organizations. San Diego Unified School District’s Youth Advocacy Department and All Children Thrive, a community-led group working to improve child well-being in California, will be featured.

Safe Spaces: Supporting Schools and Care Settings to Be Trauma Informed

The Office of the California Surgeon General (OSG) and ACEs Aware will host a virtual event September 7 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. PT about Safe Spaces, OSG’s new online training for educators, school personnel, and early care providers to recognize and respond to trauma and stress in children and share strategies that promote safe and supportive learning environments.

Open Call for Applications: Centering Youth Mental Health

CVS Health Foundation invites community-based, multisector coalitions to apply for $1,000,000 awards to implement strategies that increase young people’s access to evidence-based care, programs, and conditions that promote positive mental health outcomes. Priority populations include adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 24 who identify as female, black, indigenous, a person of color, and/or LGBTQ+; live in communities with limited availability of behavioral health care services; and/or are involved in juvenile justice or child welfare systems. Applications are due September 8 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Children’s Health Resource

California Child Well-Being Coalition e-Guide

The California Essentials for Childhood Initiative has published a digital resource to support state and local public health programs, child-serving systems, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations interested in collaborating with groups at the local level to achieve child well-being through policy, systems, and environmental change.

Take Action

Public Feedback: Perspectives on Transforming Health Care for Children and Youth

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Improving the Health and Well-Being of Children and Youth Through Health Care System Transformation welcomes input from the public. Submit your experiences, thoughts, and ideas about improving health care.

Posted by kidsdata.org

In 2022, 1,675 California infants died before their first birthday—less than half the number who died in 1995. Over this period, the state’s infant mortality rate fell by more than 35%, from 6.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 per 1,000. Overall infant mortality trends statewide generally parallel those of the nation but rates in California have remained consistently lower than U.S. rates across years with comparable figures.

At the local level, infant mortality rates vary widely by year and by region. Among counties with data for 2022, figures ranged from fewer than 3 deaths per 1,000 live births (Placer, San Francisco, San Mateo) to more than 6 per 1,000 (Madera, Monterey, Shasta).

Statewide and nationally, the leading causes of infant mortality in 2020 were birth defects and preterm birth or low birthweight; in California, rates for these causes were 0.9 and 0.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively.

And both statewide and nationally, inequities persist. U.S. infants born to African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander mothers are much more likely to die before age 1 than those born to Asian, Hispanic/Latino, and white mothers. In California, the infant mortality rate for African American/Black mothers (9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births) was more than double the rate for Hispanic/Latino mothers (3.9 per 1,000) and nearly three times the rate for white mothers (3.1 per 1,000) in 2020.

Research shows that factors contributing to racial disparities in birth outcomes may have roots in structural racism and related stress. The large Black-white disparity in preterm births, for instance, is only partly explained by known health risk factors, and exists at all socioeconomic levels. In California, rates of preterm delivery and low birthweight among infants of Black parents in the top income range (95th percentile) are 1.5 times higher than for infants of white parents in the bottom income range (5th percentile).

Similarly, maternal mortality and severe childbirth complications disproportionately impact Black mothers, even after controlling for education and income, suggesting, again, that programs and policies aiming to close persistent gaps and improve outcomes must look beyond addressing markers of socioeconomic disadvantage.

Read more about strategies to reduce infant mortality and advance equity in maternal and infant health.

KidsData in the News

California Child Care Costs Among Most Expensive in U.S. Here’s How Much It Typically Costs [read in Spanish]

A Sacramento Bee article cites KidsData on annual child care costs in Sacramento and neighboring counties.

Opportunity

Request for Application: Strengthening Economic Security and Mobility as a Protective Factor for Domestic Violence Prevention

The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch of the California Department of Public Health is funding local organizations to implement domestic and sexual violence prevention approaches focused on strengthening economic security and mobility for Black women and their families. Letters of intent are due Aug. 4, 2023.

Resource

Doorway: Find and Apply for Affordable Housing in the Bay Area

The recently launched Doorway Housing Portal centralizes housing listings from across the Bay Area and makes it easy to search for affordable housing online. Developed by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority with support from Exygy and a team of Google.org fellows, this first-of-its-kind regional portal encompasses nine Bay Area counties.

Recently Released Data

We recently released data about infant mortality. See links to the latest here.

Posted by kidsdata.org

Patricia Malagon, guest author from the Public Policy Institute of California, discusses recent key findings about poverty and safety net supports in the context of California’s economic and policy environment.

The California Poverty Measure (CPM), a decade-long partnership between the Public Policy Institute of California and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, provides a state-specific measure of who lacks resources to meet basic needs, accounting for local differences in both the cost of living and safety net resources across the state.

The most recent version of the CPM updated our methodology to address data collection challenges and the rapidly changing policy environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fall 2021 CPM offers a more complete picture of poverty by projecting annual poverty rates into fall 2021 using 2019 CPM data. Our previous method was to use the most recent available data, which would have been data for 2020, but we recognized that economic and policy conditions in 2020 were so unique that data for fall 2021 could be more useful for informing policymaking. As a result, the updated CPM captures economic and safety net policy conditions in fall 2021.

We find that the statewide CPM poverty rate among Californians of all ages fell from 16.4% in 2019 to 11.7% in fall 2021. While the CPM is not directly comparable with other poverty measures, related measures find similar trends. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which is similar to the CPM but provides a generalized method applicable to all states, shows a drop from 17.2% in 2017-2019 to 13.2% in 2019-2021. In contrast, the federal official poverty measure, which does not reflect the role of safety net programs, finds a much smaller drop in poverty over the same period (from 11.4% to 11%). An important difference between these measures and the CPM is that they refer to a three-year average for 2019-2021, while the CPM reflects conditions in fall 2021.

Children ages 0 to 17 saw the largest decline in poverty among age groups, according to the CPM; rates dropped by more than half between 2017-2019 and fall 2021, from 18.6% to 9%. This means that about 870,000 fewer California children were living on annual resources below the CPM poverty line ($36,900 statewide for a family of four that rents). Among children living in deep poverty, the share fell from 3.9% to 1.7%, translating to about 200,000 fewer children living on family resources less than half of the CPM poverty line.

California’s substantial regional differences in cost of living drive differences in child poverty around the state. Counties with the highest child poverty rates in fall 2021 were Orange (12.4%) and Los Angeles (10.1%), while Sacramento had the lowest rate (6.7%). Across legislative districts, child poverty varied widely, from 2.9% to 17.4%.

Safety net programs, most of which focus on children, reduced child poverty by nearly 20 percentage points in fall 2021. Without the combined safety net—including cash, nutrition supports, tax credits, and housing subsidies—the child poverty rate would have been more than three times higher (28.7%) statewide, amounting to around 1.7 million more children without adequate resources to meet their basic needs. The expanded federal child tax credit (CTC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (CalFresh) were the main drivers of this reduction; the expanded CTC alone reduced child poverty by 4.3 percentage points (7.4 percentage points when taken together with the Young Child Tax Credit and federal and state earned income tax credits), while CalFresh alone accounted for a reduction of 4.6 points.

Most pandemic-era policy expansions have now expired, including the expanded CTC and CalFresh emergency allotments. Because a wide range of federal and state responses kept many families and children out of poverty during the pandemic, poverty has likely increased in 2023. This fall, PPIC and Stanford will update the CPM to reflect poverty in the first quarter of 2023.

Read more from PPIC on poverty and inequality in California.

KidsData in the News

Recently Released 2020 Census Data Reveals One in Every Four Children in the United States of Latinx Origin

An article in Black Voice News cites KidsData on population trends for Hispanic/Latino children statewide and in the Inland Empire.

Children’s Health Resources

2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book

California ranks 35th among U.S. states in overall child well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest KIDS COUNT Data Book. In addition to presenting national and state data across four domains—economic well-being, education, health, and family and community—this edition describes how the country’s lack of affordable and accessible child care negatively affects children, families, and U.S. businesses.

Nearly a Third Reporting Two or More Races Were Under 18 in 2020

The nation’s multiracial population was the youngest of any race group, according to a recent story by the U.S Census Bureau. Recently released 2020 Census data show that, among those who reported two or more races, 32.5% were under age 18.

Take Action

California State Digital Equity Plan: Public Survey

The California Broadband Council is designing solutions to ensure that all residents have access to affordable, high-quality internet services, devices, skills training, and digital support. This anonymous 10-minute survey is available in 14 languages, with both written and audio options.

Recently Released Data

We recently released data about family income and poverty. See links to the latest here.

Posted by kidsdata.org

The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) falls disproportionately on young people, in California and across the nation. Fewer than two in every 10 Californians are between ages 15 and 24, yet, for the two most commonly reported STIs—chlamydia and gonorrhea—this age group accounts for five in every 10 and three in every 10 of the state’s cases, respectively.

Disruptions related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 likely changed youth sexual behaviors and access to sexual health services. Less frequent sexual activity and fewer new sex partners connected with stay-at-home and social-distancing measures may have slowed STI transmission, while delays in routine health screenings and care for symptoms may have allowed untreated infections to spread. Clinic closures, limits on in-person health visits, and redirection of public health resources to COVID-19 also shifted STI screening patterns, as did supply shortages and increased unemployment (and loss of health insurance).

Compared with 2019, reported cases of chlamydia among California youth ages 10 to 19 fell sharply in 2020, from 788 infections per 100,000 youth to 573 per 100,000, echoing national trends. While rates fell in all but one county with data over this period, county-level variation remained wide, ranging from fewer than 250 cases per 100,000 to more than 800 cases per 100,000 in 2020. Most chlamydia infections are asymptomatic and only identified through screening performed during routine preventive care visits. Rates of chlamydia infection were around 3.5 times higher for female youth ages 10 to 19 than for their male counterparts in both 2019 and 2020, statewide and nationally. Untreated chlamydia puts young women at risk for serious negative reproductive health outcomes, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.

Reported cases of youth gonorrhea were comparatively stable between 2019 and 2020. Nationally, the rate rose from 229 to 245 infections per 100,000 young people ages 10 to 19—an increase of around 10,000 cases. In California, the change was smaller and differed by gender. Overall, rates fell by less than one case per 100,000 youth, driven by a drop from 165 to 162 cases per 100,000 females, which offset an increase from 99 to 101 cases per 100,000 males. Although many gonorrhea infections are asymptomatic, symptoms can be painful, particularly in men.

An accurate interpretation of 2020 infection reports depends on many factors and considerations, yet chlamydia and gonorrhea, despite being largely preventable and curable, remain extremely common and costly by any measure. Read more about the impacts of COVID-19 on STI surveillance and strategies to better prevent, identify, and treat youth STIs and improve teen sexual health.

KidsData in the News

Fear vs. Fact: Children Are Sexually Abused in Humboldt at Alarming Rates, but Not at Drag Shows or by LGBTQ+ Groups

An article in the North Coast Journal cites figures derived from KidsData’s indicators of reported child maltreatment.

Opportunity

Data Visualization of Structural Racism and Place

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invites proposals from interdisciplinary teams of experts in data, communications, and social change to create data visualizations that contextualize the legacy of structural racism and communicate its impact on place, health, and well-being. Submit your proposal by Friday, June 2.

Children’s Health Resources

Public Housing, Vouchers Open Doors to Better Child Health, New Research Suggests

Children in households that receive federal rental assistance are healthier and miss less school due to illness than those whose households are waiting for help. Still, up to 75% of renters who need federal housing assistance don’t receive it, and common waitlist practices disadvantage families facing the greatest hardships. A new research highlight from PRB discusses policy changes that could promote a more equitable system and lift more families out of poverty.

Fostering Youth Transitions 2023: State and National Data to Drive Foster Care Advocacy

The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently released a new analysis of data from 2006 to 2021 examining how well child welfare systems in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico support teenagers and young adults transitioning out of foster care.

School Enrollment in the United States, 2021

On Thursday, June 8, the U.S. Census Bureau will release a new report detailing school enrollment in 2021 and changes in enrollment patterns from prior years. The report will use statistics from the American Community Survey and examine public, private, and home-school enrollment from preschool through college.

Recently Released Data

We recently released data about health care, quality of care for children with special health care needs, and teen sexual health. See links to the latest here.

Posted by kidsdata.org

April marks National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with toxic stress that can disrupt healthy development and lead to behavioral, emotional, academic, and health problems throughout life. The more ACEs a child experiences, the more likely the negative impacts will be substantial and lasting, especially if the child does not receive buffering supports.

New estimates from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) show that ACEs continue to be common nationwide and in California. Parents and caregivers responding to the NCSH are not asked about their children’s exposure to maltreatment, but the survey provides data about 10 other ACEs such as financial hardship; substance abuse or mental illness in the home; and experiences of violence, racism, or discrimination. NSCH estimates from 2017-2021 show that, from birth until the time of survey, more than 1 in 3 California children (34%) ages 0 to 17 had experienced at least one ACE, more than 1 in 7 (15%) had two or more ACEs, and 1 in 25 (4%) had four ACEs or more.

Among racial/ethnic groups with data, African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino children are most likely to have two or more ACEs, statewide and nationally. When compared with their white peers, rates of exposure to at least two ACEs were more than twice as high for African American/Black children and more than 1.5 times higher for Hispanic/Latino children, according to the latest California estimates.

Strategies to help prevent, interrupt, and mitigate the effects of ACEs include strengthening the social safety net and other supports for families, expanding resilience-building prevention services in communities, and institutionalizing trauma-informed policies and practices across public and private systems. Read more and watch the ACEs video on kidsdata.org.

KidsData in the News

Data, Disparities, and Recognizing High-Risk Situations for Child Abuse

An op-ed by Valley Children’s Healthcare in the Sierra Sun Times cites KidsData on rates of reported child maltreatment by race/ethnicity.

Opportunities

A Collective Perspective to Community Supporting: A Call to Action

The last webinar in the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s four-part series, “Shifting From Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting” [PDF], will be held April 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT and will include a diverse panel of professionals and providers with differing perspectives on how the shift from mandated reporting to community supporting can be implemented through a collective approach.

Where Are the Kids? Explore Data for Children 18 Years and Under

On April 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT, the U.S. Census Bureau will hold a hands-on workshop focused on exercises to access children’s well-being data using data.census.gov and SAIPE (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). Participants in the webinar will practice how to search in different geographies to learn about child demographics and population.

Building Bridges Across the California Ecosystem to Prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

The Center on Gender Equity and Health at the University of California San Diego will bring together key state stakeholders focused on health, economic, and social inequities on April 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT to build bridges with GBV research, practice, policy, and data ecosystems. The forum will be held at the university. Registration is free.

Take Action

Digital Equity and Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Planning Workshops

California’s Broadband for All program invites input on the state’s digital equity and BEAD five-year action plans. Make your voice heard and help determine how future federal dollars are allocated to address digital inequities in your community. Regional workshops are being held throughout the state.

Recently Released Data

We recently released data about childhood adversity and resilience, disconnected youth, and high school graduation. See links to the latest here.

Posted by kidsdata.org

Maternal Death Among U.S. Black Women

April 11-17. Black Maternal Health Week overlaps with National Minority Health Month and the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights. To mark this important issue, PRB has released a fact sheet, in partnership with Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project and TANK Worldwide, highlighting Black-white disparities in maternal death and severe childbirth complications. Among the findings are that U.S. Black women are over three times more likely to die in pregnancy or postpartum than white women. Ending Black maternal mortality in the United States, researchers say, involves addressing structural racism. Watch the video.

Protecting Black Children’s Health Through Community-Led Healing

April 12 at 12:00 p.m. PT. In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, the Children’s Partnership will host a conversation in which leaders from the California Black Health Network, California Black Women’s Health Project, and UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative will discuss the health and well-being of Black children, systemic inequities and challenges Black children continue to face, data that support the work of transforming outcomes for Black children and youth, protective factors, and community-led healing strategies.

Getting Real About Data and Disproportionality

April 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention is hosting a four-part professional webinar series, “Shifting From Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting” [PDF]. In the April 12 session, experts from the California Child Welfare Indicators Project and Chapin Hall will look at racial disproportionality in child welfare involvement in California and the economic conditions that bring many families into the system, often unnecessarily.

For more on the links between family financial security and reports of child maltreatment, see PRB’s “Anti-Poverty Tax Credits Linked to Declines in Reports of Child Neglect, Youth Violence, and Juvenile Convictions.”

Posted by kidsdata.org

Sound mental health prepares young people to meet the challenges of growing up and becoming productive and engaged adults. Most emotional and behavioral conditions emerge in childhood or young adulthood, and, if not identified and treated, can contribute to negative developmental, educational, and health outcomes throughout life.

Anxiety, behavior problems, and depression are the most common mental health disorders among children in the United States. Often, a child with one of these conditions has another at the same time, multiplying the challenges.

New data collected from parents and caregivers between 2017 and 2021 show that an estimated 12% of California children ages 3-17 had one or more diagnosed mental health conditions—attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety problems, behavioral or conduct problems, or depression—at the time of survey. Just over half of these children (52%) received mental health treatment or counseling in the previous year, while the remainder were reported as either not needing services or not receiving the services they needed. By comparison, nationwide, 17% of children had diagnosed conditions, and a similar share (53%) had received treatment or counseling in the previous year.

Among children with special health care needs (CSHCN)—who have or are at increased risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition and require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally—the estimated prevalence of mental health conditions is more than three times higher than in the general child population, statewide and nationally.

Even with higher prevalence rates, many CSHCN do not receive mental health treatment. In 2017-2021, 58% of California CSHCN with emotional or behavioral conditions had received mental health services in the previous year, compared with 62% of CSHCN nationwide.

To ensure that all children and their families receive the mental health care they need, regardless of special needs status, region, health insurance coverage, socioeconomics, race/ethnicity, or other factors, policymakers and other leaders can promote cross-sector strategies to improve timely access to adequate screenings and appropriate specialty providers. Decisionmakers should also prioritize coordinated, continuous care and education and assistance in navigating complex service systems, particularly for families with multiple needs.

Read more about children’s emotional health, characteristics of children with special needs, and access to services for children with special needs.

KidsData in the News

Former Bay Area Congresswoman Launches Foundation to Help Pull Women, Children Out of Poverty

Using the California Poverty Measure, an ABC7 News story cited KidsData on the number of San Mateo County children living in poverty.

Opportunities

Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth Through Health Care System Transformation

The National Academies Committee on Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth Through Health Care System Transformation—tasked with conducting a consensus study to examine promising mechanisms and levers for innovations that can be implemented in the health care system to improve the health and well-being of children and youth—will hold its second meeting March 29-30. Register to attend public sessions virtually.

Expanded SNAP Benefits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned

The Institute for Research on Poverty will hold a webinar on April 5 examining the role of food assistance in the U.S. social safety net, how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was adjusted to respond to public health and economic crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, assessments of those interventions, and how policymakers and practitioners can use lessons learned to improve the program’s efficacy and impact. Register to participate.

Good News

Family Dinner Routine More Common in Hispanic and Immigrant Families

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 2021, 87% of U.S. parents ate dinner with their children at least five days a week, up from 84% in 2019—a positive change likely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among Hispanic and foreign-born parents, proportions were even higher, at 90% and 89%, respectively.

Recently Released Data

We recently released data about access to services for children with special health care needs, characteristics of children with special needs, children’s emotional health, and immunizations. See links to the latest here.

Posted by kidsdata.org

The second in our two-part series on child care and early education explores program availability, access, and cost across California communities.

Between 2019 and 2021, California lost more than 1,100 licensed child care facilities and nearly 19,000 licensed spaces—more spaces than the total number of children in Mendocino or 20 other California counties.

KidsData analyzed 2021 child care supply data in conjunction with labor force estimates and found that licensed spaces were available for around one in four children ages 0 to 12 with working parents, statewide. This figure did not drop relative to 2019, despite the overall decline in licensed child care supply. At the local level, wide variation exists in access to licensed child care, with availability in some counties lower than one space for every seven children in 2021.

Even when spaces are available, the cost can be prohibitive for many families. In 2021, median county-level costs for full-time licensed infant care ranged from $13,600 to $22,900 annually in child care centers and from $10,100 to $19,700 in family child care homes. Care for children ages 2 to 5 was less expensive, but still as high as $19,600 in centers and $18,000 in child care homes.

Enrollment in pre-primary education programs, which provide alternatives to child care for children of preschool or kindergarten age, declined in tandem with licensed child care supply. In 2021, an estimated 51% of California children ages 3 to 5 were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten, down from pre-pandemic levels of more than 60%. Some regions face challenges across multiple early childhood systems—the Inland Empire counties of Riverside and San Bernardino had preschool or kindergarten enrollment rates lower than 42%, and licensed child care availability lower than 15%, in 2021.

Read more about strategies to build a comprehensive, high-quality early care and education system that is accessible and affordable for all families.

KidsData in the News

Americans Are Having Fewer Children. Is That a Problem?

KidsData’s Beth Jarosz is featured in an LX News piece on the economic and social implications of declining U.S. birth rates.

Children’s Health Resources

New Childcare Data Shows Prices Are Untenable for Families

Child care consumes a large share of family income among those who pay for services—between 8% and 19.3% of median family income per child—according to a U.S. Department of Labor blog.

New Reports Describe California’s Early Intervention System for Infants and Toddlers

The California Budget and Policy Center, supported by First 5 Center for Children’s Policy, recently released reports on early intervention services available through California’s Early Start program, and recommendations for how the program can better support young children with disabilities or developmental delays.

Opportunity

Elevate Youth California Supporting Capacity Building for Community Organizations

Grants up to $400,000 are available in support of community-based programs and practices for substance use disorder prevention among youth ages 12 to 26. Applications are due February 20.

Posted by kidsdata.org

California’s licensed child care supply continues to decline, although the decrease was less than expected during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to public supports implemented in 2020 and 2021.

In this first part of a two-part series on child care and early education, guest author Gemma DiMatteo, research director at the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, discusses recent key findings about the state’s licensed child care system.

The California Child Care Resource & Referral Network (“the Network”) has released its 2021 California Child Care Portfolio, with county- and state-level data available through KidsData.org and the Network’s data tool.

New data show licensed child care supply declined

Compared with 2019, data from 2021 show a continued decrease in the state’s licensed child care supply, with losses of:

• More than 1,100 facilities (-3%).
  • 148 child care centers (-1%).
  • 968 family child care homes (-4%).
• Nearly 19,000 spaces (-2%).
  • 15,542 spaces in child care centers (-2%).
  • 3,199 spaces in family child care homes (-1%).

The pandemic could have had a much greater impact on licensed child care supply statewide; however, significant public investment in supporting child care programs likely prevented many from closing. Historically, California has seen a trend of greater decline in family child care home spaces than child care center spaces, but the pandemic seems to have shifted this trend, with a greater decline in center spaces. This is likely due to group size restrictions making it unfeasible to continue operating a center.

There was regional variation in how supply changed

There was substantial variation across counties and regions in the change of licensed child care supply. The northern region of the state saw the biggest decline in spaces (-5%), followed by the southern region (-3%), while the Central Valley and Bay Area experienced changes (negative and positive, respectively) of 1% or less.

Policy implications

These modest declines in child care supply are not nearly as steep as many anticipated with the pandemic. While the reasons for this require further study, it’s clear that child care received a lot of attention and financial support in 2020 and 2021, and that likely played a large role in preventing a steeper decline, demonstrating that increased public investment creates a more stable child care system for families.

Looking beyond one-time investments and expiring policy changes, the Network recommends the following actions be considered if California’s child care system is to be sustained and fortified:

• Increasing pay for all child care workers.
• Eliminating, to the extent of the law, the share of subsidized child care costs families are required to pay.
• Codifying a system of payment for providers of subsidized care based on enrollment.

Visit the Network’s website for more policy ideas and child care resources.

In Part 2 of this series, out in February, we’ll examine the gap between child care demand and availability, families’ barriers to access (including cost), and how these vary across the state. Stay tuned.

KidsData in the News

Child Care Is Crucial to Families and the Economy. California Should Treat It That Way

An editorial in the Sacramento Bee cites KidsData and the Network for child care costs and spaces data.

Children’s Health Resource

Family-Focused Interventions to Prevent Substance Use Disorders in Adolescence

Proceedings from a National Academies workshop explore effective family-focused interventions in primary care settings for preventing substance use disorders, along with efforts to incorporate them into state health care policies.

Opportunity

ACEs Aware Implementation With Intention

This webinar series is designed to help California clinics implement adverse childhood experience (ACE) screening and response. Experts will provide practical, step-by-step guidance, as well as resources and tools to help clinics on their path toward ACE screening implementation.

Recently Released Data

We recently released data about breastfeeding and early care and education. See links to the latest here.

Posted by kidsdata.org