Citizens' Committee for Children of New York

Median incomes rose by 18% for families with children over the past five years, but inflation on basic goods and services has significantly outpaced this growth.

Food prices rose 29% and housing costs are up 26%.

Families are struggling, and child well-being is at stake.

This is one of dozens of findings in CCC's 2026 Keeping Track data book.

Join us for an in-person event to learn more and hear how city leaders are using this data to demand better for NYC's children and families.

🗓️ Tuesday, June 9 | 4:30–6:00 PM
📍 Trinity Commons | 76 Trinity Place, Manhattan

Featured speakers:
Helen Arteaga PhD, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services
Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO, FPWA
Julie Menin, Speaker, New York City Council
Raysa S. Rodriguez, Executive Director, CCC
Bea De la Torre, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Trinity Church NYC

Space is limited. Register now: https://bit.ly/kt26le

Turning Data into Action: Keeping Track of NYC’s Children 2026 | CCC New York The event will mark the public release of the 2026 edition of Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, CCC’s biennial databook tracking hundreds of indicators related to child and family well-being across New York City.

New York City’s affordability crisis is a child well-being crisis.

Family incomes in NYC have risen, but not fast enough.

Since 2019, food costs rose 29% and housing costs 26%, outpacing the 18% income growth families with children saw over the same period.

CCC’s Keeping Track of NYC’s Children 2026 documents the toll: rent burden is up, eviction rates now exceed pre-COVID levels, and Black and Latine families are bearing the steepest costs.

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/KTNYC26

Keeping Track of New York City’s Children | 2026 | CCC New York Welcome to Keeping Track of New York City’s Children: 2026, a data book from Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC). On this page you can access an array of information on New York City’s children and families by choosing chapter topics or read through the entire publication.

Eviction rates in NYC now exceed pre-COVID levels — with Black and Latine families facing the greatest burden.

This is one of the findings from CCC's 2026 edition of Keeping Track of NYC's Children.

Join us for an in-person event to hear how city leaders are using this data to demand better for NYC's children and families.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

Tuesday, June 9 | 4:30–6:00 PM
Trinity Commons | 76 Trinity Place, Manhattan

Featured speakers:

Helen Arteaga, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services
Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO, FPWA
Julie Menin, Speaker, New York City Council
Raysa S. Rodriguez, Executive Director, CCC
Bea De la Torre, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Trinity Church NYC

The event will focus on Key findings, expert perspectives, and a cross-sector conversation on how data shapes stronger policy and budget decisions for children and families. All attendees receive a print copy of Keeping Track of NYC's Children 2026.

Space is limited. Register now: https://bit.ly/kt26le

Keeping Track of NYC’s Children 2026: Turning Data into Action | CCC New York CCC’s biennial data book tracks hundreds of indicators across New York City and its neighborhoods — covering economic security, education, health, housing, youth opportunity, and community well-being — to surface both progress and persistent inequities.

What does affordability actually mean for New York City families right now?

New data gives us answers we cannot ignore.

CCC has just released Keeping Track of New York City’s Children 2026, a comprehensive look at the well-being of NYC’s 1.7 million children:

➡️ New Yorkers in the top fifth of earnings experienced a 20% increase— while earnings for those in the bottom fifth remained stagnant.
➡️ Food prices have risen 29% since 2019, while housing costs climbed 26%.
➡️ Food pantry usage has grown from 3.2 million visits in 2019 to 8.3 million in 2025.
➡️ Nearly 1 in 3 households are severely rent burdened, spending more than half their income on rent.
➡️ Eviction rates now exceed pre-pandemic levels, disproportionately impacting Black and Latine families.
➡️ Over 90% of families cannot afford child care without publicly-funded options.

The reality is stark—the cost of raising children in NYC has climbed dramatically, significantly outpacing modest income gains for families with children.

As federal threats to health care, SNAP, housing, and other supports also continue to grow, this report makes one thing clear…

The affordability crisis is a child well-being crisis.

These are not abstract issues; these data represent daily realities for too many families across New York City.

Now we must act with solutions that address these facts.

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/KTNYC26

Keeping Track of New York City’s Children | 2026 | CCC New York Welcome to Keeping Track of New York City’s Children: 2026, a data book from Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC). On this page you can access an array of information on New York City’s children and families by choosing chapter topics or read through the entire publication.

What does affordability actually mean for New York City families right now?

New data gives us answers we cannot ignore.

Today, CCC released Keeping Track of New York City’s Children 2026, a comprehensive look at the well-being of NYC’s 1.7 million children:

➡️ New Yorkers in the top fifth of earnings experienced a 20% increase— while earnings for those in the bottom fifth remained stagnant.
➡️ Food prices have risen 29% since 2019, while housing costs climbed 26%.
➡️ Food pantry usage has grown from 3.2 million visits in 2019 to 8.3 million in 2025.
➡️ Nearly 1 in 3 households are severely rent burdened, spending more than half their income on rent.
➡️ Eviction rates now exceed pre-pandemic levels, disproportionately impacting Black and Latine families.
➡️ Over 90% of families cannot afford child care without publicly-funded options.

The reality is stark—the cost of raising children in NYC has climbed dramatically, significantly outpacing modest income gains for families with children.

As federal threats to health care, SNAP, housing, and other supports also continue to grow, this report makes one thing clear…

The affordability crisis is a child well-being crisis.

These are not abstract issues; these data represent daily realities for too many families across New York City.

Now we must act with solutions that address these facts.

Read the full report here:

Keeping Track of New York City’s Children | 2026 | CCC New York Welcome to Keeping Track of New York City’s Children: 2026, a data book from Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC). On this page you can access an array of information on New York City’s children and families by choosing chapter topics or read through the entire publication.

Children should not be waiting for the mental health services they need.

But the reality across NY is that too many are—they’re waiting for months, even a year, to access critical behavioral health care.

In a new Newsday guest essay, Cody Hauptman, a member of the Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids (HMHK) Youth & Caregiver Council, shares his own experience struggling to access care and why New York must invest more in children’s behavioral health services.

We agree, 100%. Because when young people are in crisis, waiting cannot be the norm.

Read Cody’s guest essay: https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/guest-essays/mental-health-long-island-youth-u2xff8sm

New York's mental health system fails young people like me I overcame my struggles, but too many kids don't get mental health services they need.

Did you know CCC can help you grow as an advocate for NYC's children and families?

For over 60 years, CCC's Community Leadership Course (CLC) has equipped New Yorkers committed to child well-being with deep knowledge of the systems responsible for serving NYC children and the necessary advocacy tools to bring about reforms.

The CLC is a good fit for professionals who are committed to advocating for the well-being of NY children and families. During the course, participants will:

📊 Dive into CCC’s data and fact-based solutions that increase child and family well-being across the five boroughs.
💡 Learn about policy and advocacy that uplifts CCC’s mission to ensure every child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe.
💬 Engage in dynamic discussions on improving outcomes for NYC children and families.
🗣️ Hear directly from program directors and government agency staff about running programs for children and families.

This is a 14-week course beginning in September, meeting on Wednesdays from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.

Apply now! ➡️ https://bit.ly/CLC26

Community Leadership Course | CCC New York The Community Leadership Course (CLC) is a 14-week course for adults offered every Fall. Participants spend one day a week immersed in different children’s issues and learn about effective child…

New York City's children need a budget that delivers.

CCC's FY27 City Budget priorities call for investments that protect children's health, food security, housing, education, and safety.

We have outlined recommendations to restore, baseline, or enhance funding for programs families depend on.

🍎 Healthy
- Enhance health care access and mitigate impact of federal policies on health coverage
- Support the mental health needs of children and families
- Expand access to anti-hunger programs and services

🏡 Housed
- Strengthen access to housing vouchers for families with children
- Ensure runaway youth experiencing homelessness have safe housing and services

✏️ Educated
- Continue the path toward universal birth-to-five care
- Ensure continuation of essential education programs at risk of being eliminated without additional funding

⚖️ Safe
- Ensure that the youth services system is well resourced and accessible
- Enhance services for systems-involved youth and families
- Ensure prevention, alternatives to incarceration, and reentry services are fully funded

As we wait for updates on the city budget, review our full advocacy platform for New York City's children: https://bit.ly/ccccbp27

New York City FY 2027 Budget Priorities | CCC New York

NY Leaders can cut red tape and improve access to youth mental health.

How? By carving out behavioral health services from Medicaid managed care.

Right now, only 1 in 4 children can access the behavioral health services they need while too many families face months-long waits for care, leading to hospitalizations, school disruptions, and family instability.

Since 2019, NY’s managed care companies have regularly denied claims, delayed payments, and created red tape while generating around $400 million in annual profits.

That’s money that should be going to New Yorkers who need these services.

Alongside strong budget investments, this can help thousands of NY youth.

Tell NYS Leaders: It’s time to carve it out and invest in care.

https://bit.ly/YMHNY27

Governor Kathy Hochul Hon. Gustavo Rivera Assemblywoman Amy R. Paulin Samra Brouk Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon Senator Nathalia Fernandez Assemblymember Phil Steck

Help Children and Youth Access the Mental Health Services They Need | CCC New York Take Action to Help Children and Youth Access the Mental Health Services They Need New York’s children and families are facing a mental health crisis, with only 1 in 4 children able to access the outpatient behavioral health services they need. Providers throughout the state report pausing intakes...

🥫 Nearly 3 million New Yorkers—including 1 million children—rely on SNAP to afford food.

🍽️ But federal cuts, benefit theft, and eligibility rollbacks are putting families at greater risk of hunger.

❎ Thousands of immigrant and mixed-status families (nearly 65,000 children) are already excluded from support.

🥕 New York must act to protect and strengthen food access.

📢 In these final days before the budget is finalized, help us urge state leaders to invest in SNAP, prevent benefit theft, and support anti-hunger programs.

➡️ https://bit.ly/FSINY27

Tell NY Leaders to Support Critical Food Security | CCC New York Urge Governor Hochul to Invest in Food Programs Critical to New Yorkers SNAP is proven to be the nation’s most impactful hunger relief program, helping nearly 3 million New Yorkers, including 1 million children, afford food. SNAP alleviates food insecurity and is a critical tool for reducing child...