Child Trends

11/13/2025

Early childhood is a critical period for learning about one’s culture and language and forming one’s identity and sense of belonging. To help the child care and early education (CCEE) sector meet Indigenous families’ preferences, practitioners, researchers and evaluators, and funders should consider how Indigenous worldviews and community contexts shape and influence families’ child care choices. A new Child Trends brief—written by Deana Around Him, LaShai Jake, and Cherry Yamane—explores foundational considerations for those engaged in CCEE efforts to best support Indigenous families and communities. During Native American Heritage Month, read about these considerations and their implications for research and evaluation, and get recommendations from Child Trends researchers on tailoring CCEE to Indigenous contexts.

For child care and early education to meet Indigenous families’ preferences, practitioners, researchers and evaluators, and funders should consider how Indigenous worldviews and community contexts shape and influence families’ child care choices.

11/13/2025

A new data point from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families shows that 1 in 10 Hispanic parents with low incomes who commute to work travel 60 minutes or more, and 31 percent have to commute 30-59 minutes. Most employed Hispanic parents with low incomes (defined as those with family incomes below 200% of the federal poverty threshold) commute to work; only 6 percent work from home. Learn more:

Nov 12, 2025 Data Point, Hispanic Child and Family Facts, Research Publication Share: share on twitter share on facebook Print One in 10 Hispanic Parents With Low Incomes Commute an Hour or More Authors: Elizabeth Wildsmith Marta Alvira-Hammond Most employed Hispanic parents with low incomes (define...

11/07/2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming education, creating new possibilities for how students learn and how teachers teach. A recent Child Trends blog outlines five practical strategies that districts and schools can use to prepare teachers and students for an AI-driven future while building the infrastructure necessary to implement AI safely, responsibly, and at scale.

1. Lead proactively on AI before habits form.
2. Align technology, teaching, and policy to create coherent AI systems.
3. Equip students to understand, apply, and innovate with AI.
4. Invest in tools, training, and time to empower educators to lead AI adoption.
5. Pilot purposefully, measure progress, and scale what works.

This blog highlights lessons from a Child Trends webinar to help schools prepare their students and teachers to use AI responsibly.

11/06/2025

Family Resource Centers (FRCs) provide critical services to families within their communities, including access to supports for basic needs, help accessing public benefits, and skill-building classes. Child Trends’ latest brief—funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and written by Rachel Rosenberg, Alaina Flannigan, Alyssa Liehr, Mya’ Sanders, and Alyssa Ibarra—explores the services that FRCs provide across the country, especially to young parents (under age 25). Our researchers found that FRCs serving young parents are significantly more likely to help families access certain safety net programs than those that did not report serving young parents.

Family Resource Centers (FRCs) provide critical services to families in their communities, including access to supports for basic needs (e.g., food), support accessing public benefits, and skill-building classes (e.g., parenting classes). While some studies have shown the effectiveness of FRCs in in...

11/05/2025

The latest national data show that only 39 percent of 4th graders and 28 percent of 8th graders are proficient in math. According to research conducted in part by Child Trends’ education lead Samantha Holquist, the way our schools currently engage with students in math instruction may partly explain the low scores. Previous Child Trends’ research suggests students tend to feel most engaged in math lessons when they are treated as thinkers, when their ideas are valued, and when math connects to their real-world goals. When schools support engagement, they build pathways to better outcomes, stronger confidence, and deeper connections to learning. https://www.childtrends.org/publications/low-math-scores-highlight-need-teaching-strategies

11/03/2025

A recent Child Trends’ data point shows that, in fiscal year 2024, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program administered an age-appropriate developmental screening to 78 percent of enrolled children. The rate of screening in MIECHV-served families far exceeds the 36 percent of children who complete developmental screenings nationally.

During home visits, trained professionals use standardized tools to provide a range of services, including screenings for language, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional delays in children. These screenings are important in helping identify areas of concern early and getting children and families the support they need.

More young children are now being screened for developmental delays during home visits funded through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program than in prior years. Data from the MIECHV Outcomes Dashboard show that 78 percent of enrolled children received an age-approp...

10/30/2025

A recent brief from Renee Ryberg and Christina Padilla for the SPARK Collaborative—a partnership between Child Trends, the Urban Institute, and the Pregnant Scholar—finds that many undergraduate student parents live in households in which someone utilizes at least one public human service or workforce program. The most common public programs used in households with student parents are school lunch for K-12 students (53%), Medicaid (50%), the Earned Income Tax Credit (41%), and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (26%).

Millions of parents enroll in higher education to pursue an economically secure future for their families. When student parents graduate, they reap economic benefits for their families and for society alike. But many student parents struggle financially while in school, putting their graduation—an...

10/28/2025

Despite earning grades similar to their nonparent peers, student parents are much less likely to complete college. Only 17 percent earn a degree within six years, compared to 50 percent of nonparents. Helping parents complete college degrees pays off—for the parents, their children, and taxpayers alike. A new brief from the SPARK Collaborative—a partnership between Child Trends, the Urban Institute, and the Pregnant Scholar—highlights the importance of supporting parents in postsecondary education, addressing barriers to meeting their basic needs, and forming stronger partnerships between colleges and agencies that provide public programs.

Helping parents complete college degrees pays off—for the parents, their children, and taxpayers. The over 4 million student parents, who make up about 1 in 5 undergrads and 1 in 4 graduate students, have high grades but low completion rates.

10/23/2025

Join us for the launch of Connected for Kids!
Thursday, November 13 at 1:00 pm ET

Hear from experts on creating a roadmap to help children flourish in their elementary years: Pamela Cantor, Jane Quinn, Jennifer Blatz, Kristin Anderson Moore, Zakia Redd, and Philip Steigman. Register for the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_U8CKlVfKTjeu1yPfusZ3TQ? #/registration

10/21/2025

Listen to Dr. Renee Ryberg, an expert on the intersection of poverty and education, on the latest episode of the Vida de PhD podcast hosted by Child Trends’ Lorena Aceves. Dr. Ryberg has researched childhood poverty and partnered with college students who are parents on ways to better support their educational journeys. This podcast collaboration between Child Trends and Vida de PhD explores researchers whose work meaningfully supports youth, families, and communities.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6oNfYJWDmiKTDBrkY68j5R

Vida De PhD · Episode

10/14/2025

The Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families (Convergence) is calling for a new, cross-partisan National Commission on Children and Families for the 21st Century (Commission) to reimagine how our nation supports families today.

Convergence, which Child Trends has contributed to since 2023, recommends that the new Commission focus on five core issues addressed by a similar commission that successfully informed policy improvements nearly 40 years ago:

• Health of children and their parents
• Social and support services for children and their parents
• Education
• Income security
• Tax policy

What would you like to see come out of such a commission?

📄 Explore the call for a new National Commission on Children and Families for the 21st Century:https://convergencepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Issue-Brief.pdf

08/25/2025

As students go , we're excited to support all the people who care about educating our next generation. We love helping people go with our work at Child Trends. Have a great school year!