Child Trends

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

01/09/2026

In 2026, the Activate Center will share research, tools, and insights that support youth and the systems that serve them. Here are five ways to stay engaged with the Activate Center this year. https://activatecenter.org/

01/07/2026

A recent Child Trends analysis of the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) shows that the number of children who experienced maltreatment decreased again in 2023, extending a trend observed over the past three years. NCANDS data also reveal that child maltreatment rates vary widely across states, with some states showing substantial decreases and others showing increases; this likely reflects differences in how agencies screen for, classify, and respond to maltreatment.

Overall decreases are attributable to multiple underlying factors, including changes to definitions of alternative responses and procedures, new screening processes, and the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/child-maltreatment-united-states

01/06/2026

The Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families (Convergence), led by the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, 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

01/02/2026

More young children are now being screened for developmental delays during home visits funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS' Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program than in prior years. A Child Trends data point shows that 78 percent of MIECHV-enrolled children received an age-appropriate developmental screening in fiscal year (FY) 2024 (up from 69% in FY2017). 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...

12/31/2025

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

12/29/2025

Research is more powerful when it is shaped with the people it is meant to serve. That belief is at the heart of Child Trends’ new Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) Library.

The Library was built from Child Trends’ experience leading more than 50 CEnR projects and a review of existing resources in the field. It includes practical tools, case studies, and lessons learned from projects that range from youth participatory action research on community violence to measures of student math engagement co-developed with teachers and students.

Organized around the five stages of CEnR—Partner, Plan, Implement, Analyze, and Share—the Library offers resources such as budget templates, facilitation guides, interview protocols, and examples of authentic collaboration. Users can filter by project type and level of community engagement to find what is most relevant to their context.

Explore the CEnR Library to see how research can be designed and carried out in partnership with youth, families, and communities—and how those collaborations lead to findings that are more meaningful, actionable, and lasting.

The implement stage puts research plans into motion. At this stage, training ensures ethical and effective data collection, recruitment efforts engage participants, and data is gathered. Ongoing communication with community partners helps address challenges and maintain alignment with research goals...

12/26/2025

Child welfare agencies rely on multiple funding streams (including local, state, and federal sources) to administer programs and services. A national survey—conducted by Child Trends and funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs—found that spending by child welfare agencies increased slightly over the past decade to a total of $34.3 billion in state fiscal year (SFY) 2022. The survey found that expenditures increased by 3 percent from SFY 2012 to SFY 2022, despite a small decrease from SFY 2020 to SFY 2022 as foster care caseloads declined.

Child welfare agencies across the United States are charged with protecting and promoting the welfare of children and youth who are at risk of or who have been victims of maltreatment. State and local child welfare agencies rely on multiple funding streams to administer programs and services. While....

12/24/2025

More families are now receiving home visits funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS' Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program than in years prior. Experts at Child Trends have a long track record of researching and supporting home visiting efforts. Our data point finds that the MIECHV Program is on track to provide 1 million home visits in 2025.

Research shows that home visiting programs improve outcomes for both children and parents by providing education and support, screening for developmental delays and depression, and connecting families to other community services.

More families are now receiving home visits funded through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program than in years prior. Data from reports to Congress for fiscal years (FYs) 2022 and 2023, and from the MIECHV dashboard, indicate that not only are an increasing number....

12/23/2025

📣🔍 Explore the National Early Care and Education Workforce Center’s new research-to-practice (RtP) brief “Work Environments Affect Early Educators’ Career Decisions,” summarizing findings from two CSCCE studies on how early educators’ work environments may influence their career decisions. The studies look at how the multifaceted nature of work environments influence early educators’ plans to stay in their jobs or in the ECE field. In this brief, the Center explores how educators assess different aspects of their and whether those assessments could predict their career intentions.

The brief doesn’t just share research—it also includes real-world examples and practical steps that ECE leaders can use to strengthen working conditions and support their teams. Read the brief now

This research-to-practice brief summarizes findings from two studies conducted by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment on […]

12/22/2025

The number of children entering foster care in the United States decreased by 36 percent from federal fiscal year (FFY) 2016 to FFY 2023. This data comes from an update to Child Trends’ popular child welfare data interactive that now includes FFY 2022 and 2023 national and state-level data on foster care, relative caregiving, permanency, and older youth. The tool offers users information on national trends and profiles for all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.

The decrease in children entering care may be due to shifts in policies and practices aimed at preventing unnecessary foster care entries. Among those who do enter foster care in the United States, the most common reasons in FFY 2023 were neglect (62% of children), parental substance abuse (37%), physical abuse (13%), and inadequate housing (12%).

This comprehensive child welfare resource provides state and national data on child maltreatment, foster care, kinship caregiving, permanency, and older youth in care. The data are essential to help policymakers understand how many children and youth come in contact with the child welfare system, an...