A Late Summer Note from CCC Executive Director, Jennifer March

As we approach the start of a new program year in September, CCC has been reflecting on our past year accomplishments and recent experiences to inform our research, civic engagement, and advocacy in the months ahead. ?

We ended the City Budget process with mixed results. Together with our supporters, community partners (including you; our readership and e-advocates), we were successful in securing a handful of important restorations in the City’s Adopted Budget, including Promise NYC child care for immigrant households, the Mental Health Continuum, community coordinators in family shelters, as well as new resources to pilot converting seats within 3-K to full-year, full-day options. These positive investments were a direct result of our collective advocacy efforts, and we thank everyone who joined us in-person at City Hall and online to make this happen. ??

Despite this handful of bright spots, there were numerous missed opportunities for which we must continue to advocate. You can review our FY ’24 City Budget analysis by clicking here to find out where investments are made and where the budget falls short. ?

Where work is still needed to address severe inequity, we hope that the city and state can work together to solve some of our most entrenched socio-economic issues, and we will continue to push for systemic change at every level. Our combination of research through child well-being data analysis and community needs assessments, when paired with civic engagement and advocacy, can inform transformative change. We were so pleased to see our work adeptly mentioned in a recent Op-ed article in The Imprint written by Nora McCarthy, which focuses on leveraging data to promote upstream solutions that improve the well-being of children, families and communities. The article references how the work CCC does to track indicators of well-being across New York City (which you can find here: https://data.cccnewyork.org) provides a foundation for community-level conversations with parents, youth, and service providers that help center government actions on support for families and children throughout the five boroughs. ?

This type of data can also be used as accountability tools for city and state government, as seen in our community-needs assessments that examined neighborhood life experiences in Brownsville, Brooklyn; Northern Manhattan; the North Shore of Staten Island; and Elmhurst/Corona, Queens. We appreciate the recognition of our work and the push for upstream investments in this piece from The Imprint and encourage you to read it. ?

Looking forward to the work ahead, our research, civic engagement, and advocacy remain committed to improving child and family well-being and promoting equity through community solutions. We have a number of data publications planned, including but not limited to an update to our Keeping Track of New York City Children databook, and are committed to co-leading meaningful coalitions, collaborative partnerships, and supporting civic engagement efforts that tackle family homelessness, address the child and adolescent mental health crisis, reduce child poverty, and more. You will be hearing more about our upcoming work and priorities soon, and we invite you to stay connected to us online through our website, social media channels, and our newsletter. Please encourage anyone in your network who might want to help us advocate for children and families throughout the year to subscribe to our e-action network here and thank you for being a continued partner to CCC.?