New York is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, yet nearly one in five children lives in poverty. Advocates say New York’s child poverty rate is “stubbornly high” and one of the worst in the country. The problem is pervasive and spans all corners of the state, but recent legislative wins have brought New York closer than ever to solving it.
In 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Child Poverty Reduction Act. The landmark legislation committed the state to cutting child poverty in half within ten years and established the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC). Members of CPRAC are tasked with issuing evidence-based recommendations, providing a roadmap for how the state can meet its goal over time, and assessing the state’s progress. They have spent years speaking with experts, hearing from families, and having internal discussions to better understand child poverty and how to remedy it.
In December, they released their recommendations.
Pete Nabozny, the Director of Policy at The Children’s Agenda and a member of the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, is particularly looking forward to advancing the recommendation surrounding the Empire State Child Credit. Child tax credits can have a profound impact and have already proven effective in reducing child poverty. Expanding the federal Child Tax Credit during the pandemic helped decrease child poverty by 50 percent in New York and nationally.
Child tax credits are nothing new in New York. In fact, it was one of the first states to implement a statewide child tax credit nearly two decades ago. However, advocates acknowledge that the credit is “flawed,” and that much more could be done to maximize its impact. While the credit was expanded last year so families with children under four can access it, advocates are eyeing additional proposals to reach more families.
The maximum credit is only $330, which does not stretch very far and has not been adjusted for inflation since 2006. The Empire State Child Credit also has a “phase-in” structure that prevents families with a household income of less than $10,000 from receiving the maximum credit. This structure was designed to incentivize work, but in reality, it blocks the most vulnerable families from receiving the resources they need.
“There’s an unfairness of its structure right now. One of the recommendations the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council has been working on is what a better Child Tax Credit would look like for New York State,” said Nabozny. The CPRAC recommended significantly increasing the tax credit amount and eliminating the phase-in structure so the full tax credit is available to families at the lowest end of the income spectrum.
CPRAC is not the only group pushing the state to keep up the momentum. The Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy (SCAA) has convened the New York Can End Child Poverty coalition, a group of diverse organizations dedicated to reducing inequity and improving long-term outcomes for children and families in the state. Members of the group range from the New York Immigration Coalition to the state branch of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“We wanted to make sure that it was clear this is a problem that permeates all of the issues that impact New York children and families. We made sure to bring in partners that are not just focused on reducing child poverty, but also health, housing, and food security,” said Crystal Charles, a Senior Policy Analyst at SCAA.
The coalition was initially formed to help pass the Child Poverty Reduction Act. Now that the legislation is in effect, it functions as a watchdog to ensure the CPRAC issues recommendations that address this crisis, especially among BIPOC and immigrant communities who are disproportionately impacted by child poverty.
“We were able to transition from getting the bill passed to keeping the pressure to ensure the council has influence and that the governor is responsive to their recommendations. The coalition is a vehicle for us to apply pressure from the outside.”
Crystal Charles, Senior Policy Analyst
Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
With Kate Breslin, the President and CEO of SCAA, and Nabozny serving on the Advisory Council, advocates are applying pressure from inside, too.
New York’s recent child poverty wins are the result of years of advocacy and coalition building. Instead of band-aid solutions, the state is finally thinking ahead and investing time and resources into studying the best path forward.
“Reducing child poverty is an achievable thing. It’s not inevitable like gravity. There are strong forces that keep families and children, in particular, in conditions where they do not have enough resources to thrive. But we have policies that can address that, and we should employ them. We should not accept that so many kids grow up with so few resources year after year. I think that message is getting through.” said Nabozny.
The train is showing no signs of stopping. Recently, New York Can End Child Poverty organized a 200+ person rally in Albany.
And, in her 2025 State of the State Address, Governor Hochul proposed a historic expansion of the state’s child tax credit, calling for 1.6 million New York families to receive an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per child under age four and up to $500 per child from four through sixteen. This proposal represents the single largest boost to New York’s child tax credit in its history.
“We can make New York a leader in child poverty reduction. This is a moment where we can show what a state can do to support its children and families. It is really exciting, and we are hopeful,” said Kari Siddiqui, Project Director at SCAA.
