https://www.fcd-us.org/children-in-immigrant-families-essential-to-americas-future/
Children in Immigrant Families: Essential to America’s Future, a Foundation for Child Development Child and Youth Well-being Index (CWI) Policy Brief, is the first report to compare the well-being of children in immigrant families (one in four children) to children with U.S.-born parents and finds significant gaps in income, education, and health.
Key findings include:
- 66 percent of children in immigrant families live with at least one securely employed parent, only three percentage points less than children with U.S.-born parents, at 69 percent.
- 30 percent of children in immigrant families live below the federal poverty level, compared to 19 percent of children with U.S.-born parents.
- 25 percent of children in immigrant families do not graduate high school, versus 18 percent of children with U.S.-born parents.
- Only 7 percent of children who are Dual Language Learners become proficient in reading in English by the end of third grade, versus 37 percent for students whose first language is English.
- Children who are Dual Language Learners are only one-third as likely as English Only Learners to be proficient in mathematics by the end of the third grade (14 percent versus 44 percent).
- 15 percent of children in immigrant families are not covered by health insurance, compared to 8 percent of children with U.S.-born parents.
- Only 25 percent of children with immigrant parents are living in a one-parent family, compared to 30 percent of children with U.S.-born parents.
Children in Immigrant Families also offers specific recommendations for closing the gaps between children of U.S.-born and immigrant parents, and for increasing well-being for all American children.
Learn more about Children in Immigrant Families: Essential to America’s Future.