RECENT PUBLICATIONS
CHILDREN AT RISK Releases 2021 Annual Report
Since 1989, CHILDREN AT RISK has helped children overcome the challenges of growing up. We know that kids are at risk for many different reasons, including poverty, abuse and neglect, discrimination, lack of quality education, or healthcare access. That’s why our work...
Accountability for Buyers in the Commercial Sex Market | Brief
Texas House Bill 1540 went into effect this September. The bill is a key component of the 'Texas Model' to combat commercial sex - and its associated harms including the fueling of sex trafficking - through strengthening buyer accountability. The bill makes...
The Impact of Social Media on Children | Working Paper
In the digital age, social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives. It is nearly impossible for children or young adults to imagine life without Facebook - Instagram plus all the counterparts that came before them! As more kids grow up in this society...
Which Texas Schools Were Most Resilient?
For more than a decade, CHILDREN AT RISK (C@R) has ranked and graded Texas public schools to help parents, educators, and community members understand how schools in their community are performing, and to spark dialogue on the quality of public education across Texas....
In the Time of COVID: Student Rights and School Policies
IN THE TIME OF COVID: School Policies & Student RightsCOVID-19 changed our public education landscape overnight. Thousands of Texas schools and nearly 5.5 million students had to adapt to new policies and health guidelines. As schools grapple with COVID's impact,...
Voices from the Field: Texas Child Care Providers Building Back Better
Texas Early Childhood Education Newsletter I September 2021 Before the COVID-19 pandemic, child care centers were some of the most economically vulnerable businesses in Texas. During the pandemic, Texas families relied on child care providers more than ever for...
Children and Climate Change | Volume 12. Issue 1 of the Journal of Applied Research on Children
Climate change is a global emergency, but its impacts are not equally distributed across our society. Children, especially children in economically disadvantaged or historically marginalized communities, bear the greatest impact. From increasing exposure to pollution...
C@R Hosts Roundtable with JFS Authors on Youth Suicide
Content Warning: Discussion of Suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org for 24 hour support. Even before the pandemic, youth...
How did Children Fare in the 87th Texas Legislative Session?
Over the last 140 days, Children at Risk monitored thousands of bills, registered support for bills 93 times, provided written testimony 23 times, and provided oral testimony 20 times. Out of our initial legislative priorities, 17 bills ultimately made it to the...
COVID-19 Related Child Care Closures
Child care centers, already some of the most economically vulnerable businesses in Texas, provide an essential service to working families and critical early educaation for young children. Throughout the pandemic, permanent, temporary, and extended closures have left...
2021 Kroger School Food Rankings
Across Texas, over 3 million students from low-income households qualify for free or reduced-price school meals through federal programs, such as the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. For many of these children, meals eaten at school are...
Chronic Absenteeism In Texas
Before the pandemic, Texas had a problem with chronic absenteeism in its schools. Statewide, chronic absenteeism averages at 12.5% pre-COVID and varies dramatically by region. More than 740,000 students missed at least one-tenth of their instruction in 2019. The...
RESOURCES & DATA TOOLS
PUBLICATION ARCHIVE
Early Childhood Education
- Voices from the Field: Texas Child Care Providers Building Back Better (TX ECE Newsletter – Sept. 2021)
- COVID-19 Community Initiatives Supporting Children 0-5 and their Families (TX ECE Newsletter – Dec. 2020)
- Investment & Innovation: Increasing Access to Quality, Affordable Child Care Before & During a Crisis (2020)
- Early Childhood Apprenticeship Programs: Creating a Pipeline of Highly-Qualified Teachers (2019)
- Building Brains and Economies: Quality Child Care as an Engine for Economic Development in a 21st Century Texas (2018)
- Improved the Quality of Child Care Through Economies of Scale: A Look at Shared Services Approaches for Texas (2018)
- Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Success (2016)
- The Early Investment Project: Subsidized Child Care in Texas (2016)
- The State of Pre-K: Realities and Opportunities in Texas (2014)
K-12 Education
Human Trafficking
- The Sex Trafficking Marketplace: Addressing Demand through Legislation and Tactics (2015)
- The Texas Safe House Movement: An Examination of Restorative Shelter Core Components and Recommendations (2011)
- The State of Human Trafficking in Texas (2009)
- Slavery Out of the Shadows (TYLA video featuring former Senior Staff Attorney, Dawn Lew, and CEO, Dr. Sanborn)
Texas Legislative Resources
Child Health & Nutrition
- Universal School Breakfast and At-Risk Afterschool Meal Case Studies (2014-2018)
- Food for Every Child: The Need for Healthy Food Retail in the Greater Dallas Area (2015)
- School Breakfast Programs in North Texas and Across the State (2013)
- Roadmap for Encouraging Grocery Development in Houston and Texas (full report) 2012
Growing Up Publications
- Growing Up in Houston, 2017-2018
- Growing Up in North Texas 2016: A Community Assessment for Tarrant County
- Growing Up in Houston, 2014-2016
- Growing Up In Houston, 2012-2014
- Growing Up in Houston, 2010-2012
- The Future of North Texas Children: Assessing the Quality of Life of Our Children, 2012-2014
- The Future of Texas: A Report on the Status of Our Children, 2010-2012
- The Future of Fort Bend’s Children, 2012-2014
- Fort Bend County Assessment, 2013
- The Future of Fort Bend’s Children, 2010-2012
Immigration & New American Children
Juvenile Justice
Parenting & Family Well-Being
- Fatherhood Resources – National and Texas (2015)
- The State of Parent Education in Dallas County (2014)
- Triple P Parenting Pilot Evaluation (full report) (2014)
- A National Survey of Parent Support Legislation and Regulations (2014)
- Scaling Up Evidence-Based Parent Education in Houston, Texas (2013)
- Parents’ Perception of Parent Education Survey Results (2013)
- The State of Parent Education in Houston, TX, (2012)