The Graduate School of Education announced the addition of the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), a non-partisan public policy research organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income children and their families. Under the auspices of Bank Street, NCCP will continue conducting original family-oriented research and translating it into actionable recommendations that advocates, policymakers, and communities use to help reduce the number of children experiencing hardship.
Founded at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, NCCP has worked for 30 years as a catalyst for change by advancing the implementation of research-informed interventions and the strategic use of public resources to help improve the lives and futures of children. To date, the center’s work has led to informed policy choices in the areas of early childhood education, paid family leave, disability, immigration, physical and mental health, and more.
“Children who grow up living in need face the greatest long-term risks to their health, education, and future employment outcomes and research shows about 20 percent of US children currently live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold,” said Cecelia Traugh, Dean of the Bank Street Graduate School of Education. “NCCP’s valuable research has helped realize significant policy changes that have changed the life trajectories of millions of lives and we look forward to supporting this important work at the Graduate School of Education.”
“NCCP’s leadership, research, and translation of evidence are very valuable to policymakers and contribute to the kinds of policies that sustain and grow effective programs so low-income children and their families can thrive and reach their full potential,” added Lisa Klein, Executive Director of The Alliance for Early Success, a consortium of funders that support the work of NCCP.
NCCP’s work complements Bank Street’s existing research and publications, including the Straus Center for Young Children & Families, a center that focuses on advancing research and practice to support the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children prenatal to age eight, and the Occasional Paper Series, a bi-annual publication written by teachers, education experts, and school leaders within and beyond Bank Street to help extend, deepen, and promote discussions around educating in a democracy and meeting the interrelated demands of equity and excellence.
“We know that poverty is the biggest threat to children’s healthy development. As we continue to strengthen our impact on educators, children, and their families, we are excited to welcome NCCP to the Bank Street community,” said Shael Polakow-Suransky, GSE ’00, President, Bank Street College. “Our mutual visions—to promote equity for children from birth to age 18 and achieve meaningful change in the allocation of public and private resources—makes Bank Street a welcome new home for NCCP.”
“Broad-scale change is needed now more than ever before, and policy changes based on sound, actionable research can improve the lives and futures of children, their families, and the communities in which they live and learn,” said Heather Koball, Co-Director, National Center for Children in Poverty. “With its deep commitment to improving the lives of all children, NCCP is looking forward to continuing our mission under the auspices of Bank Street.”
NCCP will officially join Bank Street on July 1, 2019. The center will be co-directed by Dr. Heather Koball and Dr. Sheila Smith.
To learn more about NCCP, click here