Parenting Sources

OVERVIEW

The United States has roughly 74 million children under 18, a 2006 figure that’s up from 47 million in 1950. By 2030, that number is expected to hit 86 million, the Child Trends Data Bank shows. But children represent an increasingly smaller portion of our national population, declining from 36 percent in 1960 to 25 percent in 2001. By 2030, the percentage is expected to slip to 24 percent.

The composite face of America’s children is changing, too. Between 2000 and 2004, the percentage of children who were non-Hispanic white declined slightly from 61 percent to 59 percent, and is projected to decline to 53 percent by 2020. The percentage of the child population that is Hispanic increased from 9 percent to 19 percent between 1980 and 2004, and is expected to increase further to 24 percent by 2020. The percentage of the child population that is non-Hispanic black has stayed relatively constant at about 15 percent since 1980, where it is expected to remain in 2020.

FAST FACTS
GOVERNMENT SOURCES
OTHER SOURCES & RESOURCES

FAST FACTS

In 2006, more than 38 million U.S. households included children under age 18. Of those, 6.8 percent married-couple households were poor – and so were more than a third (37 percent) of all female-headed households with no husband present, federal data show.

The total number of births to unmarried mothers rose nearly 8 percent to 1.6 million in 2006 – a 20 percent jump from 2002, when the recent upswing in nonmarital births began. The biggest increase (10 percent) was among unmarried women aged 25-29. The average maternal age at first birth was 25 in 2005, the most recent year for which the National Center for Health Statistics has statistics. The number of births to non-Hispanic white women decreased 1 percent in 2005, whereas births increased by 1 percent for non-Hispanic black women, and 4 percent for Hispanic women. Births also increased for Asian or Pacific Islander women and American Indian or Alaska Native women, by 1 and 2 percent, respectively.

The teen birth rate, which had been declining for 15 years, rose in 2006. The Centers for Disease Control reported 41.9 births per 1,000 teens aged 15 through 19 in 2006, a 3 percent increase from the previous year. The rate had peaked at 61.8 births per 1,000 teens in 1991. 

In 2005, 51,278 children were adopted from the U.S. public child welfare system and another 22,710 from other countries, the Child Welfare League of America reported in November 2007. The CWLA brief notes no information is available on private domestic adoptions, because there are no reporting requirements.

GOVERNMENT SOURCES

Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; www.acf.hhs.gov
ACF funds state, territory, local and tribal organizations to improve the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities. It oversees roughly 60 programs involving child welfare and child support, Head Start, child care, family violence, and fatherhood and marriage. 
Contact: 202.401.9215; officeofpublicaffairs@acf.hhs.gov   

Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics; www.ChildStats.gov
A collaboration of federal agencies and departments, the forum fosters coordination in collecting and reporting federal statistics on family and social environment, economic circumstances, health and health care, physical environment and safety, behavior and education. Such data are compiled in the forum’s annual report, “America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-being,” released each July. July 2007 data is available.
Contact: Shara Godiwalla, forum director, 301.458.4256; sgodiwalla@cdc.gov; reach agency representatives.

U.S. Census Bureau; www.census.gov
Demographic characteristics of the nation’s households and families, including its foreign-born population, are collected annually in the March Current Population Survey. More detail on household and family characteristics for states, metropolitan areas and other geographic locations is collected in the decennial census.
Contact: Public information, 301.763.3030; pio@census.gov  

OTHER SOURCES AND RESOURCES

AVANCE; www.avance.org
The nonprofit organization, based in San Antonio, Texas, is dedicated to helping immigrant parents become their children’s first teacher, best advocate and critical education partner. It uses a research-based approach to school readiness.
Contact: Syliva Garcia, president, 210.270.4630; sgarcia.nat@avance.org

Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing; http://crcw.princeton.edu/
The Princeton University interdisciplinary center conducts research on children’s health, education, income and family structure. It aims to stimulate basic research, educate faculty and students about children’s policy issues, and influence policymakers and practitioners at all levels. CRCW supports two initiatives: the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, following a longitudinal birth cohort of nearly 5,000 children; and The Future of Children, a twice-yearly journal published with the Brookings Institution. Its fall 2007 volume focused on “The Next Generation of Antipoverty Policies.” CRCW’s director is Sara McLanahan.
Contact: 609.258.5894; crcw@princeton.edu

 Child Study Center, New York University; http://www.aboutourkids.org/
The center, developed in collaboration with the NYU School of Medicine, provides parents and children with information, research, resources and treatment related to psychiatric disorders. Its Web site offers an A-to-Z guide of disorders and treatments, plus a mental health dictionary. The center publishes several newsletters for parents and others. Its founding director is Harold S. Koplewicz.
Contact: 212.263.6622; press@AboutOurKids.org

 Child Trends Inc.; www.childtrends.org
Based in Washington, D.C., the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization provides data-driven, evidence-based guidance on policy and practice, and it tracks trends and identifies emerging issues. Its 13 areas of study include those on: fatherhood and parenting; marriage and family; and teen sex and pregnancy. Its data bank contains statistics and data sources on these and numerous other subjects.
Contact: David Carrier, outreach director, 202.572.6138; DCarrier@childtrends.org

 Council on Contemporary Families; www.contemporaryfamilies.org/
The national nonprofit organization, housed at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was founded in 1996 to enhance the American conversation about contemporary families’ needs and how to meet them. Its members include noted family researchers, mental health and social work practitioners and clinicians. The council maintains a list of family scholars and practitioners.
Contact: Stephanie Coontz, director of public education, 360.352.8117 or 360.556.9223 cell; coontzs@msn.com

Family Equality Council; www.familyequality.org
Formerly known as the Family Pride Coalition, the national advocacy organization is committed to securing family equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer parents, guardians and allies. Based in Boston, the nonprofit organization supports parents through with publications, parent groups, experts and LGBTQ family research.
Contact: Cathy Renna, communications, 917.757.6123; cathy@rennacommunications.com

Family Research Council; www.frc.org
FRC promotes the traditional family unit and the Judeo-Christian value system upon which it is built. It opposes abortion, homosexuality and same-sex marriage. It produces and disseminates policy papers through its Center for Marriage and Family Studies. FRC’s president is Tony Perkins. Its offices are in Washington, D.C., and Holland, Mich.
Contact: Maria Donovan, media coordinator, 202.637.4615; mcd@frc.org

Family Voices Inc.; www.familyvoices.org
The national, grassroots network supports family-centered, community-based services for children with special health care needs. The Boston-based organization serves as a national clearinghouse for information and education. It promotes comprehensive and culturally competent services in supporting essential partnerships between families and professionals. It’s based in Albuquerque, N.M.
Contact: 505.872.4774

Focus on the Family; www.family.org
The organization is devoted to spreading Christian doctrine and preserving traditional family values, particularly the institution of marriage. It was founded by James Dobson and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Contact: Gary Schneeberger, media director, 719.548.5853; press@family.org

Heritage Foundation; www.heritage.org
The think tank formulates and promotes conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom and traditional American values. Its domestic research covers family and marriage, economics, education, health care and more. In October 2007, it released Robert E. Moffit’s report, “The More Children, More Choices Act of 2007: Middle-Class Tax Relief for Families with Kids.”
Contact: Media affairs, 202.675.1761

Institute for American Values; www.americanvalues.org
The private, nonpartisan organization is devoted to strengthening families and civil societies in the United States and world. Its projects concern motherhood, marriage, the effects of divorce on children, and civil society. It advocates removing financial disincentives for low-income parents to marry.
Contact: 212.246.3942; info@americanvalues.org 

National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy; http://www.teenpregnancy.org/
The nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign promotes values, behavior and policies that reduce both teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among young adults. It conducts polls and other research, synthesizing and disseminating information. It has data on births by the mother’s age, race/ethnicity and more, at both national and state levels. It also has information on promising programs and practices.
Contact: Bill Albert, deputy director, 202.478.8500; balbert@teenpregnancy.org

National Center on Fathers and Families; http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/
NCOFF is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to research and policy analysis on father involvement and family development. Its focus includes child support enforcement, support for young fathers, the effects of joblessness and systemic barriers to fathers’ involvement. Its research database includes more than 9,000 entries.
Contact: Vivian Gadsden, director, 215.573.5500; viviang@gse.upenn.edu

National Marriage Project; http://marriage.rutgers.edu
The project, based at Rutgers University, provides research and analysis in two areas: the state of marriage in America, and the social, economic and cultural conditions affecting marital success and child well-being. Its co-directors are David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead.
Contact: 732.445.7922; marriage@rci.rutgers.edu

Parents Anonymous; www.parentsanonymous.org
The nation’s oldest child abuse-prevention organization is dedicated to nurturing children by strengthening families and their communities. Parents, children and youth learn new behaviors. It’s based in Claremont, Calif.
Contact: Barbara Meltzer, media affairs, 323.964.9555; barbara@meltzerpr.com

Parents Helping Parents; www.php.com
PHP is a family resource center that advocates for children with special needs. This includes children of all ages who need special social, educational or other services because of but not limited to illness, accidents, birth defects, neurological conditions, premature birth, learning or physical disabilities, mental health issues and ADHD. Contact Jane Floethe-Ford, director of education, 408.727.5775, Ext. 115; jane@php.com 

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families; www.zerotothree.org
The nonprofit promotes healthy development of infants and toddlers by strengthening and supporting parents, professionals, programs and policymakers. It publishes research-based information on best practices and the latest developments in the field for professionals, including the bimonthly Zero to Three Journal. Zero to Three is based in Washington, with a regional office in Los Angeles.
Contact: Tom Salyers, communications director, 202.638.1144, Ext. 608; tsalyers@zerotothree.org