One in four children in the U.S. are being raised in an immigrant family

While 18 million youth in the country have a parent who was not born in the US, a new report shows that the economic, education, and health care access disparities for these kids compared to those with US-born parents is striking. The Foundation for Child Development led the research for the report, here are just a few of their findings:

  • While 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), 30 percent of children in immigrant families still live below the federal poverty level, compared to 19 percent of children with U.S.-born parents.
  • Nearly twice as many children in immigrant families are not covered by health insurance (15%) than children with U.S.-born parents (8%)
  • 25 percent of children in immigrant families don’t graduate high school, versus 18 percent of children with U.S.-born parents
“Somewhere along the line, the system is failing them,” said FCD President Ruby Takanishi. Check out the full report and recommendations made by the FCD to help fill these gaps.

 

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