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Child poverty in California hit 18 percent last year, five points higher than the national average, according to a new analysis by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Researchers found the national child poverty rate almost tripled from 5 percent to 13 percent between 2021 and 2024, largely because Congress allowed pandemic-era financial supports for low-income families to expire.

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Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the foundation, said a high concentration of poverty endangers a child’s safety, health and success in school.

"Those neighborhoods often have higher crime rates," Boissiere pointed out. "Schools tend to have lower resources, and consequently, the academic achievement of the children tends to be lower. You also see significant stress on families, and that stress has a direct impact on the well-being of children."

The numbers are much worse for children of color. Nationally, child poverty stands at 7 percent for white children, 21 percent for Latino kids, and 23 percent for Black children. Last July, the Republican funding bill did increase the maximum child tax credit by $200 per year, but it also made huge cuts to programs helping low-income families, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid.

Boissiere stressed wages and poverty-alleviating policies simply are not keeping up with costs, so policymakers need to look for solutions.

"It's a partnership that involves both the business community and the support of wages to allow families to support their children," Boissiere emphasized. "Also policies that provide supports for families who are living in lower-wage situations."

The report found without current social support programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, SNAP and housing assistance, child poverty in California would jump to 29 percent, pushing 880,000 more Golden State children into poverty.