Announcement
January 30, 2012

Report by Professor Jane Waldfogel Cited by the Foundation for Child Development as a Top Research Resource on Child Well-Being

A report authored by Columbia University School of Social Work Compton Foundation Centennial Professor for the Prevention of Children’s and Youth Problems, Jane Waldfogel has been selected a top Child Well-Being Index (CWI) resource by the Foundation for Child Development. The CWI is the nation’s most comprehensive measure of trends related to the quality of life of children and youth.

In "Protecting Children in Tough Economic Times: What Can the United States Learn from Britain?" Jane Waldfogel analyzes how the U.K. has preserved its commitment to fighting child poverty even in recessionary times by implementing a set of income support policies aimed at protecting low-income children and by making critical investments in the areas of early learning and development and education. This followed a successful decade-long national campaign to reduce child poverty by 50%. In contrast, the United States has largely ignored a growing national crisis, with 1 in 5 American children now living in poverty.

The Foundation for Child Development is a national private philanthropy dedicated to the principle that all families should have the social and material resources to raise their children to be healthy, educated and productive members of their communities. Its annual Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI) offers a measure of overall trends, whether towards the improvement or deterioration of child and youth well-being, in the nation over time using 28 social indicators across seven domains.

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For 112 years, the Columbia University School of Social Work has been a leader in the education of professionals for careers in practice, policy, and administration. Located in New York City, the School offers a master’s and a doctoral program which are nationally and internationally recognized for their excellence. With a signature curriculum that features multidisciplinary courses taught by leading scholars and practitioners and rich field education, CUSSW continues to be at the forefront of clinical and community practice, social policy, and social enterprise administration education, research and innovation in the 21st Century.