New Report On Newark Children Shows Positive And Negative Trends

NEWARK, NJ — There has been good news for children who live in Newark lately, according to a new report released by the Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ).

The city is getting more diverse. There has been a rise in median income and high school graduation rates, and a decrease in unemployment and teen births, researchers say.

But there are also some harder-to-swallow numbers that involve the Brick City, the group adds.

ACNJ recently released its Newark Kids Count 2023 report, which compiles a trove of data about youth in New Jersey’s largest city. Read the full report here.

The report includes information on demographics, family economic security, health, child protection, child care and education, among other data.

New Jersey’s largest city is growing and becoming more diverse, with Newark children making up 24 percent of its total population and more than half ages 5 and older speaking a language other than English in their home, researchers said.

Other positive trends include a rise in family median income and high school graduation rates, as well as a decrease in unemployment and teen births. In addition, the number of child care centers rebounded significantly since the pandemic from only 60 centers in 2020 to 135 centers two years later, researchers said.

But there are also some uglier numbers that should be noted, according to the ACNJ.

“Most significantly, Newark public school students consistently underperformed on the state-administered assessment tests in comparison to New Jersey,” researchers said. “Only 19 percent of their third graders met or exceeded expectations in the New Jersey State Learning Assessment for English Language Arts, compared to 42 percent of all New Jersey third graders. This was a drop from the 2018-19 school year, when the percentage for Newark and New Jersey third graders was 29 percent and 50 percent, respectively.”

These figures don’t include charter schools, researchers noted.

• See Related: Newark Has Plan To Improve 'Alarming' Student Reading Scores

In addition, more work is needed to help residents access important resources and programs, the group said.

“The number of Newark families with infants and young children receiving state-funded home visitation has gradually declined, despite proven results in promoting health outcomes and nurturing positive parent-child relationships,” the ACNJ stated.

Meanwhile, the number of expectant mothers in the city receiving prenatal care has “remained stagnant” at 55 percent, the group added.

• See Related: New Jersey's Black Infants, Moms Face Mortality Gap, Lawmakers Say

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka – a former educator in the city – addressed the 2023 report in a letter attached to this year’s study.

“I am particularly proud to see that this report reflects Newark’s growing population, maintaining us as the largest city in the state of New Jersey and demonstrating our hard work during Census 2020,” Baraka wrote. “I am also heartened by unemployment data that shows a steep decline from 14.1 percent at the height of the pandemic to 5.8 percent in 2022.”

“While Newark’s median income grew on par with the state from a percentage basis, we must continue to grapple with unacceptable income and wealth inequity in New Jersey,” Baraka added. “These systemic inequities are what lead to too many of our households with children living in rent-burdened environments and struggling to make ends meet.”

“The Newark Kids Count 2023 report points the way, and we will follow the course,” the mayor said.

Some highlights from the report include:

Demographics

• Newark’s population has grown, with the city’s total population increasing by 9% and its child population increasing by 14% between 2016 and 2021.
• The city’s child population makes up 24% of its total population.
• The majority of Newark’s child population is Black or African American (47%), followed by 41% identifying as Hispanic.
• About 51% of Newark’s population ages 5 and older spoke a language other than English in their own home.
• Roughly 63% of Newark households with children are headed by one parent - an increase of 31% since 2016.

Family Economic Security

• Newark’s median family income is $40,272 - a stark difference from New Jersey’s median income of nearly $112,000.
• In 2022, roughly 1,717 Newark children lived in families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), more commonly referred to as welfare. This is a 36% decrease from 2018. TANF provides cash assistance to needy families through a federally funded block grant given to individual states.

Child Health

• Roughly 55% of expectant mothers in Newark received early prenatal care in 2021, compared to Essex’s 65% and New Jersey’s 75%.
• In Newark, the infant mortality rate, the rate at which a baby dies before their first birthday, was 7.3 for every 1,000 live births in 2016-2020, much higher than the rate of Essex County (5.6) and New Jersey (4.2). Data disaggregated by race shows the infant mortality rate for Black babies to be 10.2 per 1,000 births and for babies identified as Hispanic, 4.0 per 1,000 births.

Child Protection

• As of 2022, 1,475 Newark children were under Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P, formerly DYFS) supervision, which reflects a 63% decrease since 2018.
• The number of Newark children living in foster care dropped from 786 in 2018 to 313 in 2022.

Child Care

• In 2022, Newark had about 135 child care centers, a significant jump from 2020 when the number was 60.
• The number of registered family child care providers, those who care for children in their own homes, was 86.
• Newark saw a 30% decrease in the number of families receiving state-funded home visitation, from 344 families participating in 2018 to 242 in 2022.

Education

• Special education enrollment for Newark charter schools has increased by 29% since the 2017-18 school year, while Newark Public Schools saw a small decrease. However, there are still more children in special education in Newark Public Schools with 6,232 enrolled compared to charter schools with 2,129 enrolled.
• During the 2021-22, English Language Learners represented 17.2% of total enrollment in Newark Public Schools compared to 7.4% in all of New Jersey. New Jersey State Learning Assessment data shows a decrease in the percentage of Newark students meeting or exceeding expectations for English Language Arts and for Mathematics.
• In 2018-19, 29% of Newark third graders were meeting or exceeding expectations in English Language Arts. In 2021-22, this became 19%.
• With a graduation rate of 85%, Newark Public Schools saw a 12% increase since 2017- 2018.

Teens

• Newark saw a 13% decrease in teen births, from 245 births in 2017 to 213 births in 2021.
• Juvenile arrests fell 14% from 329 in 2018 to 283 in 2022.

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