National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) aims to improve the lives of low-income children and their families.
NCCP conducts research and makes informed policy recommendations to reduce the number of American families experiencing hardship. Areas of focus include early childhood education, paid family leave, disability, immigration, physical and mental health, and more. As a result of the center’s decades-long work, children and families enduring the physical, mental, and emotional distress of poverty have a chance at a happier and healthier life. Formerly located at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, NCCP officially joined the Bank Street Graduate School of Education on July 1, 2019.
As of Fall 2025, NCCP is part of the Institute for Thriving Children & Families at Bank Street College of Education. The Institute conducts high-impact research and advances evidence-based, equity-informed policies and programs that support young children—especially those affected by poverty, racism, and other systemic injustices. As one of the Institute’s founding programs, NCCP continues its mission to generate knowledge and inform policy that improves the lives of children and families across the country.