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Parental Drug Use Killing Children in Pennsylvania at High Rates (investigative report)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Children's Rights, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

An investigative report from Pennsylvania’s TribLive found that nearly 30% of 845 child deaths and near-deaths from 2018–2022 were tied to parental drug use—often in families already known to Child Protective Services. Similar patterns are emerging in Minnesota, Allegheny County and other states. This KARA article shares real children’s stories, shows how CPS and child-fatality systems are failing to track the true scale of drug-related child deaths, and calls on adults everywhere to demand better data, oversight and protection.

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“Safety” at Home, Rape in Secret: The Long Shadow of Caregiver Sexual Abuse

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Sexual abuse of a child is rarely a single “incident” or the act of a stranger in the dark; for many children, it is years of rape by the caregivers who are supposed to protect them. Most child sex abuse occurs in the home. This CASA Guardian ad Litem has experience two four-year-olds coming into…

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America’s Child Abuse Emergency: 546,000 Victims, 2,000 Deaths, and a System That Chooses This

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, Stunning Statistics, The States

Child abuse in the United States is not rare or random — it is the predictable outcome of policy choices. In 2023, about 546,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect and an estimated 2,000 were killed, roughly five children every day. Most are hurt by their own parents, often after prior contact with Child Protective Services. These numbers vary wildly by state, proving that our systems can choose to protect children — or not.

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Northeastern University Study on the Child Welfare Crisis With Projections

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, childabuse, Guest Posts, Public Policy, Stunning Statistics

Official child welfare numbers may capture only part of the crisis. This analysis explains how poverty, Family Assessment practices, underreporting, misreporting, and weak transparency can hide the true scale of harm to children—and why future projections must account for what the system fails to record.

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Invisible Cost Child Abuse ACEs Healthcare Impact

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Data, Education, Featured Articles, Mikes Favorite Posts, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

This post addresses the healthcare burden children with high ACEs scores have on our communities and nation. What’s not obvious to many is that at risk children become at risk youth and at risk adults. 9-year 80% prison recidivism has been with us for over 20 years. This single statistic shines a light on the cascading and forever financial and social costs to our communities from one other American institution that is easily understood. The health care financial and social costs are more complex and harder to understand. The Cape Breton University study below brings clarity to this complex issue.

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Foster Care Mental Health Needs, Costs, and Facts for Minnesota & The Nation

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Stunning Statistics

There is an underappreciated reality that Child Protective Services is the only safe haven for children living with rape, violence and neglect as they are too young to defend themselves.

Empty classroom with text about ACES impact and hashtag #WEARENOTOK.

School Performance, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow & What To Do

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, Stunning Statistics

• “Since 2020, national and state test data show steep declines in foundational reading and math skills that are not bouncing back on their own. If current trends hold, by 2034 a majority of U.S. students will need remedial support, deepening poverty, crime, and inequality across whole communities. This post pulls together NAEP, ACT, SAT, and state level projections—and outlines what leaders, advocates, and communities can do right now to change the trajectory.”

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Nation Out of Step: An Early Childhood Education Manifesto for 2026

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Featured Articles, Public Policy, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Education is the engine of progress and prosperity. A nation that underinvests in its children’s earliest years limits its own future. Neuroscience and economics now converge on a simple truth: what happens from birth to age five shapes the brain, health, behavior, and earning power for life—and early childhood education is where that development can be steered toward success.

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From Classrooms to Homeless Shelters: How Our Choices Hurt Children

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, childabuse, Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Compared to other advanced nations America treats children and the people who care for them as an afterthought and then acts surprised when our schools and child‑welfare systems are overwhelmed with troubled children suffering from health and mental health issues.

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Child Abuse Sad Stories & Statistics (1ST 45 days in 2026))

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Data, Domestic Violence, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics, The States

Child abuse doesn’t stop for holidays or election years. In just the first 45 days of 2026, sad stories and new statistics are already piling up. This post tracks those cases and numbers to show how many invisible children still need our protection.

Students engaging actively in a classroom setting with the theme 'ACES Impact in the Classroom'.

Education 2026 – Educating At Risk Children (what tomorrow looks like)

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, COVID 19 and its Impacts, Education, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Teaching in America in 2026 means managing trauma, violence, long COVID, and historic shortages—all while trying to educate growing numbers of abused and at‑risk children. Drawing on recent data from Education Week, NCES, and school counselors nationwide, this draft chapter from Childhood Trauma – America’s Legacy explores what’s really happening inside classrooms, why teacher burnout and vacancies are soaring, and what it will take to make schools safer and more humane for kids and the adults who serve them.

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The Quantum Mechanics of Childhood Abuse & Trauma

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Childhood abuse leaves epigenetic “scars” that behave like quantum events in a child’s developing brain—shifting the whole trajectory of a life and even echoing across generations. This post links trauma, ACEs, and America’s worst health, violence, and inequality statistics.

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COVID + ICE RAIDS Impacting America’s Schools

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Day Care and Education, Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

COVID school closures and ICE raids have combined to drive U.S. reading, math, history, and civics scores to historic lows. This post outlines national NAEP data, the states with the deepest learning loss, and what these trends mean for children’s futures, especially in immigrant and high poverty communities.

Children of diverse backgrounds holding hands around Earth.

LGBTQ Foster Care, Suicide, & Ground Truths (podcast #3 in KARA’s foster care series)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, LGBTQ, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

the harsh realities faced by LGBTQ+ youth in the foster care system — a population far too often isolated, unsupported, and at devastating risk of homelessness, suicide, and trauma. They share staggering statistics, heartbreaking stories, and expose how

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Child Abuse Statistics (and the best resources)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Featured Articles, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Child abuse crosses every community in America. This page gathers the strongest national statistics on maltreatment, CPS investigations, fatalities, and lifetime impacts on children’s brains and futures — along with links to leading data sources and resources for prevention, advocacy, and reform.

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Child Well-Being in the U.S. vs Other Rich Countries: Poverty, Mortality, and Violence

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Featured Articles, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - International, Stunning Statistics

The United States ranks near the bottom of wealthy countries for child well-being, with higher child poverty, infant mortality, and firearm deaths than its peers. Learn what the data shows and why it matters.​

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

What Happens if “Child Neglect” In Child Protective Services Is Removed or Diminished

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Featured Articles, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

National and federal data show that child neglect is the primary allegation in a clear majority of CPS cases, so removing neglect from CPS as an entry criterion would likely eliminate investigation for roughly 60–75% of the children who are currently investigated or substantiated, with some variation by state. About 7.8 million children / year are reported abused and neglected to CPS.​ Because child abuse is invisible, it is likely that at least that many children remain unseen and unreported. The Trump child welfare executive order leans heavily into language about “unnecessary removals” and “overreach”

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In Texas 2024, only 10 Children Died of Abuse (248 died of neglect)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Mikes Favorite Posts, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Texas child neglect fatalities 2024: The Most Common Cause of Child Death in Texas Isn’t defined as Abuse. The Center for disease control defines child abuse with clarity as any act of physical, sexual, or emotional harm including neglect, done towards a minor under the age of 18 by an adult that holds a custodial or parental role (About Child Abuse and Neglect | Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, 2024).

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Manner of Child Death Unknown (State by State)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, invisible children, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics, The States

WHEN YOU Share KARA’s reporting with FRIENDS, INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK and most of all, your State Representative (find them here) change will come a little bit faster. When enough of us become informed and speak up for abused and neglected children, we will improve their lives and our communities! Child deaths classified as “unknown” or “undetermined” represent one of the most persistent gaps in child‑protection…

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Domestic Violence to a Five Year Old (living in a house of terror)

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Child self harm and suicide, Domestic Violence, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Watching mom beaten or raped is terror. Homeless mothers and children are many times more likely to be assaulted and molested.

Children of addicted and alcoholic moms and dads are beaten and raped more often too.

Trauma is *torture. Watching mom being raped is torture.

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Part 2 CPS Models That Work & Models That Don’t

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, invisible children, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

The U.S. system relies primarily on counts of investigations, confirmed maltreatment, foster care placement rates, and basic duration measures. There is very little standardized measurement of child well-being, stability, or parent feedback, and fewer independent audits of outcomes

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LGBTQ Foster Care, Suicide, & Ground Truths (podcast #3 in KARA’s foster care series)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, LGBTQ, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

the harsh realities faced by LGBTQ+ youth in the foster care system — a population far too often isolated, unsupported, and at devastating risk of homelessness, suicide, and trauma. They share staggering statistics, heartbreaking stories, and expose how

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A Win For Abused Children of Minnesota

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Child self harm and suicide, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Stunning Statistics

Safe Passage For Children of Minnesota has helped bring the issue of transparency of child abuse death and near death into the light and Legislature in our State. In about three weeks, Minnesota will create a statewide child fatality and near fatality review panel to track cases of children dying and suffering egregious harm while…

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Parental Drug Use Killing Children in Pennsylvania at High Rates (investigative report)

Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

KARA follows investigative reporting on child death and near death by caregivers while the children are known to CPS (Child Protective Services). Please send us links to the reports in your state and we will make them available to a larger audience.Parental Drug Use Killing Children in Pennsylvania at High Rates (investigative report)

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Suicide, Child Abuse and Christmas

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Many foster youth and abused and  neglected children in toxic homes suffer especially during the holidays. There is no joy in being removed from your birth home or to continue living in a birth home with broken parents and the behaviors that come with abusive caregivers.

About 25% of the children and young adults in California foster care have attempted suicide. 41% of LGBTQ kids seriously thought of killing themselves last year.

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We’re Doing It Again – Doubling Childhood Poverty

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Reporting and News - International, Stunning Statistics

Child poverty more than doubled between 2021 and 2022. Child poverty and near poverty in America was around 60% when I grow up in 1960’s. Compared to other industrialized nations we have never been a leader – always between 25th and 40th in child poverty rankings among our peers. From the 1960’s through the 1990’s, our childhood poverty rates hovered around 30% (significant multiple of the other advanced nations).