How did you do? Take a look at the quiz answers below. And, if you are able, please consider a gift to keep children safe in their own homes and in school this year. Thank you.
Answer: c) 25%.
The child poverty rate for school-aged children in NYC was 25% in 2024, 60% higher than the national average of 15%. For an average NYC household size, this represents an annual income less than $25,000.
2. Which country has the longest school day?
Answer: b) Thailand & d) China.
The school day in China and Thailand is 9.5 hours. In contrast, Brazil has the shortest school day of four hours. NYC’s 6.8 hour school day is shorter than the global average of 7.5 hours. The school day leaves thousands of low-income families struggling to juggle work and childcare needs every afternoon, which can result in lower incomes due to reduced hours or extra costs due to needing childcare between the end of the school and regular work day. Even with the recent expansion of free after-school seats (which are due to come online between the 2027 and 2028 school years), an estimated 51% of the families (approximately 200,000) who need after-school placements will not receive it and be faced with waiting lists. Related, families in shelter face an extra burden as NYC shelter rules, which dictate that children under 18 cannot be in a shelter room at any point during the day without an adult, clash with new federal SNAP guidelines (as of 2026) that require parents to work if their children are at least 15 years old.
3. Which country has the highest number of mandatory school days?
Answer: a) Korea (220 days).
While students in the other three countries attend school 200 days or more annually, U.S. guidelines mandate 180 school days. NYC’s public schools return after Labor Day, though summer camps typically stop running by the third week of August. For the week before school starts, low-income families are already struggling to pay rent and other costs have to scramble to find affordable childcare. This year, they had the extra challenge of covering two weeks as Labor Day fell so late in the calendar.
4. What percentage of students who have stayed in shelter experience chronic absenteeism?
Answer: d) 77%.
Last year, students staying in shelter missed 25 days on average or 14% of the year. Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of a school year (18+ days). Lost school days put students at-risk of falling behind in instruction and not graduating from high school. While adherence to the McKinney-Vento Act mandates families be placed in the same borough as the youngest child’s school, approximately 37% are initially placed in a different borough. This disrupts school attendance and work attendance for adults. Approximately 40% of children in shelter do not graduate from high school, putting them on a fast track to becoming the next generation of adults who are at risk of homelessness.
5. How long do families with children typically stay in shelter?
Answer: d) 12+ months.
The average stay as of May 2026 is 413 days – or, one year, 6 weeks. In addition to the school disruption described in answer 4, losing a home and being displaced to shelter can cause children to experience school transfers and/or lose the broader community support (of neighbors, school friends, teachers and other family members) that facilitates their well-being and education at a much higher public cost. Whereas the average household arrears bill is $3,500, the average cost of shelter is $100,000; even the average rent for a whole year for a client of The Partnership is less than a quarter of the cost of shelter.