As part of Child Watch, a national monitoring project set up in 1982 to determine the effects of Federal funding cuts and changes in health and social programs on children from low-income families, three programs in New York City were chosen for study. The three programs, which provided health services for low-income children and their mothers, were Medicaid, the Title V Maternal and Child Health and Crippled Children's Services Program, and the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). From April through December 1982, representative advocacy agencies, program administrators, health care providers, parents, and community leaders were surveyed through personal interviews and questionnaires. The major findings from the survey were: (1) the near poor were hurt the most by cuts in health and social programs; (2) New York State did not eliminate any benefits or categories of beneficiaries from its Medicaid program; (3) health care providers experienced substantial reductions but chose to alter their operations rather than cut their caseloads. Following the narrative, appendices describe study methodology, the types of agencies and individuals contacted for the survey, and the three programs monitored in New York City. (CG)