Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Even the 'boom' years were so-so for children

That's what the Annie E. Casey Foundation learned in compiling its 20th-annual Kids Count Data Book, which uses the U.S. Census and other government statistics to measure the well-being of American children.

Here's how the Washington Post summed up the findings: "The well-being of American children changed only modestly during the boom years of this decade and undoubtedly has worsened since the onset of the recession."

The rate of children living in poverty was on the rise even before the recession's official onset in December 2007. Unfortunately, that's also where the data trail ended for the Casey Foundation; with no 2008 and 2009 numbers available from the government yet, its report does not reflect the impact of rising unemployment in recent months.

"Our take-away is that even going into the recession, the economic outlook for a lot of families was dire," Kids Count coordinator Laura Beavers told the Post. "There was a flattening of the median income, and the poverty level was creeping up year after year."

"The poverty rate for children remains between 17 and 19 percent thus far this decade-–the rate of 18 percent in 2007 means 900,000 more children were living in poverty nationally than in 2000," Beavers said in a Kids Count press release.

In addition, she said, the teen birth rate is trending upward after more than a decade of steady decline. Although still below the rate in 2000, the teen birth rate increased from 40 to 42 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19 between 2005 and 2006.

The teen birth rate is one of 10 key indicators the Casey Foundation used for Kids Count. Looking across all of the indicators, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Utah ranked the highest; Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi ranked the lowest.

How did Connecticut do? It was one of five states with the biggest improvement in their rankings between 1999-2000 and 2006-07, the others being New York, Maryland, North Carolina, and Illinois.

Connecticut report

Kids Count Data Center

Annie E. Casey Foundation

Monday, July 27, 2009

U. of Michigan poll: Recession toughest on poor and uninsured kids

New polling data from the University of Michigan Health System shows that as parents face increasingly difficult financial decisions in this recession, it's often their children's health that gets short shrift -- especially in uninsured and lower-income families.

The data, gathered in May as part of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, shows 44 percent of families’ financial situations have worsened in the last six months. To make ends meet, many have cut back on extras (65 percent), applied for government health coverage (24 percent), applied for free or reduced-price lunch programs (27 percent), and delayed taking their children to the doctor (11 percent) or dentist (16 percent).

"In particular, we found that if a family’s financial situation had worsened over the last 6 months and their children were uninsured, 40 percent of those parents had delayed taking their children to the doctor," Matthew M. Davis M.D., director of the poll, said. "This is a particularly concerning statistic when we consider that some of these kids whose care is being delayed may be particularly vulnerable or at risk for serious health problems."

In addition, 40 percent of the parents polled indicated their children (aged 5-17) had some or a lot of stress as a result of worries about their family’s finances. Fifty-three percent of parents reported that their teens (aged 13–17) had stress due to the family’s financial situation.

Common symptoms of stress in children include acting out, abdominal pain and headaches.

"We found that stress from financial worries affected families of lower incomes more than families of higher incomes," according to Davis, who is associate professor of pediatrics, internal medicine, and public policy at the University of Michigan Medical School and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. "So much so that families of the lowest income level--namely making $30,000 per year or less--were more than twice as likely to report their kids had stress as families of the highest income group making $100,000 or more per year."

Get the full report here

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Recession putting a crunch on after-school programs

After-school programs across the nation are struggling with both recession-related budget shortfalls and recession-related enrollment increases, according to USA Today. A national survey this spring revealed that three in five programs have seen their funding drop in the past two years. Meanwhile, demand for the programs keeps rising -- in part because of the recession, as laid-off parents seek help in providing for their children.

USA Today notes that after-school programs have captured the attention of President Obama, who said in declaring July 9 National Summer Learning Day that "unequal access" to after-school summer programs helps cause the achievement gap between low-income and affluent students. Read his full statement here.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Two interesting New York Times columns

Columnist Bob Herbert wrote recently that with "so much attention focused on the banking system and arguments over bailouts, the plight of America’s children in this severe economic downturn is getting short shrift."

Dr. Irwin Redlener, president of the Children’s Health Fund in New York, told Herbert that we're seeing the emergence of a "recession generation" -- kids whose families had a reasonable chance at a comfortable living two years but who must now live with the effects of unemployment or underemployment.

Then there's Nicholas D. Kristof's piece on the connection between economic status and I.Q. While poor people have I.Q.’s significantly lower than those of rich people, he says, it's becoming apparent that the conventional wisdom on the reason for it -- genetics -- is wrong. He quotes Richard Nisbett, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, as summing up the new research this way:

"Bad environments suppress children’s I.Q.’s."

Nisbett is the author of a new book, "Intelligence and How to Get It," which not only takes on the genetics argument but also offers advice for addressing poverty and inequality in America.

First-time visitors to the New York Times website are asked to register. It's free.

How should parents explain the recession to children?

This Chicago Tribune article offers some suggestions. Among them: taking the kids with you to the grocery store and making sure they see you using coupons, which will help teach them the value of a dollar.

"Whatever route parents take in navigating the recession," the article says, "experts say children are paying attention. The financial decisions parents make today, the priorities and examples they set, will have an important influence on their children's financial lives, experts say."

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Food insecurity rates rising steeply

Food Insecurity occurs when there is limited or uncertain access to enough nutritious food for all household members to lead active and healthy lives. Children's HealthWatch, a Boston-based research organization, reports that food insecurity in a five-city sample of low-income families with children under age 3 has risen from 18.5 percent to 22.6 percent between 2007 and 2008.

Download the full report here (PDF)

Download an executive summary (PDF)

Check out the Summer Food Service Program

The Department of Education’s Summer Food Service Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides free meals for children through age 18 (through age 21 for children with disabilities) at sites around the state. There are no income or asset restrictions. All sites are open for lunch, and some offer breakfast. Visit the state Department of Education website and click on "SFSP and Seamless Summer Sponsor Directory" to see a list of meal sites.

Shelters to benefit from heating aid surplus

The Hartford Courant reports that the state government has a surplus in federal heating-aid dollars and will distribute up to $2 million of it to 60 shelters, with another $14 million going to yet-to-be-identified energy-assistance programs.

"News of the surplus offered some respite for shelter directors, who learned about a month ago that their federal block grants, distributed by the state Department of Social Services, were cut by 6 percent," according to the Courant.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Rescuing high school dropouts in Hartford, Manchester

"Hartford and Manchester are among a dozen communities across the country involved in maximizing use of federal stimulus money to get high school dropouts and other 'disconnected' young people into the working world," the Hartford Courant reports.

Youth-service and jobs specialists will be trained on how to use stimulus funds to help young people who've left school, lack jobs and skills, and are in danger of becoming chronic drains on society, according to the Courant. The program, called City Leaders Re-engaging Disconnected Youth through Economic Recovery Efforts, is sponsored by the National League of Cities.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

NPR broadcast: "'Beyond Bars' Amid Bad Times"

Here's a summary of the program, aired Monday on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation":

"More than 600,000 people are released from U.S. prisons every year. But imagine re-entering society in today's economy as a convicted felon. Jeffery Ian Ross and Stephen C. Richards, the authors of the book Beyond Bars, offer insights on a successful reentry into society, the local community and the job market."

Listen to it here

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Study finds Connecticut health care costs rising

CT News Junkie reports that Health Care for America Now, a national grassroots organization for health care reform, has released a report showing "the cost of health care is rising across the nation and right here in Connecticut." Read the article

Recession drives up teen dating violence

CBS reports that a study from Liz Claiborne and The Family Violence Prevention Fund shows an increase in teen dating violence -- directly tied to the economic downturn. Read the article

Children in the recession: A legislative task force

On June 16, the Commission on Children hosted a forum where Speaker of the House of Representatives Christopher G. Donovan announced the formation of a legislative task force to address the needs of children affected by the recession. Event documents, video, and photos