Hello intrepid children FYSOPfans,
Olivia and I have been hard at work conducting research on topics within the Children issue area this summer–Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Child Abuse, Foster Care, and Children in Poverty. We’ve posted below the facts and figures of these focus areas–though startling and even upsetting in places, we really feel that this information will hit home. We’ve even extended our research to explore an additional area–Public Health and Wellness of Children.
So enjoy! And take the time to educate yourself on the condition of children in America–what you find just might inspire you 
FYLove,
Katie and Olivia
Children in Poverty
Poverty is the state of being poor, or lacking the means to provide material needs or comforts.
Over 15 million children (ages 0-17) in the United States – 21% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $22,050 a year for a family of four.
Poverty is widespread all over the world, even though it is commonly associated with underdeveloped third world countries. Children in America face similar plights of hunger, poor access to healthcare, and diminished quality of life even in the 21st century. There are 1.2 million more children living in poverty in America today than in 2000.
Generational poverty affects thousands of families in America. Children whose parents have low socioeconomic status are labeled as “at-risk”, meaning that they are more likely to be poor, incarcerated, or unemployed as adults. Child poverty rates are highest among black, Latino, and American Indian children in the United States.
In America, official child poverty rates range from a low of 10% in New Hampshire to a high of 30% in Mississippi. Differences in state standards of poverty reflect varying income levels and availabilities of funds for segments of poor populations via social programs. This is based on different state constitutions.
Children in poverty are likelier to develop cognitive, behavioral, or socioemotional health problems in their lifetimes. In 2009, 8 percent of children living below the poverty level and 7 percent of children in families with incomes 100–199 percent of the poverty level had serious emotional or behavioral difficulties, compared with 4 percent of children with family incomes 200 percent or more of the poverty level (SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey.) Some children in poverty grow up in homelessness, or without a stable family unit. Many grow up in single-parent homes, with extended family, or in foster care families. According to the U.S. Census Bureau:
- In 2010, 66 percent of children ages 0–17 lived with two married parents, down from 77 percent in 1980.
- In 2010, 23 percent of children lived with only their mothers, 3 percent lived with only their fathers, and 4 percent lived with neither of their parents.
- In 2010, 75 percent of White, non-Hispanic, 61 percent of Hispanic, and 35 percent of Black children lived with two married parents.
(SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.)
The ongoing economic downturn in the last few years has spiked unemployment rates, caused bankruptcy and foreclosure on houses, and oftentimes disrupted vital family structure. In Massachusetts alone, the number of homeless families with children under the age of 5 increased from just over 1,300 families in 2005 to over 50,000 families in 2010. In the last six years, Massachusetts homeless shelters have witnessed a 25% rise in the number of homeless families seeking services.
Many times these circumstances are correlated with strains of finances in the family environment. Infrequently discussed are the lasting social effects of stigmas and the higher propensity for inadequate education. Limited state and federal funding for social programs and public school districts reflect poor performances in the classroom. Poor children may furthermore attend school hungry, exhausted, or with insufficient clothing. They therefore have lower chances of success in life without early extra support systems in both schools and society.
This graph of children’s family income distribution provides a broader picture of children’s economic circumstances:
Indicator Econ1.B: Percentage of related children ages 0–17 by family income relative to the poverty line, 1980–2009
NOTE: Estimates refer to children ages 0–17 who are related to the householder. The income classes are derived from the ratio of the family’s income to the family’s poverty threshold. A child living in extreme poverty is defined as a child living in a family with income less than 50 percent of the poverty threshold. Below poverty, but above extreme poverty, is defined as 50–99 percent of the poverty threshold. Low income is defined as 100–199 percent of the poverty threshold. Medium income is defined as 200–399 percent of the poverty threshold. High income is defined as being at or above 400 percent of the poverty threshold. For example, in 2009, a family of four with two children would be in extreme poverty if their income was less than $10,878 (50 percent of $21,756). The same family would be classified as low income if their income was at least $21,756 and less than $43,512.
(SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements.)
High quality care and positive learning experiences CAN make a difference in the downward trajectory of a child in poverty’s life.
Education in America
Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, better known as No Child Left Behind, dictates that all children must have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. The Obama Administration’s Race to the Top Initiative provides incentives for high test scores through grants of funding for records of high performance. Testing in America, therefore, has become high-stakes. Controversially, test scores are used to measure student achievement, evaluate teaching practices, and levy crucial funding. High stakes testing starts early, too—the NCLB Act takes its first measure of student rates of achievement through a federally mandated test in just the 3rd grade.
Incumbent Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the Obama Administration have proposed revisions to the ESEA Law, suggesting the continued Title I support of preschool, a Birth-Through-College-to-Career agenda, comprehensive education reforms, and encouragement for innovation in early learning. The revisions also propose a
“comprehensive early learning assessment systems program” for pre-Kindergarten students, or “support for states and districts to develop and implement developmentally appropriate comprehensive early learning assessment systems would ensure programs are moving toward continuous improvement and preparing children to be successful in school and in life” (Source: A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, U.S. Department of Education, March 2010). This indicates that high-stakes testing will continue to stretch downward into earlier age ranges of children.
Public Health and Wellness of Children
According to the 2010 census, there were 74.2 million children in the United States, 1.9 million more than in 2000. This number is projected to increase to 87.8 million in 2030.
The Obama Administration is working to pass a healthcare reform law that would make healthcare coverage mandatory for all American citizens. This would ensure children receive necessary and even vital benefits for wellness. The new law would furthermore produce a public healthcare option for all citizens—sort of like an extension of the Medicare health program for the elderly. It would moreover disallow private insurance companies to refuse coverage to certain applicants on the basis of preexisting conditions.
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a consortium of seven former federal agencies formed in 1997, releases an annual report about the current state of health and well-being of the nation’s children. The America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011 report indicates that although we have made progress in areas such as decreased adolescent birth rates and verified cases of maltreatment of children, we still have a long road ahead on the path to eliminating dangerous risks to the wellness of all children.
Learning Disorders
Learning disorders are the fastest growing diagnoses in special education. Learning disabilities served by federal funding for children ages 3-21 have increased from 796,000 cases in 1976-77 to 2,573,000 cases in 2008-09 (SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2010). Digest of Education Statistics, 2009 (NCES 2010-013), Chapter 2.)
Fortunately, learning disabilities are in many cases able to be alleviated or even diminished, through intensive prevention and intervention techniques in literacy and computing processes, organizational and time management strategy instruction, and additional time and modifications for school projects.
The percentage of children with specific learning disabilities declined from 5.9 percent to 5.2 percent of total public school enrollment during the 2002-2008 period (SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2010). Digest of Education Statistics, 2009 (NCES 2010-013), Chapter 2.)
Although 4% of all children nationally are diagnosed with learning disorders, 12% of all adopted children and 18% of all children in foster care in 2007 had learning disabilities.
(SOURCE: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and Administration for Children and Families and National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS), National Survey of Adoptive Parents; and Maternal and Child Health Bureau and NCHS, SLAITS, National Survey of Children’s Health).
Communicable Diseases
Rates of childhood and adolescent immunizations are one measure of how extensively children are protected from serious vaccine-preventable illnesses. This chart by the National Immunization Survey suggests that young children in poverty were less likely to receive a series of vital immunizations over a six year period:
Indicator HC3.A: Percentage of children ages 19–35 months with the 4:3:1:3:3:1 combined series of vaccinations by poverty status, 2002–2009
NOTE: The 4:3:1:3:3:1 series consists of 4 doses (or more) of diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and pertussis (DTP) vaccines, diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (DT), or diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and any acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccines; 3 doses (or more) of poliovirus vaccines; 1 dose (or more) of any measles-containing vaccine; 3 doses (or more) of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines; 3 doses (or more) of hepatitis B vaccines; and 1 dose (or more) of varicella vaccine. The collection of coverage estimates for this series began in 2002. The recommended immunization schedule for children is available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm#printable. The 2009 series estimates were affected by the Hib vaccine shortage and the interim Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation to suspend the booster dose for healthy children from December 2007 to June 2009, a time when most children in the 2009 National Immunization Survey would have been eligible for the booster dose of the Hib vaccine. (SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and National Center for Health Statistics, National Immunization Survey.)
Though some vaccinations are mandatory before school entrance for children, some parents opt to avoid having their children immunized. Other families are simply unable to afford general practitioner, vision, and dental checkups with current healthcare options.
Autism
Autism is a complex developmental brain disorder with an unknown cause. It is believed that there are several possible causes, since there are several levels of severity of autism that people can have. Scientists have suggested several genetic and undetermined environmental factors as probable causes.
Autism continues to grow worldwide and affects many more people than we think. In the U.S. alone:
- Autism affects 1 in every 110 children, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.
- The prevalence rate of autism is increasing 10-17 percent annually.
- One out of 70 boys is diagnosed with autism.
- Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
- Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, which is expected to increase significantly in the next decade.
The main reason why the autism is so difficult to detect is because each case is unique. In general, symptoms include repetitive behaviors, struggles with social interaction, and difficulty communicating with others. Functionality for individuals with autism range on a wide spectrum.
The Individuals with Disabilities Act, most recently revised in 2004, ensures that every child with a disability has “free and appropriate” education tailored to their specific needs. The act also requires that each child with disabilities be part of a “least restrictive environment,” where they have the maximum opportunity possible to communicate with children who do not have disabilities in a general classroom environment.
Research and awareness are spreading today as the number of Autism cases increases.
(Source: Autism Speaks: The nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization)
Child Obesity
In the U.S. alone:
- We spend $14.1 billion each year for childhood obesity on health expenses like prescription drugs and visits to doctors and emergency rooms.
- The heaviest children are more than twice as likely as the thinnest to die prematurely, before age 55, of illness or a self-inflicted injury
- One in three people are considered overweight or obese
- 17% of children are considered overweight or obese
Massachusetts is taking significant measures to improve the health of children. Read this article on how Mayor Menino is targeting school meals and healthy eating choices to reduce obesity:
(Source: NY Times Article- Mayor Menino Offers Healthy Eating Choices for Children)
The United States also recognizes the problem, and suggests solutions for children of all socioeconomic standpoints. Read this article on Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to “encourage children to raise the nutritional level of school meals and provide access to healthier meals in deprived areas:”
(Source: BBC Article- “Let’s Move!” Campaign)
Center for Disease Control and Prevention Chart on Increasing Obesity since 1971:
(Source: NY Times Article- Child obesity linking with long-term health problems)
Foster Care
The main purpose of foster care is to provide a stable living environment for a child who has been declared “at risk” in their permanent home. Children are removed from their homes and placed into foster care due to abuse, or neglect, or unsafe or dangerous living conditions. Children can be removed immediately for sexual assault, physical abuse, or severe neglect. The average stay of a child in a foster home is three years, after in which they are encouraged as much as possible to return to their birthparents.
The Department of Health and Human Services is closely involved with the child’s experience in the foster home. They provide training for the foster parents as well as a stipend to provide for the child’s daily and medical expenses. While working in the foster home, the department is also closely involved with the birthparents’ recovery. The ultimate goal for children who are at a long-term risk, and probably will not return back home, is to transfer their custody to another guardian or find them adoption parents.
Children who are at long-term risk face significant challenges as they grow older. Although foster care can provide a safe and caring environment temporarily, children age out of the foster care system at age eighteen or when they graduate high school. If they still lack support from their birthparents or another guardian, they are simply on their own. These kids lack support and guidance to finish high school, get a college degree, seek medical help, and become employed.
- 30,000 foster-care youths age out of the system yearly at age eighteen.
- Of people who have been in foster care, 40% become homeless and only 6% go on to earn college degrees.
- More than ⅔ of women who spent time in foster care have children while lacking financial stability, and 60% of males who spent time in foster care have been convicted of a crime
For foster children that “age out” of the system, lacking support and becoming homeless is something they cannot help. States are continuously trying to assist foster children and improve their conditions for when they age out of the system. Some states are even trying to extend the foster child’s stay in their home until twenty-one, so that they have support from a guardian longer while making significant moves and decisions in their lives.
For powerful stories on foster care, read Lexi and Josh’s stories:
NPR- Josh
NPR- Lexi
Also, check out Aging Out, a documentary on the lives of four children who make the transition to independent living after aging out of the foster care system:
Trailer- Aging Out
Child Abuse
Definition of Abuse (defined by DCF Regulation 110 CMR 2.00): The non-accidental commission of any act, by a caretaker, upon a child under age 18, which causes or creates a substantial risk of physical or emotional injury, or constitutes a sexual offense under the laws of the Commonwealth, or any sexual contact between a caretaker and a child under the care of that individual. This definition is not dependant upon location (i.e., abuse can occur while the child is in an out-of-home or in-home setting). Abuse is any action that creates an injury or substantial risk to a child. Abuse can be physical, sexual, or emotional.
Most child abuse occurs within the family. Child neglect and mistreatment is also more common in families living in poverty and among parents who are teenagers or drug or alcohol abusers. With awareness and education, abuse can be prevented.
As a parent or guardian, it is important to be extra cautious concerning who their child is spending time with. Implement the buddy system at an early age, and make the child aware of what situations they should be cautious around. Encourage the child to say “no” to situations they feel uncomfortable with, and to tell a trustworthy adult if something happens in order to prevent danger in the future. As a child, it is easy to be oblivious to actions that may put them in a dangerous situation like giving out a phone number, address, or other personal information to someone they are unfamiliar with. Encourage privacy, safety, and respect for the child and others, and tell them to look out for and protect friends and peers. If something does happen to the child, remain calm and ensure them that their idea of telling someone was a good one and that the action of abuse was not their fault. A safe environment after abuse is critical.
Abuse not only affects a person during childhood, but can also cause major problems as the child gets older.
Possible Symptoms of Child Abuse:
- depression
- suicide
- violence
- abuse
- alcoholism
- battered baby syndrome
- disrupted sleep
Statistics:
- Approximately three million cases of child abuse and neglect involving almost 5.5 million children are reported each year.
- Although it is certainly true that child abuse occurs outside the home, most often children are abused by a caregiver or someone they know, not a stranger.
- Studies have suggested that up to one in four girls and one in eight boys will be sexually abused before they are eighteen years old.
- The Department of Children and Families receives more than 75,000 reports on children each year.
Check out this moving story on child abuse:
NPR- Story on Child Abuse
Foster Care and Child Abuse Resources:
http://www.suffolkcac.org/resources/
http://www.fosterclub.com/article/foster-care-statistics
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/agingout/faq.html
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Consumer&L2=Family+Services&L3=Foster+Care&sid=Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dss_c_fc_overview&csid=Eeohhs2
http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dss/foster_parenting_guide.pdf
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/can_info_packet.pdf
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childabuse.html
http://www.suffolkcac.org/resources/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_113076.html
http://www.hhs.gov/autism/
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/fatality.pdf#Page=5&view=Fit
http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/faq
http://news.change.org/stories/record-number-of-homeless-families-in-massachusetts
http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/eco1.asp
http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/care3.asp
http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables/special1e.asp
http://www.projectbread.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aboutus_numbers
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/faq/early-learning.pdf
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg1.html#sec1001
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/early-childhood-education
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/earlyLearningStandards.pdf
http://www.childwelfare.gov/can/defining/federal.cfm
Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services. (March 2007). Fact Sheet, Child Welfare Services. Downloaded April 2007 from http://dcfs.co.la.ca.us
California Progress Report. (January 17, 2007). “Expanding Transitional Services for Emancipated Foster Youth: An Investment in California’s Tomorrow.” The Children’s Advocacy Institute.
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_787.html
http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k5/FosterCare/FosterCare.html
