state strategies to end child poverty - csg knowledge...
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State Strategies to End Child Poverty as a Barrier to Education Success
Kristin Anderson Moore, Ph.D.
February 20, 2014
Presented to Council of State Governments
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Discussion topics
• Quick overview of Child Trends
• Child poverty by the numbers
• How poverty harms children
• What we know about poverty and educational outcomes
• Policy considerations
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About Child Trends
Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that improves the lives and prospects of children and youth by conducting high-quality research and sharing the resulting knowledge with practitioners and policymakers.
childtrends.org
We . . . 1. take a whole child approach 2. study children in the real world 3. want children to flourish 4. value objectivity and rigor 5. pursue knowledge development and knowledge transfer
Infants and Toddlers: An Action Agenda David Murphey
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Poverty remains high among children (17 and under)
27.3
14.0
22.3 19.5
22.7
16.2
22.0
21.8
0
10
20
30
40
50
1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013
Pe
rce
nt
Percentage of Children Living Below Poverty Thresholds, Selected Years, 1959-2012
Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement. Income, poverty and health insurance in the United States: detailed tables. Available at
Sources: Poverty level data for 1959-2001: U.S. Census Bureau. Historical poverty tables-People: Current Population Survey. Table 3. Available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/historical/people.html. Other data 1975-1985: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (2002). Trends in the well-being of America's children and youth 2001. Table ES 1.2.A. Author. Available at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/01trends/ . Other data for 1990-2000: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population
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Children are more often poor than adults
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Younger children are more often poor
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Poverty varies by race/ethnicity
12.3
37.9
33.8
13.8
0
10
20
30
40
50
Non-Hispanic White Black Hispanic Asian
Pe
rce
nt
Percentage of Children who are Poor by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2012
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. CPS Table Creator (online tool), available at:
Note: Estimates reflect the new OMB race definitions, and include only those who are
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Highest state-level poverty rates are found in the South
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5 ways poverty harms children
1. Poverty harms the brain and other body systems
• Poverty can negatively affect how the body and mind develop and alter the fundamental architecture of the brain.
• Children who experience poverty have an increased likelihood, extending into adulthood, for numerous chronic illnesses and for a shortened life expectancy.
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5 ways poverty harms children
2. Poverty leads to poor physical, emotional, and behavioral health. • Growing up poor increases the likelihood that children
will have poor health, including poor emotional and behavioral health.
• Poor children are more likely to lack "food security," as well as have diets deficient in important nutrients.
• Rates of several chronic health conditions, such as asthma, are higher among poor children.
• Poor children are less likely to receive preventive medical and dental care.
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5 ways poverty harms children
3. Poor children are more likely to live in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty, which is associated with numerous social ills, including:
• Exposure to environmental toxins and crime and violence
• Schools in districts with fewer resources, with facilities that are grossly inadequate, and with school leadership that is more transient.
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5 ways poverty harms children
4. Poverty can harm children through the negative effects it has on their families and the home environment. • Poor parents report higher stress, aggravation,
and depressive symptoms than higher-income parents.
• Parents with scarce economic resources face difficulty planning, preparing, and providing for their families material needs.
• Poor families have fewer books and other educational resources at home, and children are less likely to experience family outings, activities, and learning enrichment
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5 ways poverty harms children
5. Poverty creates and widens early achievement gaps.
• Children growing up in poverty, when compared with their economically more secure peers, fall behind early.
• Poor children lag behind their peers at entry to kindergarten, in reading ability at the end of third grade, and in school attendance in eighth grade.
• Poor children are more likely to drop out of school, or fail to obtain post- secondary education.
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Policy considerations
• Programs that increased family income found improvements in children's social and academic outcomes.
• Integrated student supports models that target academic and non-academic supports are promising approaches for improving educational outcomes.
• High-quality early childhood education has been proven to improve outcomes for at-risk children.
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The value of family support
• The family is the child’s first developmental context: material, social, and emotional
• Poverty, low parental education, and stress can compromise the quality of family relationships and the child’s involvement in experiences that enrich development
• Family support programs can increase family engagement and parents’ knowledge of child development; provide job training and work supports; help parents access health and nutrition services or treatment for substance abuse; and reduce stress
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Policy choices for family support
• Voluntary, evidence-based home visiting for new and expectant mothers at risk for negative child outcomes
• Parent education and parent-child interaction programs that are linguistically and culturally sensitive
• Access to child care assistance, with provisions for quality and continuity of care
• Enrollment in programs that promote family economic stability and parents’ participation in education or training
• Prevention programs and services for children at risk for maltreatment and their families
• Access to health care and education programs for children cared for by grandparents and other relatives
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Accountability systems
• Evaluate the quality of learning environments, caregiver/child interaction, and teaching strategies
• Collect data for children and families
• Assess program elements and the workforce
• Consider longitudinal, linked data systems between programs and state agencies that can be disaggregated by risk factors
• Early warning systems can allow timely intervention
• Professional development for data users (teachers, front line workers, and administrators)
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Thank you!
Kristin Anderson Moore, Ph.D.
Senior Scholar
Child Trends
Bethesda, MD
Visit us at: childtrends.org
State Strategies to End Child Poverty as a Barrier to Educational Success
CSG Webinar
Ron Haskins
Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Senior Consultant, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
February 20, 2014
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Poverty Rate of People 65 Years and Over
35.2
9.1
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Perc
en
t in
Po
vert
y
Source: Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Poverty Tables, "Table 3. Poverty Status of People, by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to
2012."
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Employment-Population Ratios for Never-Married Mothers, 1980-2012
61%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
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80
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Perc
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t o
f P
op
ula
tio
n E
mp
loyed
Year
Source: Brookings tabulations of data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, 1980-2010.
Notes: Only includes noninstitutionalized civilians ages 16 and up who are heads of household or the spouses of heads. Never-married mothers are female heads of household
at least 16 years of age who are never married and have at least one never-married child under age 18 in the family. Never-married mothers who are not heads of households,
for example those in subfamilies, are excluded from this analysis. Single mothers include all women who are never-married, separated, divorced, or widowed and have at least
one never-married child under age 18 in the family.
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Poverty Rates for All Children, Black Children, and Female-Headed Households with Children, 1975-2011
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011.
40.9
38.8
21.9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
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Perc
en
t in
Po
vert
y
Year
Female-Headed Families with Children
Black Children
All Children in Poverty
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What Accounts for Success?
1-2 Norms 23%
30%
The Three Norms
•Complete high school
•Work full time
•Wait until age 21 and marry before children
Income Class, by Adherence to Social Norms, 2007
0 Norms
77%
4%
Poor
(< 100% poverty level)
Middle class and above
(> 300% poverty level)
3 Norms 72%
2%
Source: Authors' calculations based on the U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey.
Senate Majority Leader John Unger West Virginia