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The recession continues to take a heavy toll on children and their families, according to a new First Focus report written by Brookings Institution Fellow Julia Isaacs.
In The Recession's Ongoing Impact on America's Children: Indicators of Children's Economic Well-Being Through 2011, Isaacs compares three key economic indicators of children's well-being
- the number of children living with an unemployed parent
- the number who rely upon the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) for food
- and the number who live in poverty
and finds that:
- 2.7 million more children lived with an unemployed parent during a typical month in 2011, compared to 2007 (an increase of 71%), bringing the 2011 total to 6.5 million children;
- 3 million (47% of those living with an unemployed parent) lived, during a typical 2011 month, with a parent unemployed six months or longer;
- 8 million more additional children relied upon SNAP for food in 2011, compared to 2007, bringing the total number of children receiving SNAP to 21 million (one in four) nationwide;
- 16 million children (more than one in five) currently live in poverty
- At least 8 additional states became high child poverty states (where more than one-in-five children live in poverty) during the recession, pushing the total number of high child poverty states to 22;
"The numbers tell us two critical things:
First, the recession continues to hit America's children hard; and second, smart investments in children's health and well-being can mitigate the harm.
Federal resources like the Earned Income Tax Credit, Unemployment Insurance, Supplemental Security Income and even child support enforcement funding can keep families afloat and protect America's children," said First Focus President Bruce Lesley.
The report observes that a parent's unemployment and poverty have both immediate and long-lasting effects on a child's development. Near-term effects include psychological stress and academic performance, and even increased incidences of abuse and neglect. Lasting consequences include diminished career aspirations and earnings as an adult.
The paper provides state-by-state breakdowns of the three key economic indicators of child well-being. The share of children living with an unemployed parent ranged as high as 13% (one in 8) in Nevada. The share of residents who rely on SNAP for food was highest in the District of Columbia (22%), though rates also topped one-in-five in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oregon and Tennessee. Child poverty reached an alarming 32.5% in Mississippi, but other high-poverty states included Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
The report also notes that conventional economic metrics do not take into account the impact of changes in the economy on children. For example, it notes that unemployment measures count only unemployed workers, excluding children from the calculus of economic consequences.
"The economy may have begun its slow recovery, but conditions are not yet improving for children in the most vulnerable families," said Brookings Institution Child and Family Policy Fellow Julia Isaacs.
The report also notes that while the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs have protected America's seniors from poverty increases during economic downturns, there is an absence of similar protections for children who also suffer when the economy takes a turn for the worse.
First Focus has encouraged federal policymakers to adopt an approach modeled on the poverty targets established by the national government of the United Kingdom. The UK first set "poverty targets" - benchmarks for reducing child poverty over time, eventually to eradicate it within a generation. Then, Parliament established a Child Poverty Commission to monitor and report publicly on progress toward the child poverty targets. Subsequently, the UK has adopted budgets that have cut overall spending, while maintaining a focus on support for families living in poverty now and investing in early childhood and primary/secondary education, to reduce the incidence of poverty in the future.
"America's succeeded in protecting seniors from poverty, because we decided that was important. Great Britain has shown us how we can protect children, too. Now, we need Congress to show that protecting children is important, with a federal budget that commits our nation to cutting child poverty in half by 2020 and delivers the resources necessary to reach that target," said Lesley.
First Focus has developed and commissioned a series of reports, policy analyses and other materials examining the recession's consequences for America's children. Those resources are available at www.firstfocus.net/news/children-of-the-recession.
First Focus is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.firstfocus.net |
