Exclusive: RI KIDS COUNT Releases Startling Figures
Monday, April 04, 2011
GoLocalProv has exclusively learned that nearly one in five Rhode Island children lived in families with incomes at or below the federal poverty level between 2007-09, an alarming result of a recession that left the state’s unemployment rate among the highest in the country, according to Rhode Island KIDS COUNT.
This morning, the children’s policy and advocacy organization is releasing its annual factbook, a statistical compilation based on 67 different aspects of children’s lives including family and community, economic well-being, health, safety, and education.
Extreme Poverty & Cash Assistance
This year’s factbook highlights the startling toll high unemployment and a lack of affordable housing has taken on Rhode Island’s children, particularly in the inner city. According to the findings, more than 17,000 young people are living in a state of extreme poverty, which is defined as an income of $11,081 for a family of four, and 1,150 children were forced to live in shelters or transitional housing programs.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn Providence, the extreme poverty rate among those under the age of 18 stands at 19.9 percent. Over 40 percent of the capital city’s young people live below the poverty line. Central Falls has the highest extreme poverty rate (21.2 percent), while Foster and West Greenwich have no children living in extreme poverty.
At the same time, the state experienced the nation’s largest decrease in families receiving cash assistance thanks to changes to the system, according to KIDS COUNT Executive Director Elizabeth Burke Bryant (below right). She said the high number of homeless children in the state and dramatic decrease in families receiving cash assistance were the two statistics that most jumped out to her in the year’s factbook.
“We are concerned that the high unemployment rate coupled with stricter time limits for cash assistance is leaving many families with young children with no income and at risk for deep poverty, homelessness and hardship,” Bryant said. “When unemployment or a family crisis occurs, it is critical that families with children have access to a safety net that enables them to meet their needs. Yet, some of the poorest families in Rhode Island no longer have access to cash assistance due to changes in policies implemented when the cash assistance program changed from the Family Independence Program to the Rhode Island Works Program in 2008.”
More Resources For Child Abuse and Mental Health
The number of indicated investigations of child abuse and neglect has risen by 25 percent since 2008 and the number of hospitalizations with a mental disorder diagnosis has increased 21 percent since 2006. In both cases, Bryant says the state needs to make sure it is offering enough resources for supporting families.
The factbook says 21 out of every 1,000 children in the state’s six core cities (Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Newport, West Warwick and Woonsocket) were abused or neglected in 2010. According to the statistics, a lack of supervision is often the leading instance of child abuse cases.
“We are concerned that more children are experiencing neglect due to lack of parental supervision; inadequate food, clothing and shelter; physical injuries; and drug and alcohol abuse,” Bryant said. “We need to be sure that we are allocating sufficient resources for family preservation and support, and for prevention of child abuse and neglect.”
Bryant said she was concerned about the high number of children “boarded” in emergency rooms. According to the factbook, 403 young people with mental health disorders were boarded at Hasbro Children’s Hospital for an average of two days, three times the amount boarded in 2009.
“Factors involved in the increase in boarders include reduced capacity at step-down and other community-based alternatives to hospitalizations, as well as increased referrals to hospital emergency departments for behavioral health services,” Bryant said. “We must ensure that we are investing in the evidence-based, comprehensive services within the community that help to stabilize youth with behavioral health needs and support their families.”
RI's Healthy Children
Bryant said one of the bright spots in the factbook’s findings was in the area of children’s overall health. Bryant noted that lead poisoning is at an all-time low in the state. She also said the state has the lowest child death rate for ages 1-14 in the country.
The factbook found that over 92 percent of Rhode Island’s children receive health insurance and half receive dental care. Bryant said it was important to point out that two-thirds of children are covered by their guardian’s employee health insurance plans.
Still, almost 20,000 children remain uninsured, and Bryant said the majority qualify for RIte Care based on their family income.
“If we help families enroll in RIte Care, we can help 14,000 more children access needed health, developmental, mental health, and oral health care,” Bryant said.
Mixed Views On Education
Rhode Island children rank just outside the top 10 in the country in reading proficiency among fourth grade students, a critical benchmark of child well-being according to the factbook. The proficiency level among students in the six core cities has risen from 39 to 54 percent since 2005.
Still, the numbers vary widely between many of the six core cities and the rest of the state. Barrington and East Greenwich rank among the top cities in terms of reading and math proficiency, while Providence and Central Falls continue to lag far behind. The factbook reports that just 53 percent of eighth graders in Central Falls were reading-proficient. In Providence, the number is 44 percent.
Chronic absence and moving during the school year also play a major role in the success of students, according to Bryant. Central Falls, Newport, Providence and Woonsocket all reported at least 40 percent of high school students missing at least 18 days of school last year. In addition, 14 percent of Rhode Island students changed schools during the year.
Cities and towns with dropout rates above 20 percent include Central Falls, Johnston, Pawtucket and Providence.
Overall Outlook
Bryant said she had mixed feelings about the factbook’s findings. She said the state has seen improvements in some areas, but noted more needs to be done when it comes to education and poverty.
She said she hopes the factbook can help shed light on both the progress made and highlight the important work that still needs to be done.
“Rhode Island and our nation are facing difficult financial times and difficult decisions must be made about how to allocate resources,” Bryant said. “The data that we present in the 2011 Rhode Island Kids Count factbook can help policy makers make informed decisions about what programs and policies are most important to ensuring the success of our children and our state.”
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