- Report: Even before birth, low-income children lag behind, By Erin Andersen, January 12, 2012, Lincoln Journal Star: “Before they are even born, children of low-income families lag behind their more economically stable peers in every way. They hear fewer words. Have fewer developmentally stimulating experiences. Poorer nutrition, child care and health care. They start kindergarten less ready than their wealthier counterparts, and they fall further behind as the years roll by. They are less likely to graduate from high school, less likely to attend college and less likely to land financially stable jobs. They are more likely to be arrested and jailed, to have babies as teenagers and to perpetuate the cycle of poverty from which they came, according to national and state data compiled in the 2011 Kids Count in Nebraska Report…”
- Report shows more kids in poverty, By Paul Goodsell, January 12, 2012, Omaha World-Herald: “A growing share of Nebraska’s children lives in poverty – a trend that has major implications for the state’s schools, workforce and future vitality, according to the latest Kids Count in Nebraska report. ‘Poverty really underscores so many different aspects of a child’s life,’ said Melissa Breazile, who wrote the report for Voices for Children in Nebraska, a statewide research and policy group. ‘It influences outcomes in all kinds of different indicator areas.’ As it has for the past 19 years, the group’s report provides a report card on how children fare in Nebraska. It includes statistics on subjects such as test scores, infant mortality and juvenile crime. This year’s report outlines numerous challenges and urges Nebraska to invest in its future through programs that help children, especially in their early years…”
Day: January 12, 2012
Foster Care Report Card – Florida
Fla. DCF releases 1st foster care report card, By Kelli Kennedy (AP), January 11, 2012, Miami Herald: “Private contractors that receive hundreds of millions of dollars a year to oversee foster care in Florida scored poorly in ensuring proper medical, immunization and dental services for children, but ranked about average in most other areas, according to a report card issued Wednesday for the first time by the state child welfare agency. The review is part of an effort to beef up oversight of the 20 providers that care for foster kids. Since taking office in 2010, Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins has repeatedly said improving accountability among the providers was a top priority and that he intended to include penalties for poor performance in the contracts going forward…”
High-Poverty Schools and School Funding – Florida
Many high-poverty schools ‘shortchanged’ in Central Florida, By Lauren Roth, January 12, 2012, Orlando Sentinel: “At Hiawassee Elementary in Orange County, where nine out of every 10 students lives in poverty, the school district spent about $2,065 per student on teachers and other staff during the 2008-09 school year. By contrast, the county’s Lake Whitney Elementary, where only about 10 percent of the students are poor, spent about $2,710 on staffing per student that year – nearly a third more. Across Central Florida, school districts spend less per pupil to staff many of their highest-poverty schools despite federal rules intended to make sure every poor school gets its fair share, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis of federal data…”