Child Poverty in New England

Aid programs cut as child poverty rises, By Larry Cow, April 18, 2010, Citizen of Laconia: “Helping children out of poverty isn’t just a feel-good measure, it’s an investment, according to Dean Crocker, the president of the Maine Children’s Alliance. The need for investment – from government and private sources – is growing. According to the 2010 Maine Kids Count Report, compiled by the Maine Children’s Alliance and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, child poverty in the state continues to rise. Combating child poverty is ‘a critical investment in the economy,’ Crocker said. ‘We just need everyone to understand that.’ According to the report, which tracked trends in 2008, the number of pre-school aged children living in households below the poverty threshold was at 21.8 percent in 2008, up from 19.4 percent the previous year. Meanwhile, the national rate for children under 5 living in poverty is at 21.2 percent. The federal poverty level for a two-parent family of four was $21,834 for 2008; families earning less are identified as living in poverty. The report also found that 38 percent of children in the state live in a low-income household, defined as a family that makes less than twice the federal poverty threshold. In New Hampshire, 9 percent of children were identified as living in poverty according to that state’s 2009 Kids Count, the latest available. New Granite State data is due to be published later this year…”