Signs point to repercussions of kids being poorer

More U.S. children are living in poverty these days, and their parents often have difficulty finding full-time work, according to a handful of new reports.

Advocates say these findings and others are worrisome because they could hamper children's progress in health, education and other areas.

In 2003, slightly more children lived in families in which no parent had full-time, year-round employment than in 2000, according to the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, which released its annual Kids Count Databook on Tuesday.

The foundation's finding mirrors statistics released last week by a consortium of federal agencies that found child poverty is worsening after a five-year improvement.

Doug Nelson, foundation president, says the new statistics signal "the end of a lot of good trends."

Although few of the foundation's 10 leading indicators were sharply up or down, five worsened slightly in contrast with recent years when nearly all improved.

"Clearly, some of that momentum and progress has stalled or been compromised," Nelson says. "We think it's cause for pause."

The report gathers data from several sources that measure categories such as children's health, well-being and education.

This year, it found improvements in teen birth rates and high school graduation rates.

The joblessness figures are worrisome because it's unclear whether states are doing all they can to help hard-to-employ parents find and keep good jobs, Nelson says.

Many of these parents might be struggling with substance abuse or criminal records, Nelson says. "Their kids are going to end up in a world of trouble. That's our biggest worry."

Federal figures released last week show that 18%, or about 13million children, lived in poverty in 2003, the latest year for which figures are available.

That is lower than in 1993, when 23% of children were poor, but higher than in 2001, when 16% lived below the poverty line.

For a family of four in 2003, the average poverty threshold was $18,810 in annual income, the U.S. Census Bureau says.

An increase in poverty could have dire consequences for children's education, says W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.

For years, poverty rates were dropping sharply. "Now we're moving steadily in the other direction," he says.

Rising poverty rates mean that state-financed preschool programs targeted toward poor children probably will be forced to enroll more kids, often without more money, Barnett says.

"The population they're required to serve goes up every year, but their budgets don't necessarily follow suit."

Among Kids Count findings:

*The percentage of kids living in families in which no parent has full-time, year-round employment grew slightly, from 32% to 33%.

*Teen birth rates dropped from 48 births per 1,000 teens in 2000 to 43 per 1,000 in 2003.

*High school dropout rates fell from 2000 to 2003, from 11% to 8% of teens ages 16-19.

Other statistics released last week suggest that fewer kids are living in traditional families.

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a multi-agency clearinghouse, notes in its biennial report:

*In 2004, 68% of children lived with two married parents, down from 77% in 1980.

*Though the percentage of children in traditional families is down from 1980, the 68% figure has remained steady for a decade.

*Children living with just a mother are more likely to live in poverty.

*In the past several years, serious violent crime among kids has risen sharply. In 2002, such serious crimes affected 10 per 1,000 juveniles; by 2003, it was 18 per 1,000.

The victims also say their peers were more likely to be the perpetrators. Fifteen per 1,000 said a juvenile committed the crime, up from 11 per 1,000 in 2002.

To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com

© Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.