child poverty

1. Child Poverty Council

2. Agenda
 Welcome and Introductions
 Review Public Act 04-238
 Review and Discuss Council Structure
 Review and Discuss Draft Workplans
 Review and Discuss Fact Sheet
 Review and Discuss Analysis of Effects
 Next Steps

3. Public Act 04-238
 Establishes a Child Poverty Council to
develop a 10-year plan to reduce child
poverty by 50%
 Composed of OPM,DCF, DSS, DOC, DMR,
DMHAS, DOT, DPH, SDE, DECD, OHCA,
DOL, BOGHE, OCA, Prevention Council,
Children’s Trust Fund, Commission on
Children and legislative appointees

4. Public Act 04-238
 The plan shall contain:
– Identification and analysis of the occurrence of
child poverty in the state;
– Analysis of the long-term effects of child poverty;
– Analysis of costs of child poverty to municipalities
and the state;

5. Public Act 04-238
 Plan requirements (continued):
– Inventory of statewide public and private
programs that address child poverty;
– Percentage of target population served by such
programs;
– Identification and analysis of any deficiencies or
inefficiencies of such programs;

6. Public Act 04-238
 Plan requirements (continued):
– Procedures and priorities for implementing strategies to
achieve a 50% reduction in child poverty, including:
 Vocational training
 Educational opportunities
 Housing
 Day Care and After School programs
 Health care access
 Treatment Programs and Services
 Child Nutrition

7. Public Act 04-238
 In developing the plan, the Council shall
consult with experts and service providers
 The Council shall submit the plan to the
legislature by January 1, 2005
 The Council shall report annually beginning
on January 1, 2006 on the implementation of
the plan

8. Council Structure
 Monthly meetings on the 3rd Wednesday of
each month between 7/04 and 12/04
 Council will set direction based on the public
act
 Council will establish and provide guidance
to a subcommittee.
 Council will review, modify and approve all
subcommittee work.

9. Council Structure
 The subcommittee will meet monthly in
between Council meetings, unless more
frequent meetings are needed.
 The subcommittee will serve as a working
committee to execute activities tasked by the
Council
 The subcommittee will develop the Child
Poverty Plan with guidance from the Council

10. Draft Workplan
 First Council Meeting – 7/28/04
– Discuss P.A. 04-238
– Review Council Structure and Meetings
– Review and Approve Role of Subcommittee
– Select Subcommittee members
– Review Draft Fact Sheet on Child Poverty
– Review Draft Analysis of Long-term Effects of
Child Poverty

11. Draft Workplan
 Second Council Meeting – 8/18/04
– Review outline of plan
– Approve fact sheet on child poverty
– Approve analysis of effects of child poverty
– Review analysis of costs of child poverty
– Review questions and methods for inventory
– Review recommendations on participation of
panel of experts

12. Draft Workplan
 Third Council Meeting – 9/15/04
– Approve analysis of costs of child poverty
– Review draft inventory of statewide programs that
address child poverty
– Discuss any deficiencies or inefficiencies of
statewide public and private programs with panel
of experts and service providers

13. Draft Workplan
 Fourth Council Meeting – 10/20/04
– Approve identification and analysis of any
deficiencies or inefficiencies in statewide
programs
– Review potential strategies to achieve a fifty
percent reduction in child poverty in the state by
6/30/14

14. Draft Workplan
 Fifth Council Meeting – 11/17/04
– Public Hearing
 Sixth Council Meeting – 12/15/04
– Review and approve plan
– Next steps

15. Draft Workplan
 First Subcommittee Meeting – 8/5/04
– Review P.A. 04-238
– Discuss charge and deliverables
– Identify approaches, resources and meetings
– Develop outline for plan
– Modify fact sheet and analysis
– Develop analysis of costs of poverty
– Develop methods for inventory
– Develop participation for experts

16. Draft Workplan
 Second Subcommittee Meeting – 9/1/04
– Revise analysis of costs of child poverty
– Prepare and conduct inventory
 Third Subcommittee Meeting – 9/20/04
– Revise inventory based on Council comments
– Develop description of deficiencies or inefficiencies of
programs based on discussion with experts
– Identify potential strategies to achieve a 50% reduction in
child poverty

17. Draft Workplan
 Fourth Subcommittee Meeting – 10/22/04
– Revise strategies based on Council comments
 Fifth Subcommittee Meeting – 11/10/04
– Prepare for public hearing
 Sixth Subcommittee Meeting – 12/8/04
– Incorporate all necessary changes from public
hearing comments
– Draft final plan for review by Council

18. Draft Fact Sheet
 Connecticut Population in 2002
– Total state population = 3,460,503
– Children under 18 = 872,853
 Poverty in Connecticut
– Children in poverty = 87,285
– 2004 poverty level for family of 4 = $18,850
– Child poverty rate in CT decreased from 14% in
1996 to 10% in 2001

19. Draft Fact Sheet
 Demographics of Child Poverty
– In 2002, child poverty rate in Hartford was 41%, in
New Haven was 32%, and in Bridgeport was
25%.
– In 2002, child poverty rate for Latinos was 31%,
for African Americans was 25%, and for whites
was 4%.
– 24% of CT children live in households with
income at or below 200% of the federal poverty
level.

20. Draft Fact Sheet
 Family Income
– In 2000, the median family income in CT was
$64,692.
– The median family income for married couple
families was $78,587 and the median for single
female headed households was $24,626.
– It takes two full-time, year round jobs at $9/hr to
raise a family of 4 above the poverty level

21. Resource List
 Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count Data Book, 2004
 U.S. Department of HHS, Poverty Level Guidelines for 2004,
www.uscensus.gov
 Connecticut Association for Human Services, Investing in
Families…Investing in Our Future
 Annie E. Casey Foundation, Latino Children and African-
American Children: State Level Measures of Child Well-Being
2002
 National Center for Children in Poverty, Investing in Children by
Supporting Work: Information Forum on Child Poverty 2004

22. Effects of Child Poverty
 The Context
– The United States has the highest child poverty
rate out of the 17 wealthiest countries
– Between 2002 and 2003, the number of poor
children in the US rose from 11.7 to 12.1 million
– In 2002, the state child poverty rate was the 7th
lowest in the nation
– In seven of the state’s communities, more than
one-fifth of the children live in poverty

23. Effects of Child Poverty
 Health Effects
– Children in poverty are 3.6 times more likely to
have poor health and 5 times more likely to die
from an infectious disease.
– Connecticut ranks 22nd among states with babies
of low birth weight.
– Infant mortality, serious physical disabilities, grade
repetition and learning disabilities are more
prevalent among low birth weight children.

24. Effects of Child Poverty
– 34% of children from lower income households are obese,
compared to 19% of children from higher income
households.
– Poor children are at a higher risk for asthma, and lead
poisoning.
– Poor children who go hungry perform significantly below
non-hungry low-income children on standardized tests.
– Children under the age of 6 who’s parents exhibit
depression are at two to five times greater risk for:
homelessness, use of food banks, lack of medical care,
unreliable child care and placement in foster care.

25. Effects of Child Poverty
 Learning Effects
– High school students from low income families drop out of
school six times as often as students from high-income
families.
– In Hartford, Bridgeport, New London and New Britain the
high school drop out rate is between 29-31%
– Children that live below the poverty level are 1.3 times more
likely to have developmental delays or learning disabilities
that non-poor children
– A child growing up on welfare hears about 3,000 words by
age 6, while children from higher-income families have a
20,000 word vocabulary

26. Effects of Child Poverty
 Effects of Teen Pregnancy
– Poor teens give birth 3 times the rate of non-poor teens.
– Children of teenage mothers are more likely to perform
poorly in school.
– Children of teenage mothers are more likely to repeat a
grade, score lower on standardized tests and are less likely
to complete high school.
– Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school and
are less likely to receive a college degree.