The U.S. Census Bureau released 2014 state-level poverty estimates today.  Child poverty rates in Vermont have not decreased.

The widening wealth gap in post-recession America should go a long way toward explaining why Vermont — and the United States — continues to see so many children living in poverty.

Official Poverty Measure Fails to Provide an Accurate Assessment of Anti-Poverty Programs

Every year the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases a Kids Count report that shows how many American children are living in poverty, using those numbers to advocate for anti-poverty programs such as food stamps, housing subsidies and heating assistance.

Contact us at amyb@voicesforvtkids.org to view a copy of the report to Governor Shumlin.

Poverty undermines children’s healthy development and has lasting effects on children’s physical and social-emotional health.

“Between 2007-2012, we’ve seen this increase in child poverty. Up to 15.5% of children in Vermont live in poverty right now. So that’s a 25% increase,” said Sarah Teel, Research Associate at Voices for Vermont’s Children.

In 2007, state leaders created a high-profile task force and gave it a daunting challenge: Cut childhood poverty by half in 10 years.

For the second time in recent weeks, Gov. Peter Shumlin has proposed balancing the state budget on the backs of some of Vermont’s poorest citizens.

The 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a state-by-state study on the well-being of America’s children, ranks Vermont as third in the nation for overall child well-being.

This Data Snapshot highlights newly available national, state, and city data in the KIDS COUNT Data Center that shows a 25 percent increase in the number of children residing in areas of concentrated poverty since 2000.

New Census data from the 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) show that the impacts of the recession are taking their toll on Vermont’s children and their families.

Voices’ 2010 KIDS COUNT Report Challenging Poverty: Supporting Families in Difficult Times highlights indicators of child poverty and family economic hardship

For most kids, Vermont is a great place to grow up. National child well-being profiles consistently rank our state in the top 10 in the nation.

In his 1947 inaugural address, Vermont Governor Ernest Gibson said, “The very existence of civilization as we know it depends upon our youth securing the very best education that it is in our power to give.”

“If there’s one thing Vermonters can agree on, it’s that all children deserve the same opportunities in life,” says Carlen Finn, Executive Director of Voices for Vermont’s Children and member of the Vermont Child Poverty Council.

According to the most recent figures, more than 60,000 Vermonters are living below the poverty threshold and many more low-income Vermonters are struggling to make ends meet.

The economy is hurting right now — and so are thousands of Vermont’s children and families. We don’t know yet how many more Vermonters’ economic survival will be threatened by the downturn, but we do know that thousands of families are already struggling and thousands of children are already growing up in poverty.

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