Franko Group Policy Blog

More Colorado Children Living in Poverty

June 12, 2008 on 4:49 am | In Poverty | No Comments

According to a Denver Post article yesterday (June 10, 2008), 73% more children in Colorado are living in poverty today than in 2000. This is the largest increase in the nation.

And if you look at the graphic provided along with the story, you will see that children under five years and over 12 are experiencing the greatest poverty rates. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Families with school-age children 5-12 years old have the school days and some after-school care availability to rely on in order to work and earn money. However, the care of children under 5 years is considered a private family responsibility. With monthly child care costs exceeding what many spend to send children to college, many families either drop out of the workforce or spend a large percentage of their paycheck on child care.

Similarly, children over age twelve aren’t eligible for most after-school care. Their families must either reduce work hours to insure after-school supervision, or let their children be home or in the community without any supervision or appropriate activities after school hours (many of which end by 2:30pm!).

What is our role as a society and a government to turn this picture around? Child care and after-school policies need to be carefully examined to see where we might better serve our children and youth. Governor Ritter is proposing an emphasis on education initiatives for 3-4 year olds, among other things. This is a good start that will hopefully be followed by additional initiatives to serve the needs of working families with infants and toddlers, as well as those with young teens.

To read more about the study that the Denver Post article was based on, visit www.coloradokids.org. You can also read the Denver Post article at www.denverpost.com.