EXCERPT FROM: WLKM Radio
By WLKM
The needs of children and the quest for public policy to address those needs were key elements of a gathering Tuesday morning (January 12th) at the St. Joseph Intermediate School District (ISD) headquarters near Centreville.
The Building Strong Youth Council of the St. Joseph County Human Services Commission (HSC) hosted participation in a statewide teleconference by Michigan’s Children and the Michigan League of Human Services in conjunction with the release of the 2009 Kids Count Data Book for state and local communities.
Representatives from the Department of Human Services, Community Mental Health and the Health Department were among those in attendance.
A news release prepared for the occasion said, “The annual Kids Count in Michigan Data Book 2009 report highlights the toll the prolonged economic problems have had on Michigan’s children, particularly its youngest. The report focuses on differing statistics between places in Michigan and concludes ‘place matters’ in terms of child well-being.”
As noted in the release, the report concludes that two out of every five children under age 5 live in low-income households, and that child poverty in Michigan rose 6 percent between 2005 and 2007. In St. Joseph County over 50 percent of the children were found to be living in poverty or teetering on the edge. Nearly 52 percent of St. Joseph County students qualified for free or reduced cost lunch, a 17 percent increase over the 2000 rate. This percentage represents over 800 additional students qualifying for the subsidy.
Another disturbing trend is a 76 percent increase in the rate of infant deaths in the county between 1998 and 2007. The county’s Child Death Review Team is studying this trend closely and developing initiatives to keep more kids safe and healthy when possible.
The report also concludes that 374 children were confirmed as victims of abuse or neglect in 2008, a rate nearly double that of the state. The number of children age birth to 5 who were placed outside of their homes due to abuse or neglect has risen by 52 percent since 2000.
“The good news is that our local Department of Human Services and Family Court system are very effective in identifying children who are in danger and working with families who need support. Regardless of our best efforts, this is a very critical time for our young children and programs that keep them safe and healthy and help them learn,” said Julia Emanuel of the St. Joseph County Great Start Collaborative, an area agency that works with the private and public sector to tailor area programs to fit the needs of local children and families. “Focus on early childhood needs has tremendous impact and is a significant investment in the economic development of our community.”
The St. Joseph County Great Start Collaborative is a part of a broad coalition of organizations working to improve conditions for Michigan’s youngest children.
In recent years, high unemployment, declining wages, and increasing poverty have resulted in declining revenues available for many programs and services that support the education and physical and emotional health of children. Threatened cuts include subsidies to low-income working parents to help pay for quality child care and public preschool programs which support school readiness skills.
“These tough times put greater pressures on our young children and their families, and they also call for greater dedication and ingenuity by those of us charged with helping connect children with adequate supports for their development and well-being,” said Judy Samelson, CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corp., a public nonprofit that fuels the work of the local Great Start Collaboratives across the state.
This year’s Kids Count report focuses on county- level trends in child well-being in rural, midsized and urban counties. According to a summary, rural counties had “much higher rates of child poverty and higher participation in the Medicaid program; Midsized (population between 20,000 and 65,000) and rural counties had much higher rates of abuse and neglect than urban areas; Urban counties (population over 65,000) had significantly higher rates of low birth-weight babies.”