How the Great Recession is Affecting Kids
The worst of the “Great Recession” may be over, but the impact of the economic downturn on children is still sinking in, a new report says. These deteriorating conditions for children are projected to “bottom out” this year, when 21 percent—that’s 15.6 million children — are expected to be living below the poverty line.
The figures are from the 2010 Child and Youth Well-Being Index. The index tracks the well-being of kids between 1975 and 2008 (and makes estimates for 2009 and 2010 based on preliminary data for 2009 and statistical time series models) according to 28 “key indicators” such as infant mortality rates, reading test scores, rates of violent crime, and parental employment rates. It examines data on children from birth to 18 years old.
Since the 1970s, the condition of children in America has improved in a few ways: Rates of community engagement (this includes figures like pre-K enrollment rates and the number of youths unemployed and not in school) have risen, and the amount of “risky behavior” has decreased between 1975 and 2008.
Since 2008, however, children are experiencing the effects of the recession:
- The percentage of children living in families without at least one parent with full-time, year-round employment is expected to climb by 20 million children between 2006 and 2010.
- The percentage of children living in “extreme poverty” (50 percent below the poverty line) is projected to climb to 10.1 percent (7.41 million kids) in 2010.
- The number of households with housing problems and food insecurity is increasing and will continue to increase in the coming year.
The Child and Youth Well-Being Index is a project at Duke University that is supported by the Foundation for Child Development (one of Early Ed Watch’s funders too.)
For more of Early Ed Watch’s reporting on child and youth well-being, read our post on the 2009 CWI, and our coverage of how federal spending on children has changed since 1960 and throughout the recent downturn.
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