Children most at risk of not achieving their full potential are children who live in poverty. Children who grow up in poor families are more likely to go without necessary food and clothing, live in substandard housing experience preventable health problems that affect healthy development, and have unequal access to educational opportunities. — Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, 1999
It is an example of the numbers telling the story.
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For example, there are 222,358 children in Rhode Island. And 18 percent of them – or 39,140 – live below the federal poverty line, according to statistics compiled by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. Perhaps more alarming are numbers that suggest the problem is not getting any better – even in the midst of a robust economy.
In 1985, according to KIDS COUNT, 20 percent of Rhode Island’s children lived below the poverty level. Child poverty dropped to 14 percent in 1990, but has now risen again to 18 percent.
The issue has reached a level of seriousness to warrant a meeting of Rhode Island leaders – they discussed the problem of hungry children at “The Rhode Island Children in Poverty Summit,” last Thursday and Friday at the Sheraton Tara Airport Hotel in Warwick.
The goal of the summit, in addition to raising public awareness to the problem, was three-fold. First, to conduct a historical review and analysis of developments affecting children in poverty during recent decades. Second, to assess current forces, factors and trends that have a bearing on children in poverty. Third, to develop an action plan for the future.
In a letter signed by Gov. Lincoln Almond, Speaker of the House John Harwood, Senate Majority Leader Paul S. Kelly, House Majority Leader Gerard M. Martineau and Senate Pro Tempore Charles D. Walton, the issue of childhood poverty was described as critical. The letter read in part; “As elected leaders in our state, we have a collective concern and responsibility to address the increase in the number of children living in poverty in Rhode Island. If this situation is not addressed now, another generation of children will be compromised, and the entire community will suffer long-term consequences.
