Nearly one of every five children in Rhode Island lives in poverty. Nearly one in 10 lives in extreme poverty, under $8,122 for a family of three.
These numbers – and the children they represent – cry out for attention. Beyond the moral implications of destitution in the midst of plenty are the long-term ramifications of a burgeoning underclass. The correlation between poverty and low school achievement and high dropout rates remains strong. Where will the educated, flexible, knowledge-based work force of tomorrow come from if so many of our children are allowed to fail?
Clearly, the problem needs to be addressed from both ends, as Rhode Island Kids Count executive director Elizabeth Burke Bryant pointed out in discussing the findings in the 2007 Factbook. Poor children simply don’t get the same quality of education as their better-off peers. They also come to school less ready to learn and less able to concentrate because of the circumstances of their lives.
This is not an easy problem, and there are no quick fixes. But if Rhode Island makes budget decisions without understanding the impact on the state’s children, we do so at our own risk.
