CAHS in the News

2011 National Kids Count Data Book Reveals Impact of the Recession on Connecticut's Children: Gains of the 1990s Lost in Recession

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(Hartford, CT Aug. 17, 2011) According to data released by the Annie E Casey Foundation in its 2011 National KIDS COUNT Data Book, Connecticut ranks 6th in key indicators of child health and well-being.

The 2011 National Data Book highlights that between 2006 and 2009 Connecticut showed:
  • Improvements in the number of low birthweight babies, teen deaths, and teen dropouts;
  • Greater numbers of infant deaths, child deaths, and children without secure parental employment; and
  • No change in the number of teen births, teens who are not in school and not employed, children who live in poverty, and those in single-parent families.
“This is the first National KIDS COUNT Data Book that reports state-level data from the Great Recession,” said Jude Carroll, Director of the CT KIDS COUNT Project. “As we’ve seen in the past, Connecticut almost always ranks among the top 10 states in terms of child well-being. While this is great for children whose families have not experienced hardship caused by the economic downturn, we need to seriously consider the situations of children whose parents have lost jobs. The National KIDS COUNT Data Book shows that almost 30 percent of Connecticut children live in families with parents who do not have secure employment. For these children, the loss of family income could compromise their developmental outcomes,” Carroll said.

According to data in the 22nd annual KIDS COUNT Data Book the economic and social gains for children that occurred across the 1990s stalled, even before the economic downturn began. This year’s Data Book reports an eighteen percent increase in the U.S. child poverty rate between 2000 and 2009. (During this total time period, Connecticut’s child poverty rate increased by eight percent.) This national increase means that 2.5 million more American children are living below the federal poverty line ($21,756 for a family of two adults and two children), wiping out the gains made on this important measure in the late 1990’s.

In an ongoing effort to track the impact of the recession, there are two new indicators in this year’s data set—the number of children negatively affected by foreclosure and households with at least one unemployed parent.
  • In Connecticut, 46,000 of the state’s children lived in families that lost their homes to foreclosure since 2007.
  • In 2010, an estimated 79,000 Connecticut children lived in households where there was at least one parent who was seeking employment, but was unemployed at the time the data were collected
“Connecticut’s overall wealth hides the fact that so many children and families are still suffering from the effects of the recession,” said Jim Horan, Executive Director of the Connecticut Association for Human Services, a statewide nonprofit organization that administers the Connecticut KIDS COUNT Project. “Connecticut’s unemployment rate is still high at 9.1 percent. While the overall foreclosure rate has slowed, in eastern Connecticut—New London and Windham Counties—the foreclosure rate increased between May and June, mainly due to layoffs at Mohegan Sun, Pfizer, and Electric Boat. Connecticut families are not out of the economic woods yet,” Horan said.

In addition to the 10 key measures tracked in the Data Book, the KIDS COUNT Data Center provides easy, online access to the latest child well-being data on hundreds of indicators by state, county, city, and school district. It serves as a comprehensive source of information for policymakers, advocates, members of the media, and others concerned with addressing the needs of children, families, and communities. By visiting the Data Center, users can download the complete Data Book, and create interactive maps and graphs. Visit the new mobile site being launched in conjunction with this year’s Data Book from your smartphone, such as the Droid, BlackBerry, or iPhone.

The KIDS COUNT Data Book with state-by-state rankings and supplemental data launches at 12:01 a.m. EDT, August 17, 2011. For interactive Connecticut KIDS COUNT data, click here.

Follow the Annie E. Casey Foundation and this issue on Twitter @aeckidscount and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KIDSCOUNT.

ABOUT CAHS

The Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) is a statewide nonprofit organization that uniquely combines outreach into working poor communities at the neighborhood level with broad-based policy work at the state and federal level. Founded 100 years ago, CAHS is focused on helping families and children build the skills and assets they need for lasting economic success, strengthening Connecticut’s economy, and improving its workforce. In addition to advocacy and outreach, CAHS publishes consumer guides, policy briefs, and KIDS COUNT, a highly regarded data and policy initiative supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

CONTACT CAHS

Nonprofits, policy makers, press, and state budget analysts who wish to learn more about CAHS may contact Lois Taylor at (860) 951-2212 ext. 229 or visit our Web site at www.cahs.org. You can follow CAHS on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook.