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"In 2007,
10.6% of Connecticut children under 18
(85,530 children) lived in a family with
income below the federal poverty level
($21.027 for a two-parent family with two
children). This data from the U.S. Census
Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS)
represents no improvement from the 2004
level (10.1%)."
-- from "Child
Poverty in Connecticut," a 2009 report
from the Commission on Children |
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Children in the
recession: A legislative task force
The Commission hosted
a June 16 forum where Speaker of the House of Representatives Christopher G. Donovan
announced the formation of a legislative task force to
address the needs of children affected by the recession. The
forum also featured presentations from national experts who
warned that virtually all of the progress made in children’s economic well-being since 1975 is likely to be wiped out by the downturn.
Event documents, video, and photos |
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A new resource for reducing child poverty:
SNAP Employment and Training
Thanks to legislation approved in 2008 by the General
Assembly, Connecticut is about to put new federal funds to
work in helping food stamp recipients get the training and
other tools they need to find employment and become
financially secure and self-sufficient. It's the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program –
Employment and Training Reimbursement Program (SNAP-ET).
Note: Some documents on this site use a former name for
the program,
Food Stamp Employment and Training, or FSET.
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The Federal
Stimulus Package:
What’s in It for Children and Families?
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has given
Connecticut an opportunity to work in new and creative ways
to help families address some of the challenges created by
the recession. The Commission will hold a discussion on the
matter starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 10, in Room 2-B
of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
More information |
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Smart Investments in
Hard Times: A Report on Connecticut's Children
On January 13, 2009,
the Commission heard a panel of experts discuss the
importance of continuing to invest in Connecticut's children
despite these hard economic times.
Watch video clips |
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What are the best ways
to reduce child poverty?
That was the question addressed on Friday, December 7,
when the state Poverty and Prevention Council heard from a
panel of national experts. The Council had received 67
recommendations for reducing child poverty in Connecticut
over the next 10 years, and the experts identified the ones
they thought would make the
greatest impact.
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 Child Poverty in Connecticut
Among the
statistics in this January 2009 fact sheet:
A survey of kindergarten
teachers in Connecticut's low-income school districts
revealed that 75% of children who did not attend preschool
arrived at kindergarten lacking basic language and literacy
skills, such as being able to use complete sentences, to
respond when spoken to, to identify their name in print, or
to recognize the first ten letters of the alphabet.
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U.S. Census Bureau
reports on income, poverty and health insurance
These reports, issued in August 2007 by the U.S. Census
Bureau, revealed that nearly one
in 10 Connecticut residents were uninsured in 2006, while
more than one in 10 Connecticut children lived in poverty.
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P.A. 04-238: An Act
Concerning Child Poverty
Signed into Connecticut law in 2004, the Act
established a Child Poverty Council and assigned it the task
of developing a plan to reduce the number of children living
in poverty in Connecticut by 50 percent by July 1, 2014. The
council was required to submit the plan to various
legislative committees by January 1, 2005 and then report
annually on its implementation. (Links to these documents
are below.) Legislation adopted in 2006
merged the Council with the state Prevention Council, to
strengthen the nexus between poverty and prevention
investments.
Summary of P.A. 04-238 |
Text of the Act |
Legislative history |
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The Child Poverty and
Prevention Council
The Council, charged with developing a plan to reduce child
poverty by 50 percent by July 1, 2014 and issuing annual
progress reports (see above), has a home page on the website of the
state Office of Policy and Management. It includes a list of members,
progress reports, and meeting materials.
Visit this page
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'Giving
Intervention a Head Start: A Conversation with Edward
Zigler'
In this interview with Educational Leadership magazine, Yale
University's Edward Zigler, the man considered the father of
Head Start, expresses his views on Head Start, universal
preschool, and child care.
Go to the magazine's website |
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The Commitment to End
Child Poverty: Developments in the U.K. & U.S.
A June 16, 2006 audio conference whose participants included
Connecticut Office of Policy and Management Secretary Robert
Genuario. Hosted by the Center for Law and Social Policy
(CLASP).
Listen to it here (71 minutes) |
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Targeting Poverty: Aim
at a Bull's Eye
A 2006 report from the Center for Law and Social Policy
(CLASP). It describes Connecticut's anti-poverty efforts on
Page 8. (16 pages)
Download the PDF |
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HUSKY
The HUSKY (Healthcare
for UninSured Kids and Youth)
plan offers a full health
insurance package for children and teenagers up to age 19. For
most families, HUSKY is low-cost or free.
Visit
the HUSKY website |
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State Department of
Social Services programs for families with children
DSS programs provide assistance with housing, medical care,
meals, and other needs. The agency's website lists the
programs on one page.
Visit the DSS website |
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State Department of
Education resources on educating homeless children
The federal
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires all school
districts to provide education to any homeless children
within their boundaries and to ensure those children's
success in school once enrolled.
Resources on SDE website |
Text of McKinney-Vento Act (PDF) |
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Emergency homeless
shelters in Connecticut
This list, compiled by the Connecticut
Coalition to End Homelessness, indicates which facilities
accept children.
Download the list (PDF, 2 pages) |
Visit the
Coalition website. |
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| This page was
last updated:
June 25, 2009 |
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