Quarter of Tenn. kids live in poverty on The Murfreesboro Post

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Quarter of Tenn. kids live in poverty

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By: GINA LOGUE, glogue@murfreesboropost.com

Posted: Sunday, September 4, 2011 5:36 am

Quarter of Tenn. kids live in poverty | Kids Count,Schools

Perhaps the Annie E. Casey Foundation titled its program to document the quality of life for children in America “Kids Count” because, in fact, kids don’t count at all in the corridors of power.

The latest “Kids Count” report, released last month, shows Tennessee ranks 39th among the 50 states in child well-being.

In addition, Tennessee’s childhood poverty rate shot up to 24 percent.

That’s a 20 percent increase since 2000.

How is poverty defined?

“Kids Count” uses key indicators that include low birth-weight babies, infant mortality, teen births by age group, teens ages 16-19 not in school and without high school diplomas or jobs, and kids living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment.

It’s reasonable to assume the last indicator gave the increase in childhood poverty its downward momentum.

The national recession has been an albatross in the lives of almost every American.

Here are some numbers that practically burn holes in the paper, even though most of them are based on 2009 data, the latest available.

Five-point-five percent of Tennessee children get expelled from school.

Ten-point-four percent take the initiative and just drop out on their own.

About 8,200 children are in state custody.

In Rutherford County, the figures are comparable in some areas, but not as severe in others.

Five-point-nine percent of the county’s kids get expelled from school, but 5.9 percent are dropouts.

Only 175 are in state custody, but that’s 175 too many.

The fallout can be seen in early education problems.

Eleven percent of Tennessee’s kids ages 1 to 5 live in homes where people read to them less than three days per week.

The figure in this category that really blew my mind was the percentage of Tennessee children ages 3 to 5 who are not enrolled in nursery school, preschool or kindergarten – 45 percent.

In the current lousy economy, would you care to take bets on how many of those children are supervised by stay-at-home parents or other adults and how many are left to fend for themselves?

Sixteen percent of Tennessee’s kids have one or more emotional, behavioral or developmental conditions.

Thirty-four percent of youths ages 18-25 are binge drinkers.

This litany could go on and on. In fact, it does go on and on—year after year after year.

One of the curiosities of today’s American society is that so many people who prefer the Genesis story of creation to Charles Darwin’s evolutionary research have no qualms about the fact that American society is lurching uncontrollably toward Social Darwinism.

When only the strongest survive, where does that leave people who are still developing physically, intellectually and emotionally?

Where is their lobbyist, their advocate, their highly paid phalanx of lawyers?

Many people who rightfully advocate individual adult responsibility seem to think that collective societal responsibility is anathema.

The two are not mutually exclusive. At least, they don’t have to be.

But people who don’t see any political or financial advantage to listening to the cries of the most vulnerable members of society are as irresponsible as the parents they condemn. MP

Tagged under Kids Count, Schools

Member Opinions:

By: KevinHalpern on 9/4/11
It is clear that poverty is defined in this report as a means to promote a particular viewpoint and agenda, and not as an indication of actual poorness. The report is also an clear indictment of an educational system which has failed us for at least a half century. Its failed to address true educational needs, its failed to properly train educators, its failed to address the importance of personal responsibility, its failed to prepare students for the workforce and its failed to motivate students.