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KIDS COUNT Data Book, 2000: State Profiles of Child Well-Being. Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD. ISSN-1060- 2000-00- 393p.; For the 1999 Data Book, see ED 430 723. Annie E. Casey Foundation, Attention: KIDS COUNT Data Book, 701 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Tel: 410-223-2890; Fax: 410-547-6624. For full text: http://www.aecf.org. Numerical/Quantitative Data (110) Reports Descriptive (141) MF01/PC16 Plus Postage. Accidents; *Adolescents; Birth Weight; Child Development; *Child Health; Child Welfare; *Children; Day Care; Dropouts; Early Childhood Education; Early Parenthood; Economic Factors; Homicide; Infant Mortality; Intermediate Grades; Mortality Rate; One Parent Family; Part Time Employment; Poverty; Suicide; Tables (Data); Unemployment; Violence; *Well Being States (Geopolitical Regions)
This publication presents a broad array of data designed to illuminate the status of America's children and to assess trends in their well-being. By updating the assessment every year, this book provides ongoing benchmarks with which states can see how they have advanced or regressed since 1990. The book focuses on 10 indicators: percent low-birthweight babies; infant mortality rate; child death rate; rate of teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicide; teen birth rate; percent of teens who are high school dropouts; percent of teens not attending school and not working; percent of children living with parents who do not have full-time, year-round employment; percent of children in poverty; and percent of families with children headed by a single parent. Data are provided for the nation and for each state on demographic change, economic characteristics, child health and education, and child care indicators. Three appendixes present KIDS COUNT standard scores and national rankings, multi-year trend data for KIDS COUNT indicators, and multi-year national composite ranks. The publication also includes definitions and data sources, criteria for selecting KIDS COUNT indicators, and primary contacts for state KIDS COUNT projects. (SM)
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02000AnnieE.CaseyFoundation Permissiontocopy,disseminate,orotherwiseuse informationfromthisDataBookisgrantedaslongasappropriateacknowledgmentisgiven. DesignedbyKINETIKCommunicationGraphics,Inc.PhotographybySusieFitzhugh,4:12000 DatacollectedbythePopulationReferenceBureau PrintedandboundintheUnitedStatesofAmericaonrecycledpaperusingsoy-basedinks. ISSN1060-
8
ThisKIDSCOUNTDataBookcouldnotbe^ producedanddistributedwithoutthehelp ofnumerouspeople.Thepublicationwas assembledandproducedunderthegeneral^ directionofDr.WilliamP.O'Hare,KIDS COUNTCoordinatorattheAnnieE.Casey^ Foundation,withhelpfromAmyR.Ritualo.
MostofthedatapresentedintheData Bookwerecollectedandorganizedbythe PopulationReferenceBureau(PRB).Weowe aspecialdebtofgratitudetoKelvinPollardofthePRBwhoworkedtirelesslyassembling, organizing,checking,andrecheckingthe figuresseenhere.
AspecialthanksgoestoRobertMcIntire andhisstaffintheOfficeofEmploymentand^ UnemploymentStatisticsintheBureauof^ LaborStatisticsforprovidingtabulationsofthe^ CurrentPopulationSurveymicrodatafilesfrom^ 1990through1998.
WealsooweaspecialthankstoMartyeT. ScobeeoftheUrbanStudiesInstituteatthe UniversityofLouisvilleforprovidingdataon childrenwithworkingparentsandchildren withaccesstotelephones,computers,andthe Internet.
ThankstoDr.BrettBrownandSharon
VandiverefromChildTrends,forproviding specialtabulationsofthe1997NationalSurvey ofAmerica'sFamilies.
WewouldalsoliketothankCaroline CarbaughandKirkE.DavisfromtheU.S. CensusBureauforprovidingspecialtabula- tionsoftheCurrentPopulationSurvey.
SpecialthanksarealsodueSamShelton, ScottRier,KatieKroener,andBeverleyHunter ofKINETIKCommunicationGraphics,Inc., whowereresponsibleforthedesignofthe book;JaysonHaitofeye4detailforproof- readingandcopyediting;andthestaffatpodesta.comforprovidingassistanceinthe promotionanddisseminationoftheDataBook.
Finally,wewouldliketothankthestate KIDSCOUNTprojectslistedonpage185and thedisseminationpartnerslistedonpage192fordistributingtheDataBooktonational,state,andlocalleadersacrossthecountry.
Toobtainadditionalcopiesofthispubli- cation,calltheCaseyFoundationpublication lineat410.223.2890orwritetotheAnnieE. CaseyFoundation,Attn:KIDSCOUNTData Book,701St.PaulStreet,Baltimore,MD21202.
TheKIDSCOUNTDataBook:2000is availableontheInternetatwww.aecf.org.
@angeango
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Essay
SummaryandFindings
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NationalProfiles
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UnitedStatesProfileNationalIndicatorMaps:StateRates
StateProfiles
Profilesinalphabeticalorderfor50states andtheDistrictofColumbia
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Appendices
Appendix1:KIDSCOUNTStandardScoresandNationalRankings
Appendix2:Multi-YearTrendDataforKIDSCOUNTIndicators
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Appendix3:Multi-YearNationalCompositeRanks
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DefinitionsandDataSources
CriteriaforSelectingKIDSCOUNTIndicators
PrimaryContactsforStateKIDSCOUNTProjects
DisseminationPartners
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15
ConnectionsCount:An AlternativeFrameworkfor^ UnderstandingandStrengthening America'sVulnerableFamilies The1990swereatimeofunparalleledpros-^ perityinAmerica.Overthepastdecade,virtu-^ allyeveryindicatorofeconomicgrowthand^ well-beingmovedupward,atrendthathas^ translatedintoincreasedsecurityandconfi-denceformillionsofAmericanworkersand^ theirfamilies.Risingstockmarketsandrecord-^ highemploymenthavecombinedtohelpfuel^ anincreaseinfamilyincomenationally,withmedianfamilyincomerising6percentfrom^ $44,090to$46,737between1990and1998.'
Althoughsignificantnumbersoffamilies areclearlybenefitingfromthiseconomic boom,it'simportanttorecognizethattoo manyotherfamiliesandkidsarenot.Incon-trasttothegrowingranksoftheaffluent,ourchildpovertyrateshavedecreasedonlymini-mally.'Forexample,whiletheaggregateshareofincomegoingtotherichest20percentrose from44.3percentin1990to47.2percentin^ 1997,thesharegoingtothepoorest20per- centactuallyfellslightly.'And,whilepoverty^ ratesingeneralhavedecreased,thenumberof childrenlivinginfamiliesthatareextremely poorhasremainedvirtuallyunchanged.'
Thisphenomenoncanbeseenmoststark- lyinourmajormetropolitanareas,whereitis
easytofindcomfortablemiddle-andupper- incomecommunitiesbrushingthebordersofneighborhoodsthatremainhometolarge numbersofverypoorfamilies.Inimpover- ishedurbanandruralcommunities,families arestillbeingoverwhelmedbyanumberof factorsincludingalackofeducationand employmentexperience,singleparenthood, andwelfaredependencythatcontinuetoput themathighriskofpoorlifeoutcomes.As notedinour
19.99KIDSCOUNTDataBook,
about9.2millionchildrencanbeconsidered particularlyvulnerablebecausetheirfamilies demonstratesomecombinationoftheserisk characteristics.Alittlemorethanhalfofthese childrenliveinneighborhoodswherepoverty^ ratesareabove20percent,andmorethan1.1millionliveinurbanneighborhoodsofextreme^ poverty,wheremorethan40percentofthehouseholdslivebelowthepovertyline.'
Overthepastdecade,we'velearnedalot aboutfragilefamiliesinAmerica.Forexample, wenowknowmoreaboutthegeneralfactors andcharacteristicsthatputfamiliesandtheir kidsatriskofpooroutcomes.Andwenow recognizethatthemajorityofthesefamilies arenotscatteredrandomly,butareconcentrat- edinarelativelysmallnumberofspecific neighborhoodsincities,aswellasinruraland suburbanareasacrossthecountry.
Althoughweunderstandmoreabout who'sgenerallyatriskandwhichfamiliesare^ themostvulnerable,westilldon'tknowenoughaboutthespecificandconcreteobsta-^ clesthatthesefamiliesconfrontdailyorthe
Manyofourpoorestfamiliesarestrugglingtosurviveincom- munitiesthatoftenexacerbate ratherthanmitigatethedisadvan- tagesofpovertycommunities wherealackofpublicresources, economicinvestment,andpolitical powersometimesservestosepa- rateandisolatefamiliesfrom mainstreamsociety.
TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation
kidscomm92©©©
19
VOONJIN Permed
a
HouseholdsWithChillsken
inCentralCitiesThatDaatNave^ intemetAccess:199$
Percentofhouseholds
Lowpoverty neighborhoods (under10%) Veryhighpoverty
neighborhoods (40%ormore)
;iti'k2.
i 1
It#191Yh
NOTE:Themareasmallnumberofpeoplewhoseneighborhoodpover- tystatuscouldnotbedetermined.Childrenaredefinedasallpeople under18yearsofage.SOURCE:SpecialtabulationoftheDecember1998CurrentPop- ulationSurvey,U.S.CensusBureau. kidssoigne
20
bestwaystohelpsurmountthem.AttheCasey Foundation,wenowbelievethatinorderto accelerateoursearchforanswerstothesechal- lenges,weneedamorepracticalwayofdescribingandaddressingtheissuesthatpre- venttoomanyfamiliesandkidsfromfullybenefitingfromthena.:ion'sgrowingprosperi- tyandopportunities.Weneedanapproach thatpromotesadeeperunderstandingofthe issues,struggles,andneedsfacingparentswho aretryingtoraisefamiliesintroubledneigh- borhoods.Andweneedtoframethesechal-lengessothatpeoplewillbemovedtoactin morerealisticandmeaningfulwaysto strengthenfamiliesandhelpthemhelptheir kidssucceed.
Centraltothisviewisourgrowingrecog- nitionofthevalueandsignificanceoffamily connections,andtheconsequenceswhenfami- liesandchildrenareisolatedor"disconnected" fromtheopportunities,networks,supports,andservicesthatwillenablethemtothrive.
Theimportanceofhelpingfamilies maketheseconnectionsisthethemeofour 2000KIDSCOUNTDataBook,and,indeed, ofmuchofthecurrentworkoftheentire Foundation. ADifferentFrameworkfor ThinkingAboutFamilies Ithaslongbeenrecognizedthatmanyofour poorestfamiliesarestrugglingtosurvivein communitiesthatoftenexacerbateratherthan mitigatethedisadvantagesofpovertycom- munitieswherealackofpublicresources,
economicinvestment,andpoliticalpower sometimesservestoseparateandisolatefami- liesfrommainstreamsociety.Forthesefami-lies,raisingsuccessfulkidsmeansbattlingin anenvironmentthatoffersscantsupportandresources,andwhereitiseasytofeelthat yourhopesanddreamsforyourchildrencan beobliteratedsimplybysendingakidtoschoolortothestoreatthewrongmoment.
Whilesuchdifficultieshavebeenacknowl- edged,historically,theframeworkusedtounderstandtheissuesthesefamiliesfacehas hadsignificantlimitations.Forexample,these familieshavebeendescribedas"belowpover- ty,""minority,""livingininner-cityneighbor- hoods,"and"disproportionatelysingleparents."Althoughnotwrong,suchcharacteri- zationsimplythatclass,race,place,andfamily structurearetheprimarymeasuresofdisadvan- tageandthatunlesstheseissuescanbe addressed,norealprogresscanbemade.Theymayevenencouragepeopletothinkinterms ofunfairandinappropriateclass,race,place,andfamilystructurestereotypesthatsomepoli- cymakerswillcitetojustifyinaction.
AttheCaseyFoundation,wenowbelieve thatanalternativeframeworkcangiveusa morepracticalunderstandingofwhatitmeans tobeapoorfamilytryingtoraisekidsina toughneighborhoodandwhytheexperiences ofpoorfamiliestendtodifferfromthoseof familiesthataremoreaffluent.Webelievethat thisalternativeapproachcanleadtomorespe- cificandproductiveactiononbehalfofisolat- edfamiliesandtheirkidsandhelpconnect 21
TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation
1706102116 PortentofPeople(ages16-64) inCentralCitiesWhoAre Unemployed:
Percentofpeople
Lowpoverty neighborhoods (under10%) Veryhighpoverty
neighborhoods (40%ormore)
NOMES PercentofChildrenlivinginaFamily ThatDoesNotOwnaCarorOther Vehicle:
Percentofchildren
Chndrenrivinginlow-^ income,urbanareas
Allchildren
5,0%
NOTE:Childrenaredefinedasallpeopleunder18yearsofage.^ (Figure4)Thereareasmallnumberofpeoplewhoseneighborhood povertystatuscouldnotbedetermined.(Figure5)Low-income,urbanareasareZIPcodeswithmedianincomesbelow$20,707,locatedincentralcountiesofmetropolitanareasof1millionpopulationormore.^ SOURCES:(figure4)SpecialtabulationoftheMonk1999Current PopulationSurvey,U.S.CensusBureau.(Figure5)ChildTrends^ analysisofdatafromtheUrbanInstitute,1997NationalSurveyof America'sFamilies. kidscount2©U@
24
ashighasregionalratesandthatmedianfami-lyincomeishalforlessthantheregional median.'Whenresidentsinpoorcommunities dofindjobs,thosejobsarelesslikelytopro-videfamily-supportingwages,asevidencedbythefactthatsince1990,thenumberofchildreninworking-poorfamilieshasincreasedbynearlyone-third.'
Yetmanyresidentsinneighborhoods withtheworstchildoutcomesaren'tsimply poorandunderemployed.Theyareremoved anddisconnectedfromthecoreopportunities,resources,andinstitutionsthatwouldenable themtocombattheirpovertymoresuccessful- ly.Incomparisontofamilieslivinginmore prosperousareas,theylacktheconnections thatleadtofamily-supportingjobsandtootheropportunitiesessentialtobuilding economicsecurity.
GeographicDisconnection.Somefami- liesaredisconnectedbysheerdistancefrom wherethejobsare.Studiesofjobgrowth trendsoverthepastdecadeshowclearlythatemploymentopportunitiesininnercitiesare diminishingwhilesuburbanjobgrowthhas increasedsubstantially.'Exacerbatingthisgeo- graphicmismatchisberelativelackofaccess thatpoorfamilieshavetoreliabletransporta-tion.Carownershipratesinlow-incomeurbanareas,forexample,arealmosthalfthenation-alrates."Studiesalsohaveidentifiedinade- quatesuburbanpublictransportationasa majorbarriertotheabilityoflow-income workerstotakeadvantageofburgeoningemploymentopportunitiesthatliebeyond
theirneighborhoods."Transportationobsta- clesalsoaffecttheabilityofpoorfamiliesto savemoneybyshoppingatretailoutletsthatofferlower-pricedgoods.Instead,theyare forcedtoshopnearhome,wherehigher pricesandfewercommercialchoicesoften limittheirpurchasingpower.
LackofJobNetworkingConnections. Economicopportunityisalsocompromisedwhenfamiliesarenotlinkedtothecritical informalnetworksthatmostpeopleusetogetjobs.Inneighborhoodsofconcentratedpover-ty,wherelargenumbersofadultsareunem-ployed,thesenetworksarefarlessabundantthaninmoreaffluentcommunities!'Yetin high-povertyareaswheresomeresidents faceformidableemploymentbarriersbecauseofcriminalrecords,loweducationalachieve- ment,lackofjobexperience,oremployerprej- udicenetworksoffriendsandrelativeswho caninformthemofopportunities,introducethemtoprospectiveemployers,andvouchfor theircharacterandskillsareevenmorecritical.^ Surveysoflow-incomeLatinoandAfrican- Americanyouthemphasizethathavingwithin theirsocialnetworkapersonalconnectiontoasteadilyemployedadultisthemostimportant^ factorindeterminingtheiraccesstoreliablejobinformation."
LackofEquity-BuildingConnections. Evenwhenresidentsinpoorcommunitiesdofindwork,jobstendtoofferlowpayand minimalbenefits,affectingtheireffortsto savesuccessfullyandaccumulateevenmod- estassets.Lower-incomefamiliesareless 25
TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation
likelythanmiddle-andupper-incomefamilies tohavecheckingorsavingsaccounts"and areaboutthreetimeslesslikelytoreceiveinterestordividendsinagivenyear."This makesithardertoestablishandbuilda financialhistoryandqualifyforcreditcards, autoloans,andmortgages.Notonlyarehomeownershipratesincentralcitiesalmost one-thirdlowerthanthoseinsuburban areas,'6butbasedonarecentstudy,themedianvalueofowner-occupiedhousingin poorneighborhoodsrangedfrom25percent to62percentlessthanowner-occupiedhomesinthesurroundingregion."
Inpoorcommunities,familiesremainisolat- edfromthemainstreamfinancialinstitutionsthat^ mightprovidestrongerconnectionstoasset-andequity-buildingopportunities.Whilethenumber^ ofbankbranchespercapitadeclinedoverall^ between1985and1995,two-thirdsofthe^ branchclosuresoccurredinlow-andmoderate-^ incomecommunities."Inlow-incomecommuni-^ ties,it'softeneasiertofindacheck-cashing^ outletabusinessthatisunregulatedinmany^ statesandthatcanchargeexorbitantratesfor^ transactionsthanitistofindabank.Forexam-^ ple,inChicago'spoorestneighborhoods,the^ ratioofcheck-cashingoutletstobanksisabout^ 10to1."Intheabsenceofthesecriticalfinancialinstitutions,entrepreneurialresidentslackrealopportunitiestoaccesscreditforsmallbusiness-^ esthattheymightopeninthesecommunities,^ which,whencombinedwiththelackofser-vices,cancompoundasenseofpervasiveeco-^ nomicandcommercialisolation.^ TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation
26
ConnectingFamiliesto StrongSocialNetworks Whileeconomicopportunityisunmistakably^ essentialtofamilysuccess,theabilityofafami-^ lytosucceedalsodependsheavilyonthepos-^ itivesupportiverelationshipsparentsform. Throughtheserelationships,familiesfeelcon-^ nectedtonetworksofpeopletheytrustand^ withwhomtheyfeelcomfortable;peoplewho^ sharetheirvalues,concerns,andpriorities;^ peopletheycanturntoforsupport,particular-^ lyregardingissuesandactivitiesrelatedto^ theirkids.Sometimesthesenetworksarebuiltthroughextendedfamilyandinformalcontacts^ theneighbordownthehall,orthebarber-^ shopupthestreet.Othertimes,theyarebuilt^ throughassociationswithmoreformalandorganizedgroupsandactivities,suchas^ unions,PTAs,culturalorganizations,block^ associations,andchurches.Throughthesenet-^ works,familiesfeelconnectedtoalargercom-^ munitythatcaresaboutwhathappenstothem^ andtheirkids,acommunitythatsimultaneous-lymakesfamiliesstrongerandismadestrongerbecauseoftheirparticipation.
Historically,theseformalandinformal supportsystemshavebeenoneofthe strengthsofpoorcommunities.Butinsome places,thesenetworksofcorerelationships arefrayingasaresultofsocialanddemo- graphictrendsthatintensifyisolation.Among themostimportanttrendsarethosethataffect familyformation,suchastheabsenceoffathers.In1997,65percentofpoorchildren livedinhouseholdsthatdidnotincludetheir
VDOU17111 PeavepallofRomanies
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Percentoffannies
Low-income families(below 200%ofpoverty) Middle-andupper- incomefamilies(above
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170001213 1PeucantofChilellsenleaCeasfral OdesLivinginOtemer-Oaeopied Derelnings:
Percentofchildren
Lowpoverty neighborhoods (under10%) Veryhighpoverty
neighborhoods (40%ormore)
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NOTE:Childrenaredefinedasallpeopleunder18yearsofage. (Figure7)Thereareasmallnumberofpeoplewhoseneighborhoodpovertystatuscouldnotbedetermined. SOURCES:(Figure6)Child'bendsanalysisofdatafromtheUrbanInstitute,1997NationalSurveyofAmerica'sFamilies.(Figure7)SpecialtabulationoftheMarch1999CurrentPopulationSurvey,U.S.CensusBureau.
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childrenistoinsulatetheentirefamilyfromthecommunity.Whilethatmayshieldchildrenfromrisks,italsofurtherisolatesthemfromthesup- portivenetworksthattheyneedandtowhich affluentfamiliesroutinelyhaveaccess."
LackofAccesstoOrganizedNetworking Activities.Beyondissuesofcrimeandsafety,itisdifficulttocultivatesocialnetworksinsome^ low-incomeneighborhoodsbecauseparentsandkidsdon'thaveaccesstothesamerange oforganizedrecreationalandculturalactivitiesavailableinmoreaffluentcommunities.Whilemanymiddle-andupper-incomefamiliesjug-^ gleoverbookedcalendarsoflessons,practices,games,tournaments,andrecitals,thatisnotas^ trueforpoorfamiliesnotforlackofinterest,^ butlackofopportunity.Recentsurveysindi-^ catethatkidsinlow-incomeurbanareasare^ substantiallylesslikelytoparticipateinorga-^ nizedteamsportsandschoolandcommunity^ clubs,mainlybecausesuchactivitiesareeither^ unavailableorinaccessibletheylacktrans-^ portationtogettothem."Onthewhole,our^ poorestcommunitieshavefewerparks,play-^ grounds,andavailableopenspaceforneigh-borhoodcelebrationsandculturalevents,and^ theyhavefewerlibrariesandmuseums.^ Indeed,inverypoorneighborhoods,itmaybeeasierforakidtobecomeagangmember^ thanitistobecomeashortstoporascout.
Thediminishedroleoffaith-basedgroups, highcrimeratesandsafetyconcerns,andlack oforganizedrecreationalandculturalactivities areallimportantcontributorstotheisolation thatmanyyoungparentsfeelwhentheydonot TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation
30
havestrongsocialnetworks.Butotherdynam-icsalsoincreasetheimpactoftheseweakcon-^ nections.Forexample,highratesofmobility,^ sometimesassociatedwiththelackofstable^ andaffordablehousinginmanypoorcommu-^ nities,separatefragilefamiliesfromkin,who^ oftenserveasaprimarysocialnetwork.For^ kidsinlow-incomeurbanareas,whoarethree^ timesmorelikelytochangeschoolsatleast^ twiceinagivenyear,"thisisparticularlyprob-^ lematic,becauseitbecomesevenmoredifficult^ todevelopstrongtieswithpeersandadults^ whotheycanleanoninapinch.Similarly,sub-^ stanceabuseanothertoo-commonaffliction^ thatscarsmanypoorneighborhoodsexagger-^ atestheeffectsofweaksocialnetworksby^ reducingaperson'ssphereofsocialinteraction^ tothosewhoaresimilarlyaddicted.
Whenkeysocialnetworksbecomefrayed, familiescanfinditdifficulttofeelconnectedto alargercommunitythatcaresaboutwhathap-penstothemandtotheirkids.Unlikeparents^ inmoreaffluentcommunities,theydon'talwaysseeanetworkoflocalresourcesthatcanhelptheirchildrenlearnnewskills,get jobs,andreinforcevaluesandmessagesthat^ aretaughtathome.Theabsenceofthesecriti-^ callinkscancompoundthestressandburdenofparenthood,particularlyforparentsof^ youngchildren?'Unfortunately,theimpor-tanceofsocialnetworksisfurtherevidencedin^ thestrongcorrelationbetweentheisolationofyoungmothersandthehighratesofchildneglectandabusethatincreaseout-of-home^ placementsinmanypoorneighborhoods."
ROGULIE3 PercentofChildren(ages6-17) WhoDidNotParticipateinAfter- SchoolActivitiesBecauseTheyDid NotNaveTransportationorThere WereNoActivitiesAvailable:
Percentofchildren
Childrenlivinginlow-^ income,urbanareas
Allchildren
00611DRE9^ PercentofChildren(ages-17) WhoChangedSchoolsTwoorMore TimesWithintinePastTear:
Percentofchildren
Childrenlivinginlow- income,urbanareas
AUchildren
NOTE:(Figures8,9)Lowncome,urbanareasareZIPcodeswith medianincomesbelow$20,707locatedincentralcountiesofmet- ropolitanareasofImillionpopulationormore. SOURCE:(Figures8,9)Child'fiendsanalysisofdatafromtheUrbanInstitute,1997NationalSurveyofAinerica'sFamilies.
Raidsasemail
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Successful,
appy,healthykidsneedfamiliesthatarestrong
familiesthatnotonlylovethem,butalsoprovide,
nurture,support,
andteach
B^
tbeingastrongfamilyisterriblytoughinhigh-poverty
neighborhoosthatofferfewoftheopportunities,networks,and supportsthe
allfamiliesneedendmostfamiliestakeforgranted
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PercentofChildreninCentralCitiesPiotLivingWithEither Parent:
Percentofchildren
Lowpoverty neighborhoods (under10%) Veryhighpoverty
neighborhoods (40%ormore)
HOME92 PercentofChildreninCentralCitiesWithoutHealth Insurance:
Percentofchldren
Lowpoverty neighborhoods (under10%) Veryhighpoverty
neighborhoods (40%ormore)
NOTE:Themareasmallnumberofpeoplewhoseneighborhood povertystatuscouldnotbedetermined.Childrenaredefinedasall peopleunder18yearsofage. SOURCE:SpecialtabulationoftheMarch1999CurrentPopulation Survey,U.S.CensusBureau. 36 kidscount'2C0©
andexperiencedteachers,andhavefewer opportunitiestotakechallengingcourses.3°
Butbeyondtherealityofpoorperfor- manceandinsufficientresourcesisthepercep-tionamongmanylow-incomeparentsthattheyaresimplynotwelcornepartnersintheefforts toreformandrevitalizelocalschools.Toooften, parentsfeelthattheyhaveneithertheopportu-nitynorthepowertoinfluencethequalityof theirchildren'seducationorthetrajectoryofa school'sperformanceThus,itisnotsurprisingtoseearecentupsurgeinsupportofpublic schoolchoice,charterschools,andprivate schoolvouchersamongpoorparents."
Inmanylowincomeneighborhoods,an
equallypoorrelationshipexistsbetweenresi- dentsandlocallawenforcement.Ratherthanseeingpoliceasavaluedpartner,residentsin^ manyofourmostdesperatecommunitiesper-^ ceivethemasneglectfulandindifferenttothepeoplewholivethetn°andtheproblemstheyface.Atworst,policeareseenasadditional threatstothecommunity,aslikelytovictimize^ astoprotectandtodosowithoutvictimshav-^ inganyrealrecourse."Similarly,childwelfare workersareviewed,toooften,notasfamily- friendlysupporterswhoaretryingtohelp^ keepkidssafeandfamiliestogether,butas^ intrusivebureaucratswhoshouldbeavoided^ ratherthanwelcomedbecausetheyareaptto^ removechildrenfromtheirhomewithoutade- quatecauseorjustification.
Thedistrustandisolationthatcharacterizes therelationshipsthatmanypoorfamilieshave withdifferentmainstreamsystemsandinstitu-
tionsreflects,tosomedegree,theirfeelingstowardgovernmentingeneral.Manyfamiliesinpoorcommunitieshavedifficultyseeinggov- ernmentagenciesasproactive,caring,and responsiveaviewthathasmanyramifications. Specifically,it'sreflectedinthelowvoterregis- trationandvotingratesthatoftencharacterizethepoliticalalienationofthepoor."It'sreflectedinthefearamongpoorimmigrantsthatany informationtheyprovidetothegovernment mightbeusedtoaltertheirresidencystatus.Andit'sreflectedinthealienationthatcauses manylow-incomefamiliestoignorepotentially valuablegovernmentsupportprograms,suchas theEarnedIncomeTaxCreditandtheChildren'sHealthInsuranceProgram,forwhichtheyandtheirchildrenareeligible. TheImplicationsofaConnectionsFramework Successful,happy,healthykidsneedfamilies thatarestrongfamiliesthatnotonlylove them,butalsoprovide,nurture,support,and teach.Butbeingastrongfamilyisterribly toughinhigh-povertyneighborhoodsthatofferfewoftheopportunities,networks,and supportsthatallfamiliesneedandmostfami- liestakeforgranted.Thedisturbingrealityis thatfamiliesthatrequirethestrongestnet- workshavetheweakest,andwithoutthecriti-calconnectionstheyneed,thesefamiliescanbecomeevenmorefragileandisolated.
Moreover,webelievethatthinkingabout familyconnectionsandhowtheycanbe built,linkbylinkcanhelpprovidearoad mapforchangethatismorepracticalandcan^37
TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation
13o$cri7 inspiremorepeopletoact.Acrossthecountry,wecanidentifypotentexamplesofstrategiesthatareworkingtobuildbridges,fosterrela-tionships,andadvancetrulyaccessibleservices inourpoorestneighborhoods.Forexample, innovativeeffortsinsomeofourmostisolated communitiesarehelpingfamiliesconnectto job-trainingandjob-findingnetworks;gain accesstocredit;andbuildequitythrough homeownership,savings,andmicro-enter- prisedevelopmentopportunities.Othercom-munitiesarebandingtogethertopromotesaferstreetsandprovidemoreopportunitiesfor familiestointeractthroughformalandinfor-malcultural,recreational,spiritual,andsocialactivities.Andsomecommunitiesareusing strategiesthatincreaseresidentinvolvement andconfidenceintheeducational,humanser- vice,health,andlawenforcementinstitutionsthatareintendedtohelpfamiliessucceed.
Acrossthecountry,manycommunitiesare
usingavarietyofimpressiveapproachestohelplinkisolatedfamiliestosomeoftheopportuni- ties,networks,andsupportstheyneed.But mostoftheseeffortsarenotcomprehensiveenough,nordotheyinvolvesufficientcollabo-rationtochangethefutureforthelargenum- bersofisolatedfamilieswithmultipleproblems^ livinginourmosttroubledneighborhoods.Our experiencesandtheexperiencesofothers^ haveledustoconcludethattotrulytransform^ family-weakeningneighborhoods,weneed^ strategiesthatcanhelpallfamiliesmakedeeperconnectionsonallofthesefronts.Ourbeliefisthatfosteringtheseconnectionsinwaysthatare TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation
comprehensiveandmutuallyreinforcinghasthepowernotonlytofosterfamilystrengths, butalsotoremakeentireneighborhoodenvi-ronmentsforparentsandkids.
Mountingsuchaneffortwillrequirean unprecedenteddegreeofpoliticalwillandcollaborationamongandacrossabroadcross- sectionofstakeholders.Thestakeholdersincludelocalgovernment;employers;banks;largeandsmallbusinesses;faith-basedgroups; community-basedorganizations;culturalclubs;hospitals;universities;schools;lawenforce-mentofficials;and,mostimportant,leadershipfromfamiliesandgrassrootscommunityorga-^ nizations.Effectivefamily-strengtheningefforts willrequiremorethanstatementsofsupportandphotoopportunities.Theywillrequire^ commitmentandactiveparticipationthatliterallyshout,loudlyandclearlytothepublic^ at-large,thatreconnectingourmostfragile^ familiesisthemostimportantthingwecanpossiblydoifwewanttoimprovethelife^ prospectsofournation'schildren.
Thisisthetypeandlevelofactivepartici- pationthattheCaseyFoundationishopingtopromotethroughourrecentlyinaugurated NeighborhoodTransformation/Family Development(NT/FD)initiative,astrategyfor helpingcommunitiesconnectandstrengthen familiesinisolatedneighborhoods.Through NT/FD,theFoundationisinvestingconsider- ableresourcesinideasthatcanadvancemore activepublicsupportoffamily-strengthening strategies.TheFoundationalsowantstopro-rriotesoundpublicpoliciesthatcanhelpcorn-
Webelievethatthinkingabout^ familyconnectionsandhowtheycanbebuilt,linkbylink^ canhelpprovidearoadmapfor^ changethatismorepracticalandcaninspiremorepeopletoact. Acrossthecountry,wecanidentify^ potentexamplesofstrategiesthat^ areworkingtobuildbridges,fos-^ terrelationships,andadvance^ trulyaccessibleservicesinour^ poorestneighborhoods.
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