2. Agenda
Welcome and Introductions
Review Public Act 04-238
Review and Discuss Council Structure
Review and Discuss Draft Workplans
Review and Discuss Fact Sheet
Review and Discuss Analysis of Effects
Next Steps
3. Public Act 04-238
Establishes a Child Poverty Council to
develop a 10-year plan to reduce child
poverty by 50%
Composed of OPM,DCF, DSS, DOC, DMR,
DMHAS, DOT, DPH, SDE, DECD, OHCA,
DOL, BOGHE, OCA, Prevention Council,
Children’s Trust Fund, Commission on
Children and legislative appointees
4. Public Act 04-238
The plan shall contain:
– Identification and analysis of the occurrence of
child poverty in the state;
– Analysis of the long-term effects of child poverty;
– Analysis of costs of child poverty to municipalities
and the state;
5. Public Act 04-238
Plan requirements (continued):
– Inventory of statewide public and private
programs that address child poverty;
– Percentage of target population served by such
programs;
– Identification and analysis of any deficiencies or
inefficiencies of such programs;
6. Public Act 04-238
Plan requirements (continued):
– Procedures and priorities for implementing strategies to
achieve a 50% reduction in child poverty, including:
Vocational training
Educational opportunities
Housing
Day Care and After School programs
Health care access
Treatment Programs and Services
Child Nutrition
7. Public Act 04-238
In developing the plan, the Council shall
consult with experts and service providers
The Council shall submit the plan to the
legislature by January 1, 2005
The Council shall report annually beginning
on January 1, 2006 on the implementation of
the plan
8. Council Structure
Monthly meetings on the 3rd Wednesday of
each month between 7/04 and 12/04
Council will set direction based on the public
act
Council will establish and provide guidance
to a subcommittee.
Council will review, modify and approve all
subcommittee work.
9. Council Structure
The subcommittee will meet monthly in
between Council meetings, unless more
frequent meetings are needed.
The subcommittee will serve as a working
committee to execute activities tasked by the
Council
The subcommittee will develop the Child
Poverty Plan with guidance from the Council
10. Draft Workplan
First Council Meeting – 7/28/04
– Discuss P.A. 04-238
– Review Council Structure and Meetings
– Review and Approve Role of Subcommittee
– Select Subcommittee members
– Review Draft Fact Sheet on Child Poverty
– Review Draft Analysis of Long-term Effects of
Child Poverty
11. Draft Workplan
Second Council Meeting – 8/18/04
– Review outline of plan
– Approve fact sheet on child poverty
– Approve analysis of effects of child poverty
– Review analysis of costs of child poverty
– Review questions and methods for inventory
– Review recommendations on participation of
panel of experts
12. Draft Workplan
Third Council Meeting – 9/15/04
– Approve analysis of costs of child poverty
– Review draft inventory of statewide programs that
address child poverty
– Discuss any deficiencies or inefficiencies of
statewide public and private programs with panel
of experts and service providers
13. Draft Workplan
Fourth Council Meeting – 10/20/04
– Approve identification and analysis of any
deficiencies or inefficiencies in statewide
programs
– Review potential strategies to achieve a fifty
percent reduction in child poverty in the state by
6/30/14
14. Draft Workplan
Fifth Council Meeting – 11/17/04
– Public Hearing
Sixth Council Meeting – 12/15/04
– Review and approve plan
– Next steps
15. Draft Workplan
First Subcommittee Meeting – 8/5/04
– Review P.A. 04-238
– Discuss charge and deliverables
– Identify approaches, resources and meetings
– Develop outline for plan
– Modify fact sheet and analysis
– Develop analysis of costs of poverty
– Develop methods for inventory
– Develop participation for experts
16. Draft Workplan
Second Subcommittee Meeting – 9/1/04
– Revise analysis of costs of child poverty
– Prepare and conduct inventory
Third Subcommittee Meeting – 9/20/04
– Revise inventory based on Council comments
– Develop description of deficiencies or inefficiencies of
programs based on discussion with experts
– Identify potential strategies to achieve a 50% reduction in
child poverty
17. Draft Workplan
Fourth Subcommittee Meeting – 10/22/04
– Revise strategies based on Council comments
Fifth Subcommittee Meeting – 11/10/04
– Prepare for public hearing
Sixth Subcommittee Meeting – 12/8/04
– Incorporate all necessary changes from public
hearing comments
– Draft final plan for review by Council
18. Draft Fact Sheet
Connecticut Population in 2002
– Total state population = 3,460,503
– Children under 18 = 872,853
Poverty in Connecticut
– Children in poverty = 87,285
– 2004 poverty level for family of 4 = $18,850
– Child poverty rate in CT decreased from 14% in
1996 to 10% in 2001
19. Draft Fact Sheet
Demographics of Child Poverty
– In 2002, child poverty rate in Hartford was 41%, in
New Haven was 32%, and in Bridgeport was
25%.
– In 2002, child poverty rate for Latinos was 31%,
for African Americans was 25%, and for whites
was 4%.
– 24% of CT children live in households with
income at or below 200% of the federal poverty
level.
20. Draft Fact Sheet
Family Income
– In 2000, the median family income in CT was
$64,692.
– The median family income for married couple
families was $78,587 and the median for single
female headed households was $24,626.
– It takes two full-time, year round jobs at $9/hr to
raise a family of 4 above the poverty level
21. Resource List
Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count Data Book, 2004
U.S. Department of HHS, Poverty Level Guidelines for 2004,
www.uscensus.gov
Connecticut Association for Human Services, Investing in
Families…Investing in Our Future
Annie E. Casey Foundation, Latino Children and African-
American Children: State Level Measures of Child Well-Being
2002
National Center for Children in Poverty, Investing in Children by
Supporting Work: Information Forum on Child Poverty 2004
22. Effects of Child Poverty
The Context
– The United States has the highest child poverty
rate out of the 17 wealthiest countries
– Between 2002 and 2003, the number of poor
children in the US rose from 11.7 to 12.1 million
– In 2002, the state child poverty rate was the 7th
lowest in the nation
– In seven of the state’s communities, more than
one-fifth of the children live in poverty
23. Effects of Child Poverty
Health Effects
– Children in poverty are 3.6 times more likely to
have poor health and 5 times more likely to die
from an infectious disease.
– Connecticut ranks 22nd among states with babies
of low birth weight.
– Infant mortality, serious physical disabilities, grade
repetition and learning disabilities are more
prevalent among low birth weight children.
24. Effects of Child Poverty
– 34% of children from lower income households are obese,
compared to 19% of children from higher income
households.
– Poor children are at a higher risk for asthma, and lead
poisoning.
– Poor children who go hungry perform significantly below
non-hungry low-income children on standardized tests.
– Children under the age of 6 who’s parents exhibit
depression are at two to five times greater risk for:
homelessness, use of food banks, lack of medical care,
unreliable child care and placement in foster care.
25. Effects of Child Poverty
Learning Effects
– High school students from low income families drop out of
school six times as often as students from high-income
families.
– In Hartford, Bridgeport, New London and New Britain the
high school drop out rate is between 29-31%
– Children that live below the poverty level are 1.3 times more
likely to have developmental delays or learning disabilities
that non-poor children
– A child growing up on welfare hears about 3,000 words by
age 6, while children from higher-income families have a
20,000 word vocabulary
26. Effects of Child Poverty
Effects of Teen Pregnancy
– Poor teens give birth 3 times the rate of non-poor teens.
– Children of teenage mothers are more likely to perform
poorly in school.
– Children of teenage mothers are more likely to repeat a
grade, score lower on standardized tests and are less likely
to complete high school.
– Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school and
are less likely to receive a college degree.
