Chester County Sees Sharpest Rise in Child Poverty in Southeastern PA
PHILADELPHIA (December 2nd, 2013) – PCCY’s latest report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Economic and Food Security in Chester County” finds that child poverty rose 55% from 2008 to 2012, a greater increase than in any of the four Philadelphia suburban counties.
该报告还指出：
- The share of children living in low-income families increased 28% since 2008
- 14,952 Chester County children are enrolled in SNAP, a 56% increase in the last four years. Children represent nearly half (46%) of all Chester County individuals enrolled in the program
- Only a quarter of low-income students who qualified participated in school breakfast program in 2012
Hunger and food insecurity are proven to have lasting effects on a child. The value of increased poor educational outcomes and lost lifetime earnings as a result of hunger and food insecurity was $19.2 billion in 2010, according to the national report- Hunger in America, published by the Center for American Progress and co-authored by PCCY’s executive director.
“Child poverty rose more dramatically in Chester County than anywhere else in southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Kathy Fisher, Family Economic Security Director for PCCY. “With a rapidly changing economic landscape, elected leaders, schools and parents need to do everything they can to make sure their children are fed.”
The rise in poverty across the county is causing more families to turn to food banks for help.
“We are seeing more families with small children coming to us for help,” said Phoebe Kitson-Davis, Program Manager for the Chester County Food Bank. “The report backs up what we see every day at our local food cupboards and agencies- that child hunger is a very real issue in Chester County and we all need to work together to help children and their families.”
Every school district in Chester County saw a rise in the share of students eligible for free and reduced meals at school, a clear sign that hunger and poverty is hitting families in all parts of the county. While the need rose, the number of children receiving breakfast at school remains low. Even in the school districts with the highest levels of school breakfast participation, less than one-in three students received school breakfast in 2012.
“With more Chester County children needing help, it is important schools work with parents to make sure students are fed and ready to learn,” said Julie Zaebst, Policy Center Manager for the Coalition Against Hunger. “By better connecting families to safety net programs, we can ensure fewer children will go hungry.”
PCCY recommends that County officials, service providers, community groups, schools and parents work together to:
- Work with school districts and parents to dramatically increase participation in school breakfast, including pressing schools to enter the PA Department of Education’s School Breakfast Challenge, which rewards districts who achieve the highest gains in school breakfast participation (deadline is Dec. 20th).
- Mobilize county resources to educate local residents so that all eligible families can access federal safety net resources to help care for their children
- Build county-wide understanding and support for these programs so they are strengthened at the federal level.
PCCY’s report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Family Economic Security in Chester County,” is the latest in a four-part series looking at issues affecting children in each of Philadelphia’s suburban counties. PCCY’s previous reports on education can be viewed at www.childrenfirstpa.org/bottomlinecountyreports
Upcoming reports will focus on child health and early childhood education.
The full report “The Bottom Line is Children: Family Economic Security in Chester County” can be viewed online at www.childrenfirstpa.org/userfiles/file/BottomLineCountyReports/Chester/FamilyEco/PCCYBLFamilyEcoChesterCo2013.pdf