On Monday, January 11th at 11am, the Poverty Reduction Initiative will host its annual Press Conference highlighting the KIDS COUNT Data in the context with child poverty issues in Kalamazoo. The conference will take place in the board room of the Kalamazoo United Way, located at 709 South Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-6003.
The conference includes the release of the KIDS COUNT Michigan Data book 2009, which is officially embargoed until Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 2:00am. The event will provide clarity and insight through multiple speakers on the topic of poverty’s affect on children.
KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the report releases annual data which focuses on the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children.
Childhood poverty, abuse and neglect continue to rise in Michigan, but child deaths are down dramatically since the start of the decade, the latest Kids Count report finds.
“The data certainly show a mix of trends both good and bad,’’ said Jane Zehnder-Merrell, a senior research associate at the Michigan League for Human Services and director of the Kids Count in Michigan project. “Michigan’s unemployment and declining family income take a toll on kids’ lives, but we are seeing improvements in some areas of health and education.’’
Childhood poverty jumped 6 percent between 2005 and 2007, with nearly one in every five children in Michigan living in poverty. The number of students receiving free or reduced-priced lunches rose 14 percent between 2006 and 2008—more than two of every five public school K-12 students now participate in the School Lunch Program at free or reduced prices.
For more information about the event, please contact Initiative Kevin Lignell at the Poverty Reduction Initiative by phone (269) 387-2678 or email klignell@haltpoverty.org.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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