Child Poverty Has Ramifications for Nation’s Future Growth, Prosperity

On Sept. 16, the Census Bureau released its 2009 poverty data revealing that more than one in five children in America lived in poverty last year.

Child poverty merits a significant policy response not only because of the moral obligation we have to provide every child with an equal chance to succeed, but because it has major consequences for America’s long-term economic growth and prosperity.

This past summer, Sen. Dodd’s subcommittee held a series of hearings on the State of the American Child, bringing to light some alarming statistics: One in seven American children have an unemployed parent; one in four currently rely on food stamps, and half of all kids will use them at some point during their childhood. And while economists will tell us the recession has technically ended, it does not feel that way for many families and their children. By the time American families begin to feel the effects of an improving economy, an additional 5 million kids might have already been driven into poverty.

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This article was originally published in The Hill .