As the slow economy drags on, what chance do Florida's children have for a bright future? The Annie E. Casey Foundation has examined the impact of the recession on the nation's children, and researchers concluded that low-income children will likely suffer academically, economically and socially, long after their parents have recovered. The national study on child well-being found that child poverty increased in 38 states, including Florida, from 2000 to 2009. As a result, 14.7 million children, 20 percent, were poor in 2009. That represents a 2.5 million increase from 2000, when 17 percent of the nation's youth lived in low-income homes. Mississippi kept its overall last place ranking in child welfare for the 10th consecutive year, according to the survey. New Hampshire was first. It was closely trailed by neighboring Louisiana and Alabama, a nod to the poverty that plagues the Southern states. Florida ranks 36th. The full report is at datacenter.kidscount.org. Here are some statistics for Florida children age 18 or younger:
36 Florida's overall rank for child well-being. Mississippi is 50th.
21 percent living in poverty in 2009.
12 percent living in families with at least one unemployed parent in 2010.
32 percent living in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment in 2009.
10 percent affected by foreclosure from 2007 to 2009.
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation
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