Florida ranks an abysmal 37th in the nation for the number of children who live in poverty. Even as the economy gains strength, too many Floridians remain unable to meet their basic needs and live in conditions that make them more vulnerable to violence, crime and health issues such as obesity and high blood pressure. A new study that examines youth poverty underscores the need for broad-based solutions to help Florida's most vulnerable families break the cycle of poverty.
The Tampa Bay Times' Caitlin Johnston reported last Sunday that one in four Florida children, or 24 percent, live beneath the federal poverty line, which in 2013 was $23,550 for a family of four. The data came from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count Data Book, which was released last month and examines issues of well-being for children in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Minnesota topped the list as the state with the smallest portion of children living in poverty. Mississippi was last in the rankings, which looked at children's economic well-being, education, health, family and community. Overall, the data showed worsening trends across the United States in several major indices, including the number of children who live in high-poverty areas.
Florida performed worse than the national average in nearly every major indicator. One-third of the state's children have parents who do not have secure employment, and one-fourth of the state's high school students do not graduate on time. It's inexcusable that more than half of Florida's children do not attend preschool, a major factor in students' ability to be ready for kindergarten.
In the Tampa Bay area, the situation for poor families is similarly bleak. In Hillsborough County, 61 percent of all children receive free or reduced lunch, compared with 58.5 percent in Pasco and 51.8 percent in Pinellas. Social services agencies in all area counties say they also have seen a rise in homeless families and a need to help families meet their basic needs.
The Casey Foundation's data underscores the need for a myriad of social, health and community services that address the needs of the poor throughout the entire year. Many area schools, for example, offer two free meals a day to children year-round, in recognition that hunger doesn't take a summer break. State officials need to help facilitate more of these types of programs that proactively reach out to families on the margins.
According to the foundation's data, 969,000 children in Florida are living in poverty. Gov. Rick Scott and state legislators need to make bold moves to help these families. Expanding health care, making Pre-K programs more affordable and ensuring that schools in all neighborhoods are safe and effective are good places to start. Next year's elections will be focusing on the widening income gap and the struggle by so many American families to make ends meet, and Florida is a prime example of how much more needs to be done from Tallahassee to Washington.