Child poverty rate has been rising for years
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JANESVILLE — The troubling news is that one child out of every five in Rock County is living in poverty.
The worse news is that the county's 2009 child-poverty rate—the second-highest in Wisconsin—does not reflect this year's continuing economic fallout.
As part of its American Community Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 20.2 percent of Rock County kids under 18 were living below the poverty level. Rock County's rate is second only to Milwaukee County, where the child-poverty rate was nearly 30 percent.
The number of local children living in poverty has increased in recent years, but at nowhere near the level between 2008 and 2009.
"We're certainly seeing it," said Ann Forbeck, the Janesville School District's homeless education coordinator. "We've had a lot more requests for assistance such as clothing and school supplies, plus we've had more people asking for bus tokens so they can get to school."
More students are coming to class hungry, without a good night's sleep and distracted by the overall stress of poverty, she said.
For the 2009-10 school year, 43 percent of the district's 10,000-plus students received a free or reduced-price lunch. The district had 381 homeless students, a 6 percent increase over the previous school year.
The effects of poverty are showing up in the local district's state test scores, Forbeck said. On last year's reading tests, 74 percent of the students receiving free or reduced-price lunches reached the proficient or advanced level. That compares to 89 percent among students not receiving meal aid.
The difference between the two groups on the state's math test was even wider.
"That's a significant gap," Forbeck said. "Poverty really does impact test scores."
While Forbeck looks at hard numbers, the Census Bureau's population numbers can be somewhat deceiving and open to interpretation. They're estimates taken from a relatively small survey sample, and they carry a significant margin of error.
In Rock County, for example, the bureau estimated that 7,726 children were living in poverty in 2009 for a poverty rate of 20.2 percent. But when the bureau's margins of error are factored in, the rate could be as low as 13.9 percent or as high as 26.8 percent.
"Even if it's on the low side at 13 percent, one out of 10 kids living in poverty is still too many for a community this size," said Marc Perry, director of planning and community development for Community Action, a not-for-profit organization that operates a spectrum of community programs to prevent and reduce poverty in Rock and Walworth counties.
Perry said the recent spike in child poverty is an extension of economic problems that started in Rock County in 2007.
The problem, he said, was exacerbated by the downfall of the local auto industry.
"I don't think you can attribute it all to the closure of the GM plant," Perry said. "This started before the plant closed, but that certainly caused a trickle down through the local economy.
"The problem is that people can't find jobs. We've got the highest unemployment rate in the state in Beloit and the seventh-highest in Janesville."
Overall, Rock County's unemployment rate of 10.2 percent was the highest in the state in August.
Perry said the community is attacking poverty and joblessness on two levels.
"We've got situational poverty, where people lost jobs in the economic downturn, and then we've got generational poverty, those lower-income people who are always struggling," he said.
"I think we're doing a good job retraining those on the situational side, as well as putting an emphasis on basic skills training for the lower-wage workers.
"We're making those adjustments, but the bottom line is that the jobs have to come."
In a tight job market, Perry said, employers are much more likely to hire someone who has an employment track record, particularly if it's long-term and at one or two employers. That continues to leave the lower-skilled candidates without a job and below the poverty line.
"Nobody ever got out of poverty without a job," Perry said.
Forbeck said the school district is working with church and community groups to collect clothing donations for students in need. School social workers are planning fundraisers to buy bus tokens so kids can get to and from school.
"Our kids in poverty, especially generational poverty, really need role models," she said. "One-on-one mentors can really make a big difference."
Forbeck suggested that anyone interested in mentoring get involved with the district's middle school Connections program or volunteer for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Lunch Buddies program at the elementary schools.
Perry said emergency homeless shelters, housing programs and food pantries are working hard to help impoverished families and their children.
But he, too, is concerned that this year's poverty numbers could be higher than last year's.
"It's anecdotal, but the stocks at the area food pantries are low, and the demand is up," he said. "That's never a good sign.
"If it's true that the recession is over, we don't know it yet."
To learn more
For more information on homelessness and poverty in the Janesville School District, call Ann Forbeck at (608) 743-6490.
Oct 12, 2010 at 8:12 a.m.
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Best thing you can do for rock county child poverty is move you and your children to a place where there is work for yourself, this counties employment and industrial opportunities are dried up and I presume will stay that way.
Oct 11, 2010 at 4:32 p.m.
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Xenophobia!!! How unusual for a christian.
Oct 11, 2010 at 3:08 p.m.
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Sigma, you are right on target. We, in America, have enough poverty to take care of. Let's keep it here, shall we? Has anyone seen the new Shell ads? All they focus on is China, Brazil, etc. I will not frequent a Shell station because of this. Makes me mad. Sure, those countries need help but their governments need to provide it, not us! JMO
Oct 11, 2010 at 1:55 p.m.
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Only a coward would post a comment in another language that they wouldn't post in English.
Oct 11, 2010 at 1:08 p.m.
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mudsill - Admit? she was a housewife, is now a miserable person that goes to the dr for every single pain, paid for by medicare.
Oct 11, 2010 at 12:33 p.m.
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Why do rich old people deserve free health care but poor children don't?
Oct 11, 2010 at 12:03 p.m.
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Since many of you don't like your tax dollars going towards welfare, what about medicare and social security. My grandmother never worked a day in her life and gets a SS check and medicare. Gee, maybe we should start hating the elderly too! Food for thought: Where will your hatred end?
Oct 11, 2010 at 10:43 a.m.
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That's a good point. I'm all for good, honest sex education and access to birth control. Sometimes it seems as though the same people who complain about the cost of welfare and WIC are the same people who decry teaching factual sex education in school and allowing access to reasonable birth control (remember that DA up north where the teen pregnancy rates are really high?). Child poverty is a real problem. We as a society should be prepared to care for the least amongst us, or provide people with the knowledge and materials to forgoe children of their own.
Oct 11, 2010 at 10:32 a.m.
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My former neighbor has three kids with two, maybe three different fathers. I know she doesn't care about those kids. They're just meal tickets to her. She supposedly has a job making $16/hr., but I'm told she still is under the poverty level because of all her kids and still needs welfare. Why should my tax dollars go to pay for her having more kids? It's not fair. The sad part is the kids are the ones that suffer. They didn't ask to be born.
Oct 11, 2010 at 10:25 a.m.
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I am not surprised that people have correctly identified single parent households and particularly teen pregnancy as a major contributor to poverty. This is not news to anyone familiar with the field research. Again, though, it's a question of what we as a society are prepared to do about it. Teenage pregnancy is not an inevitable fact of life.
http://bit.ly/d4KcQ2
Oct 11, 2010 at 9:54 a.m.
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I grew up in poverty with 5 siblings, 2 parents, everybody worked and contributed. Why as adults, are 3 of us doing well and the others are not? BIRTH CONTROL and EDUCATION! The others blame government, the school system and every authority figure they come into contact with. I have nieces who dropped out of HS to get pregnant. Say no to more kids? HA! They feel every baby is, "Such a blessing."
Oct 11, 2010 at 8:49 a.m.
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I hear ya, but if I was uneducated, stuck with 2 kids, and a low pay job...and had these options. 1. Have more kids to collect more welfare. Or. 2. work harder to support what kids I have. The USA is lazy. No one picks #1. We have a govt that supports the lazier you are and more kids you have the more money you get. To "help" these people, they need welfare cut, drug testing for welfare, and welfare in the form of food. Not money, not food checks/stamps...etc. Give them the ability to do what they want and they will never help themselves. Corporate schools are taking over. People need to pay thousands for educations worth pennies in my book. But the true ones in need shouldnt be mixed up with all the politics. Why do we judge our own but not ones in other countries? Why dont they stop having kids?
Oct 11, 2010 at 8:13 a.m.
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sigma40 I have no problem helping people who are in need of help. I do have a problem with people who keep reproducing and have no desire to work there way out of a mess. As long as we keep passing out money with no restrictions we will never get out of the mess this country is in.
Oct 11, 2010 at 6:12 a.m.
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miltonman - with what your saying about people here having kids who shouldnt.. so they dont deserve help? Why dont the people in other countries move to where there is food and water? No, we keep shipping more in. You make no sense.
Oct 11, 2010 at 12:16 a.m.
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In my opinion, the children themselves did nothing wrong. They are born poor, and I'm not ok with them starving, going without clothes or heat in the winter because their parents made mistakes. Mentor them, educate them and perhaps break the cycle of poverty.
Oct 10, 2010 at 11:02 p.m.
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Having a job would be a start to helping remove some of the children from poverty. But we have a whole different class of people who continue to have children who shouldn't be having children.The Gazette should do some investigating into how many people have 2 or 3 or more children whom have never held a job. And continue to receive assistance. I have a neighbor who's child had twins at 14, a year later had another and is now working on number 4. Now who do you think paid for all these children when the parents are not working either. When do we as a society end all this nonsense? 4 children 3 different dad's something ain't working. If you want to know where some of your money goes talk to some people who work the cash register at local grocery stores. They will tell you about the people with $700.00 to $1900.00 Wic balances on their ck. statements.
Oct 10, 2010 at 11 p.m.
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This is because we always see the donations being asked and the commercials for helping needy kids in other countries. Helping other nations, helping is all we ship out... Why cant we help our own? Our attitude for the poor in this country is "If we have to work for what we got... so should they". Well that attitude doesnt help and those same people will donate to kids in africa, but not to a poor person here.
Oct 10, 2010 at 8:13 p.m.
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Big Bro & Sis make a difference because that is one adult who focuses on the success of an individual child when families may be falling apart under the struggle. Knowing that a teacher, counselor, principal, big bro or sis are pulling for them, can -- and does -- make a difference in courage and perseverance. Never underestimate the power of having someone in your corner.
An improved economy? of course that will help enormously, but remember when the economy was better? we still had children who were struggling to matter in our society. If you have the time to volunteer, please, please, do what you can to make the difference in the life of just one child.
Oct 10, 2010 at 7:16 p.m.
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What would big bros and sisters do for poverty We need more jobs that pay better wages and pray the economy finds some light at the end of the tunnel. Or maybe relocate where This type of issue is a priority rather then sidewalks and high prices being paid to the companies that come in to research our oneway street problems and tell us nothing we didn't already know. IMO
Oct 10, 2010 at 5:45 p.m.
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People have to volunteer in order to get more Big Brothers and Sisters.
I'm just sayin...
Oct 10, 2010 at 5:10 p.m.
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I think more Big brother - Big sister volunteers would help make a difference. These kids will simply perpetuate their present situation as adults if this cycle isn't redirected....
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