DEMOGRAPHIC & SOCIOECONOMIC DATA
CHILDREN IN POVERTY
Children in Poverty is the percentage of children under age 18 living in poverty. Poverty status is defined by family; either everyone in the family is in poverty or no one in the family is in poverty.
Children in Poverty captures an upstream measure of poverty that assesses both current and future health risk. Poverty and other social factors contribute a number of deaths comparable to leading causes of death in the US like heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer.[64] While repercussions resulting from poverty are present at all ages, children in poverty may experience lasting effects on academic achievement, health, and income into adulthood. Low-income children have an increased risk of injuries from accidents and physical abuse and are susceptible to more frequent and severe chronic conditions and their complications such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, ADHD, behavior disorders, cavities, and anxiety than children living in high income households.[35, 65-67]
Community Focus Areas:
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Providing training programs and educational opportunities that focus specifically on the parents of children living in poverty as well as the populations who represent generations of poverty (Elementary school “Parent Academies” have been established to connect parents of children living in poverty with available resources in the Wilson community.)
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Expanding evidence-based programming (such as Baby Think It Over and Making Proud Choices) to multiple school locations to provide education and experiences that will support good choices for teenage youth and reduce the number of young adults having children before they are ready to be parents
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Developing opportunities for resource sharing and partnerships to connect the providers and leaders of workforce development programs, educational institutions, and employment support programs for more efficient communication and collaboration so that parents and caregivers who are able to work can find jobs that pay enough to support a family
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Note: Data is measured annually.
Date of Report Vs. Date of Data
Robert Wood Johnson annual reports reflect data from previous year(s) for certain measures. See chart below.