America has over 16 million children living in poverty, one of the highest child poverty rates among developed nations. Help demand that President Obama and Governor Romney tell the American people what they are going to do to eliminate child poverty in our country. It is time to recognize that poverty cannot be attributed solely to individuals or the economy. We must adopt rigorous policies and system reforms that make the elimination of child poverty a national priority.
Why is this important?
As a school social worker, I have seen the devastating effects of poverty on children's emotional development and academic achievement (poverty threshold for family of four: $22,314). Children born into poverty in the United States are 43% more likely than their peers from higher income families to live in poverty as adults. Poverty lowers the probability of these children becoming productive citizens and cheating our nation of future innovative and dynamic leaders.
