More N.J. kids in poverty

from The Courier Post online

The number of young children living in poverty in New Jersey is continuing to rise, but the state is doing better at helping them -- at least on some fronts -- according to a report released today by the Association for Children of New Jersey.

This year's edition of the annual Kids Count report, which is sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, focuses largely on issues affecting children younger than 6.

Across the state, 93,000 children in that age group were living in poverty in 2005, up from 69,000 four years earlier.

The authors of the study found that better outreach for some programs has helped. For instance, the number of uninsured children dropped by 10 percent between 2004 and 2005. But there were still fewer children with health insurance in 2005 than there were in 2001.

Also, the number of low-income families earning federal tax credits increased by one-third between 2001 and 2005, and the number of expectant mothers receiving prenatal medical care has risen.

But some programs designed to help poor families were also being underutilized. The number of children receiving reduced-priced school lunch has been declining, for instance.

The study, which is based on previously available data, found that the number of children in pre-kindergarten classes rose by 32 percent from 2001 to 2005 -- largely because of state-funded classes in 31 of New Jersey's poorest communities.

The earlier start in an academic setting has often been credited with another gain reported in the survey: More low-income elementary school students are passing state standardized tests.

But the preschools could be offered in more places, according to the Association for Children of New Jersey.

"New Jersey has been a leader in providing quality preschool to our poorest children," ACNJ executive director Cecilia Zalkind said. "It is time to expand that success to reach more children."

The study also pointed to some persistent statewide problems: A higher portion of families in New Jersey pay too much for housing than in any other state, the report found.