Survey: 1 in 5 Mainers under 5 in poverty

from the Kennebec Journal

BY SUSAN M. COVER

AUGUSTA -- A report released Thursday shows one in five Maine children under the age of five live in poverty, a problem made worse by a lack of federal money, child advocates said.

Maine Kids Count, an annual report funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, identifies poverty and health insurance as an areas needing immediate attention.

The report, which relies on 2005 census data, shows 20 percent of children under age 5, and 17 percent of children under 18, living in poverty. For a family of three, an income of $17,000 a year or lower is considered poverty level.

On the the health care front, 10 percent of low income children are without health insurance even though they are eligible for Medicaid, according to the report.

At a Statehouse press conference, an unusually passionate Gov. John Baldacci linked the need to do more for children with his efforts to cut administrative costs in schools and to consolidate four state natural resource agencies.

Consolidation in those areas would free up more money for children, he said. "I'd like the people of Maine to know, while I'd like to make my superintendent happy, I'd like to make my four commissioners of natural resources happy, and I'd like to be able to make all of the people who work in the Augusta area happy, if I truly want to do my job the way it's supposed to be done, I have to put kids first and make sure they have the resources to be successful," he said.

Baldacci, who proposed reducing the number of school districts from 290 to 26 last year, expressed frustration with those who have opposed the effort. Ultimately, the Legislature modified the plan to require consolidation to about 80 districts and some efforts continue this year to further weaken the plan.

He's also faced resistance to his proposal to consolidate four natural resources agencies into one or two, eliminating high level administrators and consolidating services.

"These structures don't work," he said. "Their resistance to change those structures leave us in a situation where you're not making anybody happy. And that's completely unacceptable."

When it comes to poverty -- which the Maine Children's Alliance identified as the most troubling finding in the report -- a loss of funding from the federal government and state budget woes have made it hard to address the problem, said alliance president Elinor Goldberg.

The effects of poverty follow children all their lives, she said. "They're more likely to not be healthy," she said. "They are more likely not to be doing well in school. They're more likely to get into trouble as teenagers."

And while poverty remains a chronic issue, there was good news to report on the habits of teenagers, she said.

A 2007 survey shows in the last 10 years, teen smoking in Maine has dropped from 39 percent to 14 percent, alcohol use declined from 51 percent to 39 percent, and marijuana use was down from 30 percent to 22 percent.

House Speaker Glenn Cummings, D-Portland, said an emphasis on the well being of children even before they are born will help secure a more stable future for them and for society.

A former high school teacher and college professor, Cummings said it's a bad idea to cut money from children's programs to help balance the state budget.

He said efforts to pass laws to get toxic chemicals out of toys, strengthen lead paint regulations and work toward clean air and clean water are ways the Legislature is trying to help children.