The 2015 New Jersey Kids Count report, a comprehensive look at how children fare throughout the state, ranked Middlesex and Monmouth counties in the top third of counties in the state.
Middlesex advanced to fourth place, while Monmouth remained at seventh among the 21 counties. However, the April 20 report noted that poverty remained on the rise and suggested measures to help alleviate pressures facing low-income families.
The Kids Count report, issued each year by the Advocates for Children of New Jersey in cooperation with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ranks counties based on data points representing several categories, including family economics, health and safety, and early care and education.
For example, some of the data include the percentage of children in poverty, the median income of families with children, income spent on rent, and access to free or reducedcost school breakfast.
These data points, known as “indicators,” are individually ranked against other counties and weighted equally. Finally, each county is given an overall rank based on the aggregate ranking of the indicators.
Middlesex County experienced a decrease in child poverty, driven by an increase in median family income from $91,600 to $94,600 for households with children, and a modest decrease in unemployment.
Therewasa4percentincreaseinthe number of students who took advantage of their eligibility for a free or reduced-cost school breakfast. However, the report notes other counties made even stronger progress, so the county lost ground in terms of its rank despite the improvement.
The only negative trend for Middlesex County was an increase in the portion of household income spent on child care. The average household spent about 24 percent of itsincomeonchildcare,whichisa1percent increase from the previous year.
“We know New Jersey is an expensive state in terms of child care,” said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey. “It is a slight increase, but it is not an increase in the right direction and it makes life somewhat less affordable for families. If you look at lowincome families, it is a considerable percentage of monthly income that goes to [child care and rent].”
The state average of child care expenses amounts to 25 percent of the average New Jersey family’s income.
MonmouthCountysawa1percentincrease in families earning too little to meet their needs, with the total rising to 10 percent.
According to Zalkind, ACNJ defines “too little” by looking at data from the U.S. Census regarding families living in poverty or considered low-income.
For a family of four, a household income of $23,000 is considered below the poverty line by the federal government. Low-income is defined as households earning 200 percent of the poverty level, Zalkind said. “Statewide, one-third of New Jersey children live in families that are considered lowincome,” Zalkind said.
The state average of households earning too little to meet their needs is 17 percent, the report states.
Median family income for Monmouth County households with children reached $106,000 — up from $103,400 in the previous year — and 54 percent of Monmouth households spent more than 30 percent of their income on rent. That total is down from 56 percent.
However, a 2 percent decrease in women who received prenatal care was recorded in the Kids Count report, a trend that Zalkind said runs counter to the statewide trend. She said the ACNJ was unable to identify a reason for the decline.
Despite relatively encouraging results for Middlesex and Monmouth counties, there are several challenges facing New Jersey’s youth, according to Zalkind.
“This is the fifth straight year that child poverty has increased in New Jersey,” Zalkind said. “The rise in child poverty is certainly due to a changing economic climate. There are still loads of families that have not been able to find full-time jobs. … And the variation is pretty extreme.”
For example, Zalkind said Salem County experienced a childhood poverty rate of 38 percent, far above the state average of 17 percent.
The Food Research and Action Center released a report on April 20 stating that nearly 16 percent of New Jersey households struggled to afford enough food in 2014.
The report, “How Hungry is America?” ranked New Jersey as 28th out of all 50 states in terms of low-income families with access to enough food.
“It is unacceptable that so many people across New Jersey cannot afford enough food to provide for their families,” said Adele LaTourette, director of the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition. “These data are more than just numbers. They are about households with children, seniors, veterans, working adults and people with disabilities who are struggling to make ends meet.”
The 2015 Kids Count state report included a special section highlighting race. The results show black and Hispanic children are far more likely to grow up in poverty than white or Asian-American children.
“In short, black and Hispanic children are much more likely to live in families that struggle to pay the rent, put food on the table and provide for their children’s basic necessities,” the report states. “This pervasive poverty adversely affects nearly every aspect of child well-being.”
Zalkind said she hopes the data on race — and poverty in general — will prompt a broader discussion on how to address the issue. She called the statistics on race, which show black and Hispanic children are 50 percent more likely to live in low-income families, “sobering.
“These are broader issues the state needs to address,” Zalkind said. “We just hope this information can trigger a larger discussion.”