AUSTIN, Texas – Hoy sale a circulación el reporte anual “Kids Count Data Book”, que mide el bienestar de los niños en los Estados Unidos. Comparado con los demás estados, Texas está en uno de los últimos lugares en esta materia y así ha estado la última década. Y Frances Deviney, directora del programa KIDS COUNT en Texas, ve un peligroso incremento en uno de los diez indicadores clave. El reporte es un proyecto de la Annie E. Cassy Foundation.

De acuerdo al reporte nacional KIDS COUNT 2011, elaborado por la Fundación Annie E Cassy, Texas se ubica en el lugar número 35, una de las posiciones más bajas de los 50 estados en cuanto al bienestar de la niñez. De hecho, Texas ha estado en los rangos más bajos desde hace más de una década. Y en términos de pobreza infantil, el estado también obtiene un pésimo lugar: el noveno. Este dato es particularmente problemático, en opinión de Franes Deviney, directora de KIDS COUNT en Texas.

"Se ha presentado un aumento constante en la pobreza infantil desde el año 2000, pero en los datos que tenemos de los dos últimos años hay un pico notable. Hoy Texas tiene uno de cada cuatro niños viviendo en la pobreza."

Deviney señala que la pobreza afecta la salud de los niños y sus posibilidades de cobertura con seguro médico, sus perspectivas de educación y su desarroloo físico en general.

"La pobreza es uno de esos indicadores capitales con los que decimos, bueno, si no vemos un viraje de veras significativo, vamos a tener toda una generación de niños bajándose de la cama con el pie izquierdo el resto de su vida adulta."

Texas ha visto áreas de mejora en los años recientes. Las muertes infantiles han bajado, así como la deserción escolar adolescente. La tasa de maternidad temprana también mejoró algo en la década pasada, pero Texas todavía tiene el tercer lugar del país, con más del seis por ciento de mujeres entre 15 y 19 años que llevan su embarazo a término. Deviney cree que esa cifra subirá nuevamente, dado que el cuerpo legislativo recientemente recortó en dos terceras partes el presupuesto de la planificación familiar.

El reporte Kids Count refleja que el 30 por ciento de los niños de Texas viven con familias en las que ni padre ni madre tienen empleo de tiempo completo durante todo el año. Aunque durante la recesión el estado ha creado más puestos de trabajo que el resto del país, Deviney cuestiona si son del tipo de empleo que puede ayudar a sacar a los niños de la pobreza en la que viven.

"Son esos empleos adecuados para poder mantener a una familia? – y dado que son trabajos que pagan el salario mínimo o menos, la respuesta sería que no."

En lo que sí es líder el estado de Texas es en empleos mal pagados, pues casi el diez por ciento de los trabajadores ganan el salario mínimo o menos. Y con los recientes recortes al presupuesto, muchos estiman que muy pronto 100 mil personas más quedarán desempleadas. Kids Count ofrece un mapa que muestra la gografía de políticas que anteponen la niñez a todo lo demás. Las variables de medición son mejorar el acceso a la salud y a los seguros médicos a precios bajos, asistencia en el cuidado de los niños y protección ante desalojos hipotecarios, entre otras cosas.

Consulte el reporte completo, con cifras específicas para Texas, en cppp.org.


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A persistent child care worker shortage across New Hampshire is leaving families with few options.

The state is currently short more than 7,000 child care positions but low wages and burnout are driving workers from the field and forcing some centers to close.

Shannon Tremblay, director of the New Hampshire Child Care Advisory Council, said workers are struggling to care for their own families with wages barely above the federal poverty line.

"No one wants to come in for a low wage," Tremblay pointed out. "No one wants to come in making $15 an hour, working long hours in a stressful environment."

Tremblay argued greater state investment will create long-term benefits for both parents and children, some of whom may have disabilities or behavioral issues which could be identified earlier by trained child care staff.

Last year, state lawmakers invested more than $60 million in child care services, including $15 million for the creation of child care workforce grants and investments in the state's Family Resource Centers.

Tremblay emphasized the end of career and technical education programs in New Hampshire high schools broke the pipeline of workers entering the field, putting greater pressure on current staff to do it all.

"Our providers are the case manager, the cook, the plumber," Tremblay observed. "They want to provide that high-quality care and right now it's just, they can't do it."

Tremblay stressed pandemic-era funding to support the child care industry will run out in September, so state lawmakers need to act. She added the state could increase wages so the burden does not fall on New Hampshire families, who currently spend roughly $24,000 a year on care for two children under age five.

The child welfare system in Pennsylvania faces a staffing crisis affecting children and families throughout the system.

The Child Welfare Resource Center said about 30 counties report caseworker vacancy rates of 30% or higher

Terry Clark, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services, at a state Senate hearing on child welfare, challenged the Departments of Education and Human Services to work together to develop a STEM-focused model for human services. It could offer young people opportunities for training, apprenticeships and careers in child welfare, juvenile justice and behavioral health.

"We spend a lot of time focusing on colleges and universities," Clark noted. "But we believe we might want to back this up a little bit, and start looking at middle schools and high schools. Try to reinvigorate, get younger students motivated and trying to come into this field."

Clark pointed out some agencies have asked supervisors and even people from other departments to take on casework responsibilities. A recent Philadelphia study found Community Umbrella Agencies had an average 45% turnover rate, with vacancies ranging from 21-60 positions.

Clark observed private providers face workforce challenges similar to the county child welfare agencies. He emphasized counties are beginning to explore more contractual relationships with private providers for needed work.

"Counties are starting to put out RFPs, calls for private providers to help supplement their workforce," Clark stressed. "That means they're asking private providers to take on roles and functions that, in the past, were primarily done by counties themselves."

Clark argued competitive wages are seen as crucial to attract and retain child welfare workers, and county funding often falls short. He added student loan forgiveness and fellowship programs may be promising ways to bring new people into the field, but lawmakers would have to agree.

"There have been House bills and different Senate bills that have been introduced, or at least in draft form over the years," Clark acknowledged. "We hope that there's continued discussion about those, because if we can get some movement on those, we think those will really help."

He told legislators the turnover trends will not change significantly without increased investment in workers.

Despite a recent policy victory, Wisconsin labor leaders still express concern about the current environment for shielding young teens from unsafe work environments.

Gov. Tony Evers this month vetoed a bill which would have expanded the elimination of required work permits for those younger than 18. The bill's language applied to 14- and 15-year-olds, several years after the state did away with parental permission for 16- and 17-year-olds.

Stephanie Bloomingdale, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, said the recent debates are policy fights advocates thought they won decades ago when minors often worked in dangerous conditions. She cautioned there is a strong push to chip away at protections.

"We are seeing a growing movement from different, unscrupulous employers that want to put kids back in the workplace, and not have the kind of oversight that is needed," Bloomingdale contended.

The Economic Policy Institute said rollbacks have been approved in a dozen states in the past few years. While current efforts are thwarted in Wisconsin, Bloomingdale worries about similar debates in future sessions.

Meanwhile, violations are trending upward, with the U.S. Labor Department reporting an 83% increase in financial penalties. Backers of the Wisconsin bill said the goal was to reduce red tape for families.

Bloomingdale countered taking away another layer of protection does more to trample on the rights of parents and guardians. And with higher consumer prices placing more pressure on household budgets, she added some kids might feel the need to bring in additional income.

She emphasized the current law helps the whole family make an informed decision.

"It's important for kids to get a good work ethic," Bloomingdale acknowledged. "But at the same time, these kids need to make sure that they are getting enough sleep, that they are able to participate in their school, and really making sure that balance is there."

The Economic Policy Institute report showed amid the push in many states to weaken laws, several other states have advanced bills to strengthen protections. There have been bipartisan bills in Congress which, among other things, would crack down on violators.


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