PHOENIX - According to Census Bureau projections, by 2018, children of color will represent a majority of kids in the United States. By 2030, the majority of the American labor force will be people of color. But a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation measures major obstacles to success for children of color, including poverty, substandard housing, underfunded schools, lack of health insurance.

According to the Foundation's associated director Laura Speer, decisions made by society are treating kids in different ways, and there's still a racial component to it.

"There's an unfortunate legacy of discrimination in our country that plays itself out in investments happening in communities, and how those decisions are being made about where investments are targeted, and the amount of money that goes into schools in particular communities," she said.

Speer said children of color are more likely to be kicked out of school, to be racially profiled, arrested and serve longer sentences for the same offenses.

The Race for Results index measures 12 indicators for success. Arizona scores for Latino, American Indian and African American children are far lower than for whites and Asians.

One of the report's statistics that "really jumped out" at Joshua Oehler, research associate at the Children's Action Alliance, was that only 41 percent of three- to five-year-old Arizona Latino children are enrolled in pre-school or kindergarten.

"So that was the lowest among all the racial groups in Arizona, and across the country there were only three states that had a lower participation rate," Oehler noted.

For Joseph Garcia, director of ASU's Morrison Institute Latino Public Policy Center, the number-one success strategy for children of color is education, including an expectation for education beyond high school.

"Because then that affects everybody. It raises everyone's standard of living. It allows greater infrastructure. It allows people not taking from the system, but putting into the system. It creates better lives," Garcia asserted.

Joshua Oehler said he hopes the report will start a discussion of how to deal with the ongoing racial disparities affecting children.

"It's such a delicate subject to talk about, so just bringing it up and being able to get people together from all backgrounds and figure out ways to get rid of those disparities, I think, is a really good continuing step to make progress."

The Casey Foundation's associated director Laura Speer said children of color are "going to be the future work force of the United States, so there's a really critical imperative to look at (these issues) now and to see what we can do to improve" their prospects for success.

The full report is at AECF.org.




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Everybody loves to get something free and right now, kids aged 12-17 can get a fishing and hunting license at no cost from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The license is good for one year and normally sells for $15.

Bobby Jones, outdoor connection coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said the free licenses are funded by donations to the Nevada Youth License Fund.

"This is actually the third year that the program's been active," Jones explained. "We keep it open as much as possible. We're just limited by the amount of donations that we have. Right now, we have almost 2,000 available and they go fast."

Youth can get a free license on the Nevada Department of Wildlife website or wherever the licenses are sold. Children under age 12 do not need a fishing license. The state said almost two-thirds of the kids who have taken advantage of the program in the past have never had a hunting or fishing license before.

Jones emphasized the program is designed to tempt kids to leave the digital world behind for a short time and enjoy some time outdoors. It could lead them to even consider a nature-based career like wildlife biology, forest management or outdoor education.

"Essentially what we're up against is a lot of kids are engaged in their phones and social media, TV," Jones pointed out. "They're constantly bombarded with things. We're trying to make it a little bit easier for them to enjoy the outdoors."

Some of the most popular fishing spots include Lahontan in the Fallon area, Wild Horse and South Fork in Eastern Nevada, and Lake Mead down south.


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The University of Nebraska is addressing a shortage of lawyers who represent the state's most vulnerable children, especially in rural areas.

The attorneys are being equipped to work with kids who have suffered through physical, emotional, or financial trauma - and are often living in poverty.

Of Nebraska's 5,500 licensed attorneys, only 7% of them practice in rural areas.

Michelle Paxton, director of the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center, said two thirds of child neglect and abuse cases originate outside the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas, in what she calls "rural legal deserts."

"We have twelve counties in Nebraska with zero attorneys living in those counties," said Paxton. "We have 22 with less than three."

Paxton said that there are too few qualified rural child justice attorneys, which means lawyers may drive hundreds of miles for juvenile cases, creating delays and court backlogs.

The University of Nebraska program will add lawyers trained to handle issues unique to children in low-income families.

Attorneys who work on juvenile court cases are getting the tailored knowledge they need, but Paxton added that the program is also creating an opportunity for those attorneys to network and get support from other lawyers in the field - who are often isolated.

"And so they don't often have another attorney doing this type of work that they can rely on for support and mentorship," said Paxton, "and our program provides that support and mentorship so that they are not only willing to continue working in juvenile court, increase their hours in juvenile court and increase their commitment. "

The advocacy center will also develop a case-tracking tool, enabling people to find an attorney online.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.



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Statistics show one in five children in Texas struggles with hunger.

Approximately 10,000 students a day are getting a nutritious meal through the Summer Food Service Program offered by the Houston Food Bank. The meals are distributed across the food bank's 18-county region.

Jourdan Stansberry, senior manager of education programs for Houston Food Bank, said they partner with summer camps, churches and other nonprofit organizations to serve the students. She added anyone who is not near a meal site can take advantage of their non-congregate option.

"Sites that are considered rural by the Texas Department of Agriculture," Stansberry explained. "It's a grab-and-go model where families can pick up the meals, It's like a five-day bundle of frozen meals, breakfast and snacks, so 10 meals all together. They're able to pick it up and take it home."

Locations of the meal sites in the Houston area and across Texas are available at the Department of Agriculture's Summer Meal Site Map. The meals are available to anyone 18 years old or younger or students with a disability, up to 21 years old.

The meals are distributed at more than 250 sites around the Houston area. Students do not have to register to take advantage of the meals. Stansbury emphasized it is a great way to ensure kids have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer. She added the menus consist of more than just a sandwich and chips.

"One thing that I know has been pretty popular is our orange chicken with rice, and we also have broccoli, vegetable-medley side that goes along with that. We saw also chicken tikka masala," Stansbury outlined. "We try to expose them to different meals, not only healthwise but also culturally."

The Houston Food Bank expects to distribute around 800,000 meals this summer. The meal program runs through Aug. 8.


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