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Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

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Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

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There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

Report finds gaps in child well-being persist across Maine

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Monday, January 15, 2024   

Children of color in Maine fare relatively well compared to their peers nationwide, but gaps in child well-being persist - according to a new report.

Maine children are less likely to live in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty, but Black children are more likely to live in lower-income households.

And American Indian or Alaska Native students are less likely to graduate high school on time.

Helen Hemminger, research and KIDS COUNT associate with Maine Children's Alliance, said to achieve equity, all children need opportunity.

"To have the supports that they need, in the families that they're living in, so they can achieve their full potential," said Hemminger. "And that has benefits not only for those children and families, but also for all of us who live in Maine."

Hemminger said expansion of the state's Earned Income Tax Credit to all tax filers, regardless of immigration status, is one example of a targeted strategy that's helped improve the lives of Maine children.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's report emphasizes the need for targeted investments in children of color - including direct cash payments to families, free and reduced-price lunch programs and the expansion of Medicaid.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said expanded federal tax credits during the pandemic lifted 800,000 Black children and more than one million Latino children out of poverty.

"We know that a small amount of annual income - as small as $3,000 a year," said Boissiere, "can have a significant difference for low-income kids and families."

Boissiere said universal policies like "baby bonds" and childrens' savings accounts also help parents save for their kids' future.

She said it's important to understand the specific barriers faced by Black, Latino or immigrant families to better advance the policies already proven to work.


Disclosure: Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Education, Juvenile Justice, Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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