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In this issue:

Homeless Children

100,000 Homeless Children are
"At Risk" Physically and Mentally

National Academy Report

A report released by the National Academy of Sciences, "Homeless, Health and Human Needs" says homeless children most often have single mothers and "are the fastest growing group among the homeless.

The report stated "the growing phenomenon of homeless children is a national disgrace that must be treated with the urgency such a situation demands." An estimated 180,000 to 270,000 children are homeless at least one night during a year.

Solomon says:

Frederic Solomon, a child psychiatrist at the Institute of Medicine who headed the study is "very concerned" about the effects homelessness has on children physically and mentally. In shelters, Solomon says, children "are likely to be overstimulated. There's no sleep. Television is on all the time, there are uproars in the halls, drug addicts are nearby, arrangements for eating are haphazard. The relatively quiet and predictable existence that is usually needed for making steady progress in school is denied to these youngsters. The care these youngsters are getting is causing more emotional disturbance than in other poor children, statistically speaking."

Recommendations of the Report

• Develop more affordable, low income housing.
   
• Improve eligibility rules for welfare benefits.
   
• Find ways for homeless patients to obtain needed medicines, supplies and equipment.
   
• Identify/provide early treatment to those requiring health care, e.g., prenatal and pediatric care, well-baby care, immunizations, and mental health care.
   
• Allow food stamps to be used to buy foods in restaurants.
   
• Increase funding for the Women, Infants and Children supplemental food program.
   
• Expand day care and Head Start programs.
   
• Shelter families as a unit.

The report is available from the National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20418.

Children on Farms are "At-Risk"

The romantic notion of a wholesome, healthy life on the farm is becoming a nightmare for an increasing number of farm families. The National Safety Council reports that in 1987, 1,900 persons died in farm-related accidents including about 300 children. Another 23,000 children under 16 were injured. Farmers, undergoing tough economic times in recent years, are relying more on their children to help in the fields, resulting in greater incidence of childhood mishap. Overall, for adults and children, farming has surpassed mining and construction as the nations deadliest occupation.

Economic Effects of Dropping Out of School

When a youth drops out of school, he also begins to drop out of society. Alienation and isolation set in, and not only does the individual lose out, but society also suffers. Research by Thornberry, Moore, and Christensen (Criminology, Nov. 1986) has shown that for 2 out of 3 "age-at-dropout" groups studied criminal behavior increases during the year following dropping out of school (an "age-at-dropout" group is defined by the age at which youth drop out of school). Throughout their early 20's, the dropout group experiences a consistently higher rate of arrest than the high school graduate group.

There is also evidence that lifetime earnings of a high school drop-out are 1/3 less than those of high school graduates. For example, according to the Virginia Dept. of Education, in 1986 dollars, a person not completing high school will earn $200,000 less in lifetime earnings than a high school graduate.

"A policy of preventive investment in children is neither a luxury nor choice but a national necessity if we are going to be economically competitive in the 21st century global arena." --Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund

The Class of 2000: Key Facts

This year, the first high school graduating class of the twenty-first century enters first grade - more than 3 million six-year-olds. We hope that each of these children will finish school and enter college or the work force in the year 2000. These are our citizens, taxpayers, parents, workers, and leaders of the next century. As of July 1988, this is where these youngsters stand on several crucial indicators:

More than one in five is poor.
Poverty rates are even higher among minority children: four out of every nine black six-year olds and two out of every five Hispanic six-year-olds are poor.

One out of every four does not live with both parents. Most children in single-parent families live with their mothers. Of the children living with their mothers, 40 percent have mothers who have never married and 30 percent have mothers who are divorced

More than one out of every two has a mother in the workforce. Sixty percent of all American six-year-olds have mothers. Yet only a minority of these youngsters are in safe, affordable, quality child care.

More than one in five is without health insurance. Of all age groups in America, children are most likely to lack health insurance. This problem has been increasing in recent years as a result of high rates of child poverty, cutbacks in government help for the poor, and reductions in employer-provided health coverage.

At least one in three has never seen a dentist. Few low-income families can afford to pay for their children's medical and dental expenses out of pocket. The result: children often go without essential care.

Reprinted from CDF Reports, September 1988, The Children's Defense Fund.

Fact Find is published by the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), University of Minnesota, 1954 Buford Avenue, Suite 425, St. Paul, MN, 55108

ceed@umn.edu (email)
http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed (Web)

CEED provides information regarding young children (birth to age eight), including children with special needs, in the areas of education, child care, child development, and family education. CEED activities include research, training, and publications geared toward improving professional practices, supporting parents, and informing policy development.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator. The College of Education and Human Development is committed to recruiting, enrolling, and education a diverse population of students who represent the overall composition of our society. This publication is available in alternate formats upon request.

Copyright © 2004 by Center for Early Education and Development

These materials may be freely reproduced for education/training or related activities. There is no requirement to obtain special permission for such uses. We do, however, ask that the following citation appear on all reproductions:

Reprinted with permission of the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, 1954 Buford Avenue, Suite 425, St. Paul, MN, 55108; phone: 612-625-2898; fax: 612-625-6619; e-mail: ceed@umn.edu, web site: http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed.