Wednesdays4Kids October 7

Children are one third of our population and all of our future. 
-Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

New Kids Count Data for 2009 Released: New information on the status of Minnesota’s children was released last week in the Kids Count Data Book 2009. Produced yearly by the Children’s Defense Fund, the Data Book tracks key statistics about our state’s children and families.

Key findings in areas where we are losing ground:

• The number of children living in poverty in Minnesota has gone up from 114,000 in 2000 to 140,000 in 2009. The current poverty rate is 11% of all children. The child poverty rate is currently higher than that of the general population. 
• Racial disparities exist for children living in poverty. In 2007, Minnesota had the highest poverty rate in the nation for Asian children at 24 %; for Black children, Minnesota ranks 40th in the nation with 41% living in poverty.
• 33% of all Minnesota K-12 students (270,247) qualified for free and reduced-price school lunch in 2007. The percentage has been steadily increasing since 2000. 
• There were 88,000 uninsured children in Minnesota in 2008, nearly a 12 percent increase since 2001.

Key Findings in areas where we are gaining ground:

• There has been a 37 percent decrease in the number of determined child abuse and neglect cases since 2002.
• The number of students dropping out of high school went from 20,000 in 2000 to 9,000 in 2007, a 57 percent decline. 
• The number of children born to teenage mothers dropped from 1,797 in 2000 to 1,519 in 2007.

To view a PDF of the full Kids Count Data Book 2009, click here.

Take Action at your Congregation: Help keep your congregation informed with the newest statistics on Minnesota’s children. Take action this week by presenting the data from this week’s and last week’s Wednesdays4Kids on a bulletin board in your church, or make a flyer or bulletin insert that you can pass out on Sunday (you can also use this data as an opportunity to highlight your upcoming Children’s Sabbath).

More Ideas for your Children’s Sabbath: If you still need a Children’s Sabbath manual sent to you or your congregation, please email Rachel. You can also save time and resources by downloading the manual here.

1. Involve your Congregation’s Children: At St. Peter’s AME in Minneapolis older teenagers in the congregation spoke to the younger children about child poverty in Minnesota.
2. Invite a Speaker for an Adult Forum: Community UMC in Columbia Heights invited a speaker to talk about their experience with child abuse, which inspired another congregant to donate $150 to support an abuse prevention project.
3. Host an Adult Forum: Focus on children’s issues in Minnesota at an Adult Forum. Encourage participants to send a letter to their legislators about their concern for Minnesota’s children. For a sample letter and other materials that you can print, click here.