2008 and 2009 Tough Years For Some NH Kids

In today’s Nashua Telegraph, Michael Brindley summarizes the findings of the yearly New Hampshire Kids Count Data Survey from the Children’s Alliance of NH.  Unsuprisingly, the study finds the recession has been tough for an increasing number of kids,

“…an average of 16.8 percent of children aged 0 to 17, or one out of every six minors, participated in the food stamp program in 2008 and 2009. During that period, overall participation increased by 19 percent, according to the study.

This was attributed to factors such as rising unemployment during the recession and the rising cost of food…

…the highest participation rate was in Coos County, at 31.7 percent.”

Then, there’s this:

“Among the other findings was that the number of homeless students in the state jumped by 21 percent from 2008 to 2009. That translated to 2,573 students in kindergarten through 12th grade without permanent housing.”

And this:

“Nearly one quarter (24.1 percent) of New Hampshire children under age 19 rely on NH Healthy Kids Gold and Silver programs for their health insurance. The study warned that federal and state budget cuts to programs like these could adversely affect the health of New Hampshire’s youth from birth through adolescence.”

Brindley also paraphrases Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire’s Executive Director Ellen Fineberg in the story,

 “…Fineberg said…it’s likely data from 2010 will show a great difference from previous years, even as the recession deepened. She added that cuts to state and federal funding could jeopardize programs that create a safety net for low- to moderate-income families. ‘We hope that people will see that New Hampshire is still a great place to live for children,’ Fineberg said. ‘With some effort in terms of kids who might not be doing as well, we know that all kids could have it be the best place. We still have some work to do.'”

You can see the annual Kids Count Data Survey here.