Opinion: How can we keep poor children from becoming poor adults?
“The nation’s income and poverty report for 2022, released by the Census Bureau last week, contained a number of disturbing findings. Average earnings and household incomes failed to keep pace with inflation. The most accurately measured poverty rate rose by nearly 5 percentage points. And, worst of all, the child poverty rate more than doubled — from 5.2 to 12.4 percent. While poverty among adults is troubling enough, poverty among children is worse — since these children are more likely to have low incomes as adults than their middle- or upper-income peers. This fact violates one of our most revered American principles: that all children deserve equal opportunity to pursue and achieve their hopes and dreams.”