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Report: Over 400,000 Michigan children live in poverty

According to an annual report released Monday by the Kids Count Data Book, there are more Michigan children living in poverty today than there were 30 years ago.

While the state of Michigan has improved in a number of areas when it comes to the well-being of children, the percentage of kids living in poverty is getting steadily worse, as are the number of infants born with a low birth weight.

That’s according to the 30th edition of the KIDS COUNT® Data Book, widely considered “the most comprehensive annual report on child well-being in the United States.”

The report found that while an estimated 419,000 children in Michigan live in poverty, while statewide efforts to improve a child’s well-being in the state are continulously falling short.

For children of color in the state, the data is especially discouraging, as the report found that, for the second year in a row, Michigan has the highest rate of concentrated poverty for African-American kids in the country.

“It seems to be relentless, it continues, its continuing and there is a lot of work to do,”

That is Heather Boswell, the Chief Operating Officer for First Steps Kent the leading provider for early childhood services in West Michigan. She says, a number of factors contribute to children facing poverty in West Michigan.

“You know the wages, the childcare, the lack of affordable childcare, and the lack of affordable housing are three of the issues," Boswell said.  

The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book uses “16 indicators to rank each state overall and individually across four domains — health, education, economic well-being and family as an assessment of child well-being,” and the news isn’t good, as Michigan “continues to lag behind the nation in child well-being and ranks32nd overall nationally, the worst ranking in the Great Lakes region,” according to the report.