Community Corner

Report: Child Poverty On Rise In Monmouth County

Decline in Monmouth County juvenile arrests eclipsed by an increase in children living in poverty, report says

The number of children living in poverty in Monmouth County is on the rise, while juvenile arrests are declining, according to a report by New Jersey Kids Count.

The annual rankings measure progress in improving the lives of children in various critical areas including child health and early care and education. This year, Monmouth County remained steady at 6th place.

The well being of Monmouth County children progressed in several areas, including more women receiving early prenatal care, a drop in juvenile arrests and births to young females and an increase in child care options for parents.

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But, the county also saw an increase in child poverty and in the number of low-income students receiving free- or reduced-price school breakfast.

“It is very positive when more women receive early prenatal care, which can help ensure healthier babies,” said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, which published the Kids County reports. “The decline in births to young females and juveniles being arrested is also encouraging. The drop in school breakfast participation is disappointing, however.”

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Many districts serve breakfast before school, when most students have yet to arrive. Monmouth County schools can improve by offering breakfast to students in the first few minutes of the school day, a news release from Advocates for Children of New Jersey said. This is known as “breakfast after the bell,” and significantly increases the number of students starting their day with necessary nutrition.

Other Monmouth County findings:

  • The total population declined by 1.7 percent from 642,030 in 2007 to 631,020 in 2011. The children population declined 4.8 percent.
  • In 2011, 13,440 children were living below the poverty line, a 17 percent increase from 2007.
  • 8.9 percent of Monmouth County was unemployed in 2012 compared to 6 percent in 2008.
  • Monmouth County saw a decrease in children receiving welfare: 1,793 in 2012 from 2,131 in 2008.
  • There was a 99 percent increase in Monmouth County children receiving NJ SNAP (formerly Food Stamps): 15,240 in 2012 from 7,666 in 2008.
  • In 2011, 32,239 children in Monmouth were receiving NJ Family Care/Medicaid, up from 26,043 in 2008. The number of children under 18 without health insurance declined from 7,705 in 2009 to 5,293 in 2011.
  • Monmouth County’s families have more child care options as its licensed child care supply increased from 700 slots per 1,000 children between the ages of 0 and 4 to 709 slots in 2012. The county ranked 7th on this indicator, up from 8th last year.
  • Four percent of all births in Monmouth were to a female between the ages of 10 and 19 in 2009, the latest year data is available. This is a drop from 5 percent the year prior, resulting in a rise in the Kids Count rankings from 9th last year to 7th.
  • The county slipped to 8th place from 6th last year for its student participation in the federally funded school breakfast program. In the 2010-11 school year, 29 percent of eligible children received free-or reduced-price school breakfast, down from 27 percent in 2011-12.

The rankings shift yearly, Zalkind said. Trends such as increasing child poverty, unemployment and high housing costs are being seen across counties.

“These statistics should be used to inform local, county and state leaders, as well as community organizations, in their efforts to improve the well-being of all New Jersey children,” Zalkind said.

Coming in before Monmouth County is Hunterdon ranked 1st, followed by Morris, Somerset, Bergen and Middlesex. Ocean County remained steady at 13.

For a copy of the report and to see how Monmouth County compares to other counties in New Jersey, see the attached document.


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