WASHINGTON COUNTY — Job losses during the recession contributed to Washington County’s child poverty rate reaching a level similar to the state’s by 2011, said Kathy Deck, an economist at the University of Arkansas.
“Many people in Northwest Arkansas will be surprised to hear Washington County has such high child poverty,” Deck said. “It was just a time of enormous destruction of wealth. Folks who had access to any savings ran through it.”
Five Arkansas counties experienced significant increases in child poverty rates from 2007 to 2011, according to information from the U.S.Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates released Wednesday. Van Buren County’s percentage of children in poverty reached 39.1 percent in 2011, up 9.8 percent from 2007, the highest percentage increase of the five counties identified by census estimates.
In 2007, Washington County was among only six counties with less than 20 percent of children in poverty. By 2011, rising child poverty in the Northwest Arkansas county pushed the number to 27 percent, putting the county near the state child poverty rate of 27.8 percent, according to the estimates.
The other counties experiencing significant increases in child poverty rates were Hot Spring, Randolphand Sebastian, according to the census.
In Northwest Arkansas, an economic boom prior to 2007 attracted new residents who came to work for vendors that supply Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and jobs in all other sectors, including construction and food manufacturing, said Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Walton College of Business in Fayetteville. The recession wiped out many jobs in construction and food manufacturing, especially those that did not require high levels of education or skilled labor.
As the economy improves, Deck anticipates Washington County’s rate of children in poverty to also improve, but at the same time, she anticipates that the proportion of children in poverty will remain near the state level.
The statistics show that poverty exists beyond the historically poor Arkansas Delta, said Laura Kellams, Northwest Arkansas director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a nonprofit organization focused on public policy issues for children and families. With a new legislative session on the horizon, the organization will lobby for lawmakers to continue to provide funding for early childhood education programs and medical care programs for low-income children.
“Poverty really matters to child development,” Kellams said. “Statistically, kids in poverty are behind their peers when they enter kindergarten.”
Children in poverty sometimes lack access to medical care, nutritious food and highquality early childhood education programs, Kellams said.
“Kids can’t learn if they’re hungry and sick,” she said. “These issues have a real and long-term impact on a child’s success.”NEEDS ‘MORE DIRE’
The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates provide annual income and poverty statistics for states, counties and school districts. The estimates are produced through statistical modeling that combines information from the ongoing American Community Survey of households, with administrative records, such as food stamps dispersal and federal tax income data. The U.S. Department of Education relies on the statistics to distribute roughly $14 billion dollars in a federal program for schools with large populations of lowincome children.
In school districts, the percentages of children qualifying for free and reduced-price lunches provides a barometer of the proportion of children living in low-income families. A family of four earning less than $42,643 would qualify for reduced-price lunches.
In the Springdale School District, the percentages of children qualifying as low-income have risen each year by 1 to 2 percent, so that 68 percent of students receive free and reduced-priced meals, said Kelly Hayes, comptroller for the district of more than 20,000 students. The percentages have risen because of growing enrollment and because more families are poor, he said.
This year, the district added two more schools - Southwest Junior High School and Springdale High School - to its list of schools receiving federal Title I money because of their large populations of lowincome children, said Kimberly Glass, federal programs and professional development coordinator. The district now has 20 Title I schools.
Needs of families with children in Head Start child care centers in Washington County have grown more dire, said Brenda Zedlitz, director of children’s services for the Economic Opportunity Agency. The Springdale agency operates the Head Start program for the county.
When Zedlitz started working with Head Start seven years ago, the program still served families in poverty, but they could find food, shelter and jobs.
“This year in particular has been the most drastic change,” Zedlitz said.
Head Start centers began the school year the Wednesday after Labor Day in September, Zedlitz said. Some of the children told her they couldn’t remember eating a meal since the Friday before school started.
“They were ravenous,” Zedlitz said. “They ate everything we offered. They begged for more.”
More families are in temporary forms of housing, and under federal guidelines for schools, are considered homeless, Zedlitz said. They are living with relatives, staying in shelters, motels or the woods.
PROGRESS WIPED OUT
Many families with children in the Clinton School District in Van Buren County are living with relatives or other families, said Glenda Stagg, grants and federal programs coordinator for the school district of about 1,300 students. One federal program provides children in those situations with school supplies and books. Another federal program allows the school district to provide after-school programs for all children in the school district.
“They get assistance with their homework,” she said. “We also feel like we provide a safe place to stay after school.”
Van Buren County’s unemployment rate has risen within the past several years because of declining industry, Stagg said. In February 2008, a tornado wiped out a boat factory and caused enough damage to close several other small businesses. In August of that same year, Pilgrim’s Pride, now part of JBS, announced plans toclose its chicken processing plant.
The lack of industry means that many parents drive 40 miles away to Conway or Morrilton to work, Stagg said. The additional programs help ensure the children finish their homework, which has contributed to higher grades and better performance on state tests.
Reducing poverty requires continued attention on raising the levels of education and spurring economic development over the long term, Deck said.
“Any progress you make can be wiped out with a recession,” she said. “Even years of hard work can be set back.”
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 17 on 12/16/2012