In New Jersey, as it is nationwide, the poverty threshold is $24,300 a year for a family of four. One out of six children in Mercer County live below that level.
By Jeffrey M. Vega
The Advocates for Children of New Jersey recently released the New Jersey Kids Count 2016 report, and some of the data is encouraging - statewide, the number of children living in low-income families declined in 2014, for the first time in five years.
More children are covered by health insurance and more were living with parents who were employed full-time.
That's very good news. Yet, a closer look shows Mercer County children and their families are still struggling.
We want to help.
The Princeton Area Community Foundation has been a vital part of the Greater Mercer County community for 25 years, uniting philanthropists and nonprofit organizations.
About a year ago, we asked our community to share its hopes for our future. Hundreds responded. We listened.
Our new vision has emerged. This month, we held a series of community meetings announcing a plan to focus our own grantmaking on the plight of children and adolescents, from birth to age 24, living in poverty.
Already, about half of our Greater Mercer Grants, totaling over $1 million annually, are awarded to organizations that work with young people living in poverty. Beginning next year, we will strengthen our efforts on this issue.
Mercer County is home to a little more than 81,000 children. As defined by federal guidelines, 17 percent of them live in poverty - but there is no adjustment in the federal numbers for New Jersey's high cost of living, even though the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows the cost of living in our state is the fourth highest in the country.
Yet, in New Jersey, as it is nationwide, the poverty threshold is $24,300 a year for a family of four. One out of six children in Mercer County live below that level.
Much of the other Kids Count data also paints a stark picture of our region. We rank 14th out of the state's 21 counties for child well-being, and:
- 16th for mothers who receive early prenatal care
- 14th for births to girls ages 10-19
- 19th for infant mortality
- 14th for child abuse/neglect investigations
- 17th for juvenile arrests
There is a pipeline here, and it's leaking: it begins before birth, when one in four mothers do not get early prenatal care, and it continues into the teen years, with juvenile arrests.
We rank in the bottom half of the state on almost every indicator of child well-being measured by this report.
For example, more than half of our families spend over 30 percent of their income on rent. A family at the county's median income, with one infant and one preschooler, must spend 27 percent of their budget on licensed childcare.
In addition, more than one-third of our public school children - over 20,000 children from across the county - qualify for free or reduced-price meals in school, according to data from the state Department of Education. Although 90 percent of Trenton's students, some 9,900, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, poverty is not limited to urban areas. Another 10,300 eligible students live in suburban settings, including 45 percent of Ewing's students and 13 percent of those in Princeton.
We are worse off than every county around us -- Hunterdon ranks second for child well-being, Somerset is third, Middlesex ranks fifth, Monmouth is seventh and Burlington ranks eighth.
We need to do better. Our children deserve it. All children deserve it.
Around the state, other communities are dealing with similar issues. Camden County is ranked 17th in the Kids Count report, Essex County is number 18, and Cumberland County is ranked last in the state for child well-being. Along with Mercer County, these communities are struggling with child poverty and related problems.
This problem is complex. It has no easy fix. We know that many local organizations, institutions and groups have been working doggedly for years to combat poverty in our communities.
The Community Foundation is taking a lead role in this region. Other funders are making similar investments in communities throughout the state, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and its New Jersey Health Initiatives program, which recognizes that poverty plays a strong role in the health of children. It has awarded grants throughout the state to improve the well-being of our residents.
We are also grateful to our existing donors, who use their gifts to fund nonprofits working in this area. We hope to inspire private and public partnerships and collaborations so we can learn from each other, and take action together on this issue.
How can you join us? Start at www.pacf.org/child-poverty, where you can explore the data and get a copy of our plan. If you want to give to this cause, you may donate on our website or by calling our office at (609) 219-1800. We welcome your ideas.
We intend to make a lasting difference, and we urge everyone who shares our vision to join us. We don't have all the answers, but we believe that, working together, we will find them.
Jeffrey M. Vega is president and CEO of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.