America has more than 16 million children living in poverty, one of the highest child poverty rates in the developed world. In 2009, the U.S. rate was 21.7%, much higher than Canada (13.6%) and the United Kingdom (16.2%)
Some 2,660 children are born into poverty every day, severely decreasing their chances of success and robbing us of future productive citizens. In 2010, 25.9% of U.S. children under age 5 lived in poverty: about 1 in 2 Black; 1 in 3 Hispanic and Native American; 1 in 6 Asian; and 1 in 7 White.
Child poverty has persisted even in times of economic growth, thus we cannot attribute poverty solely to individuals or our present economy. Therefore, we call on the President and Congress to adopt rigorous policies and system reforms that make child poverty a national priority.