Newark Kids Count Report Released

Posted on 2/8/2010

New Report Underscores Challenging Times for Newark’s Children with Growing Reliance on State to Meet Basic Needs

The first data is in on how the economic downturn in New Jersey and the nation is impacting the lives of children and families in Newark. Newark Kids Count 2009, released by the Association for Children of New Jersey, shows Newark families grappling with the same issues affecting families throughout the state: greater poverty, rising unemployment and a growing demand for help in meeting the most basic needs.

The report also indicates that what is already a challenging environment for all New Jersey residents is even tougher for Newark families. After several years of declining child poverty in the city, the rate is back up to 35 percent – one in three children, as compared to the state rate of 12 percent. Newark’s unemployment rate is 14 percent, almost double the state’s. And the 52 percent of households in Newark spending more than the recommended 30 percent of income on rent is higher than the state average – a particularly significant fact, as three-quarters of all households in Newark rent rather than own their homes.

Newark Kids Count 2009 also shows that Newark families are relying on critical safety net programs, often in greater numbers than families in the state as a whole. Newark represents a model for providing access to free or reduced-price school breakfast – the city serves 62 percent of eligible children, compared to a 31 percent participation rate in the state. The percentage of Newark families making use of the NJ Earned Income Tax Credit rose slightly from 2004 – 2008, while it fell by six percent statewide. And the availability of child care vouchers for Newark families rose a dramatic 621 percent from 2005 – 2008, compared to the state’s 109 percent increase -- a critical investment that allows low-income families affordable child care so that parents can work.

Despite the difficult economy, Newark Kids Count 2009 found that Newark’s child outcomes have improved in several important areas, with the city often outpacing state gains. Newark’s infant mortality rate dropped 37 percent from 2002-2006, (the most recent data available,) compared to the state’s 8 percent decrease over the same period. Newark students are closing the achievement gap between their performance on New Jersey assessments and the state average. In the area of child welfare, the number of Newark children under state supervision in their own homes dropped 42 percent from 2005 to 2009, doubling the state’s decrease during the same period.

Newark Kids Count 2009 found positive trends that include:

• Median family income in Newark rose 34 percent over the four-year period ending in 2008. While the city’s median income is still well below the state average – roughly one half – Newark’s gains were nearly double the state’s.

• Newark tested 16 percent more children for lead poisoning from 2006 to 2007. Results showed a 40 percent drop in the number of children testing positive for high levels of lead in that year.

• Juvenile arrests in Newark fell 28 percent from 2004 to 2008, continuing a downward trend that began in 2007.


Newark Kids Count 2009 found that challenges remain, including:

• Preschool enrollment dropped slightly from 2005 to 2008. This decline is consistent with the decline in total K-12 enrollment in the city; however, Newark never achieved its goal of enrolling 90 percent of all eligible pre-school children, so the decrease is cause for concern.

• While more Newark children now have health insurance, the city still lags behind the state in NJ FamilyCare enrollment. The number of children in Newark receiving NJ FamilyCare increased by 10 percent between 2005 and 2009; state enrollment increased 21 percent.

• Nearly half of pregnant women in Newark, 47 percent, received late or no prenatal care in 2006. The percentage of low birth weight babies rose from 11 percent to 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, while the state rate remained constant at 8 percent.