The Orlando Advocate

By Mona Shand

8/4/16

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – At the conventions and on the campaign trail, Floridians are hearing plenty from both presidential candidates, but there’s one major issue neither one is talking about: the millions of children across the nation who are living in poverty.

The child poverty rate has been on the rise in Florida since the end of the recession, going from 17 percent in 2007 to 27 percent in 2014. That means nearly one million kids in the state are growing up in households where meeting basic needs such as food and housing is a struggle. Norin Dollard, director at Florida Kids Count, said it’s disappointing that neither candidate seems to see the impact that lifting kids out of poverty would have on all the other things they want to achieve.

“Kids have better academic outcomes,” Dollard said. “They grow up to be more self-sufficient. As adults, they’re able to care for their own families, having the kind of workforce that has the skills to be competitive.”

An analysis of the first 10 presidential debates found that …

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