Area houses more poor school-age children since recession hit The number of school-age children living in poverty jumped in Montgomery County and the District during the recession, according to 2010 U.S. Census figures released Tuesday.
Since 2007, the poverty rate for children between 5 and 17 nearly doubled in Montgomery, from 8,610 children, or 5.4 percent, to 15,298 children, or 9.0 percent.
| Below the line | ||||
| Numbers and percentages of children aged 5 to 17 living in poverty | ||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Alexandria | 13.9% (2,293 of 16,463) | 12.9% (2,303 of 17,859) | 15.9% (2,438 of 15,353) | 15.3% (2,152 of 14,104) |
| Arlington County | 8.6% (2,027 of 23,592) | 8.1% (2,006 of 24,863) | 9.6% (2,130 of 22,259) | 10.5% (2,204 of 21,025) |
| D.C. | 24.5% (18,995 of 77,505) | 24.3% (18,421 of 75,664) | 29.0% (22,325 of 76,892) | 30.5% (20,872 of 68,479) |
| Fairfax County | 5.6% (9,949 of 177,497) | 5.5% (9,728 of 176,254) | 6.1% (10,981 of 181,395) | 6.7% (12,697 of 190,161) |
| Loudoun County* | 2.5% (1,467 of 57,633) | 3.1% (1,833 of 59,990) | 3.2% (1,984 of 62,373) | 3.7% (2,567 of 68,455) |
| Manassas* | 11.6% (830 of 7,128) | 11.3% (799 of 7,073) | 13.1% (938 of 7,137) | 15.8% (1,205 of 7,630) |
| Manassas Park* | 8.7% (213 of 2,455) | 9.9% (238 of 2,415) | 11.9% (280 of 2,350) | 12.2% (343 of 2,805) |
| Montgomery County* | 5.4% (8,610 of 160,378) | 6.1% (9,861 of 162,629) | 7.1% (11,850 of 167,869) | 9.0% (15,298 of 170,236) |
| Prince George’s County | 9.6% (14,277 of 148,216) | 7.2% (10,339 of 144,117) | 8.8% (12,940 of 146,247) | 11.4% (16,836 of 147,125) |
| Prince William County | 6.0% (4,335 of 72,252) | 6.7% (4,852 of 72,504) | 7.4% (5,608 of 75,747) | 7.9% (6,509 of 82,843) |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau | ||||
| *Considered to have statistically significant increases from 2007 to 2010 | ||||
Meanwhile, the District’s rate soared from 24.8 percent in 2007 to 30.9 percent in 2010, making D.C. one of just 73 jurisdictions nationwide to surpass the 30 percent poverty mark for the age group.
Loudoun County, Manassas and Manassas Park were also among the 653 jurisdictions nationwide — about 20 percent of counties — that saw statistically significant increases since 2007 in the number of school-age children living below the federal poverty line of an income of $22,350 for a family of four.
At 11.4 percent, Prince George’s County’s poverty rate was higher than neighboring Montgomery’s, but inched up from the pre-recession’s 9.6 percent. And across-the-Potomac rival Fairfax County saw 6.7 percent of its children living below the poverty line in 2010, a small uptick from 5.6 percent in 2007.
But no local jurisdiction served more underprivileged children than D.C., where 21,000 such children lived in 2010.
“When they walk into the classroom, many didn’t get sleep the night before, and they might be dozing during the day. They might not be able to focus because they’re too hungry,” said HyeSook Chung, executive director of D.C. Action for Children, a nonprofit focused on awareness of D.C. youth issues.
Experts say the District and Montgomery were hit hard by the recession for different, but related, reasons. “The District’s resident base is disproportionately tied to the industries that have been most vulnerable during the downturn, like retail, construction and real estate,” causing more unemployment for mothers and fathers, said economist Anirban Basu, CEO of Sage Policy Group, a Baltimore economic and policy consulting firm.
Meanwhile, much of Montgomery’s recent population growth has been fueled by young families with high birth rates, often immigrating to the United States and taking recession-hit jobs. Particularly in Silver Spring and Takoma Park, “Montgomery County is the immigrant’s gateway into Maryland,” Basu said.
Although less stark, child poverty wasn’t absent from the rest of the Washington area. One in five Fairfax County students said they had gone hungry at least once in the past month due to a lack of food in the home, according to a county survey of sixth-, eighth- and 12th-graders. A slim 2.3 percent of Fairfax students reported they went hungry most of the time for this reason.
While schools can only do so much, suburban school districts new to poverty spikes can and do hold events that hook families up with warm coats, food and even medical and dental services. Montgomery County Public Schools holds a backpack and school-supplies drive each August, as do many other local districts.
“Beyond that, it’s a matter of looking at the staff, matching the best teachers with kids who need them, to make sure learning progresses as much as it can,” said Christina Theokas, director of research for Education Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to low-income students
