PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new report says Philadelphia has made some advancements in the well-being of its children but that poverty remains a serious obstacle for Philadelphia families.
According to the report, “A Decade of Stalled Progress,” by the nonprofit Children First, 47% of Philadelphia families with children live in persistent poverty.
“The share of families who are struggling economically just stays the same. We have nearly half of the families not earning enough to raise their children,” said Donna Cooper, executive director of Children First, who presented the report at School District of Philadelphia headquarters on Tuesday.
She said, although fewer children smoke, drink or have been involved in violent crime than a decade ago, almost half report that they feel sad or depressed nearly all of the time. Superintendent Tony Watlington said it speaks to the responsibility of adults to do more.
“It’s not just the school district’s responsibility or Children First’s responsibility to … figure out what do we need to do to support the social, emotional and mental health of our young people,” he said.
Cooper said, while the federal government is talking about cutting aid to families, this report shows they should be doing just the opposite.
“This is a real call to action. Right now in Washington, people are having lots of conversations about cutting SNAP, about cutting WIC, about cutting child care,” she said, “the exact wrong time to be doing that.”