Connecticut Despite having the lowest overall child poverty rate, Connecticut is home to five cities with the child poverty rates over 25%. In an effort to address this child poverty crisis, legislation was passed in 2004 creating the Child Poverty Council which was charged with reducing child poverty by 50% over the next ten years. Six years later, while there has still been no significant reduction, as the Council was unable to rally sufficient political support, both the Connecticut Association for Human Services and Connecticut Voices for Children continue to work together to move this agenda forward. Learn More...	Vermont While National child well-being profiles consistently rank Vermont in the top 10 best states to grow up in, child poverty rates in the state have been increasing over the last decade. In 2008, over 13% of children in Vermont were poor and nearly half (47%) of these children were living below 50% of the poverty threshold. In 2007, Voices for Vermont’s Children worked with key legislators to establish the Vermont Child Poverty Council, which was charged to develop a "ten-year plan to reduce the number of children living in poverty in the state by at least 50%." Learn More...
Maine Over the last decade, Maine has seen a significant increase the number of children living in poverty. Because Maine is a large state with a small population, it has an expensive infrastructure including schools, roads, and health care delivery. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has offered a temporary lifeline for many low-income families, but advocates are keenly aware that funds will not extend beyond 2010. Despite these challenges, the Maine Children’s Alliance (MCA) is proud of the policy successes the organization has been able to achieve and has worked on the state and federal level to improve conditions for children throughout the state. Learn More...	Massachusetts Welcome our newest partner Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) What Makes MLRI Unique? IMPACT. MLRI’s unique role in the legal community is that we advance systemic reforms through impact litigation and through administrative and policy advocacy. We address issues on the federal, state and local levels that have far-reaching impact across a wide range of poverty law fields. Systemic advocacy solves big, widespread problems and achieves large-scale and long-term reforms. Systemic change is more efficient and cost-effective way to address the root causes of poverty, and to challenge initiatives or processes that harm vulnerable populations, than alleviating the symptoms of poverty on a case-by-case basis. Learn More...
New Hampshire Although ranked the number one state nationally by Annie E. Casey’s Kids Count measures for the well being of children, New Hampshire’s child poverty rate hovers between 9% and 10%. Some 63,000 or the 310,000 children in the state live at 200% of poverty. The Children’s Alliance has a partnership with the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute to research children and compile data to help shape strategies to fight child poverty. The Children’s Alliance is also partnering with the newly formed New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. Learn More...	Rhode Island Rhode Island continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and was "first in" to the nation’s recession. While Rhode Island’s investments in health insurance coverage for children have continued at full funding, the state has recently cut back its investment in child care and RI’s TANF program, and it is feared that child poverty will increase as a result of the recession and the accompanying cutbacks at a time of increasing need. The Rhode Island KIDS COUNT staffs the Mayor’s Poverty, Work and Opportunity Task Force, which was charged with developing an action plan of practical, research based strategies designed to decrease poverty among Providence residents. Learn More...