Spirit of Jefferson – With 30 percent of West Virginia children under age six living in poverty, the time for action is long overdue. In West Virginia, more than one in four children are currently in poverty. This is simply unacceptable. We can do better. All of our children deserve a chance to succeed and prosper. We must continue to invest in our children and get to the root of these problems. By reducing child poverty in West Virginia, we lessen the need for drug treatment, medical treatment and prison space in years to come, while at the same time paving the way to a brighter future for our citizens. Read
The Center on Budget and Policy has teamed up with the state Healthy Kids and Families Coalition to offer aid to our select committee as we go through this process.
This week our committee heard from Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. He believes that investing in early childhood education is the best way to end child poverty in the long run. Boettner believes there is consensus between child care advocates, educators and all stakeholders to break this cycle.