Poverty rate rising among children

The 2009 Kids Count report released today by the Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota shows that the number of children living in poverty in Minnesota grew to 140,000, up from 106,000 in 2001.

Read this Oct. 1 Star Tribune article for more details on how poverty harms children's development.

Society needs to invest in all people to end poverty and in more programs for kids, such as Northside Child Development Center, says Peter Rosenblatt, director of Children's Services for Catholic Charities.

Northside serves low-income families by providing a quality early childhood development program that improves children's overall functioning and development.

"Kids at Northside score better on kindergarten readiness tests than their peers," Rosenblatt says. "That's even more remarkable when you consider the kids come from homes with incomes between $8,000 and $14,000 a year."