Survey Shines Light on Children in Poverty

A new survey of the health and living conditions of Missouri’s children shows an increasing number of children are living in poverty. The Annual Kids Count report says the number of children has icnreased from about 319,000 in 2000 to almsot 354,000 in 2004. A spokesman for Citizens for Missouri’s Children says only six other states have shown an increase in children living in poverty. The study does show that 94 percent of the children in Missouri have health insurance or are qualified to get it at no cost. But the survey says one-fourth of the children in the state did not get a preventive health exam in 2004 and just over half had both dental and preventive health visits. Organizers say part of the problem is that families living in poverty can’t afford to take time away from work to get their children to doctors for checkups.