Ill. kids hurt by budget crisis

CHICAGO – Illinois children are caught in a “budget crossfire,” hit hard by state budget cuts and a recession that left one in five of them living in poverty and 33,000 students homeless in 2010, a children’s advocacy organization said in a report released Thursday.

The Illinois Kids Count 2012 report said the state’s budget crisis is undermining gains made for young people, with cuts to investments in early childhood education and after-school programs.

About 18,000 state children have lost access to preschool since 2008 because of delayed payments and budget cuts, said Kathy Ryg, president of Voices for Illinois Children, which compiled the annual report. Early investments in education are key to building a strong workforce and economic recovery, she said.

“Where we had been making such gains for kids, now in difficult budget times, we’re losing ground,” Ryg said. “What’s at stake is an entire generation of kids. It’s more costly to have them catch up than to get them ready in the first place.”

The state also has wide racial disparities in terms of family income and academic achievement. African Americans and Latinos have the highest child-poverty rates and lower educational achievement.