According to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, last year more than half a million children in the tar heel state, or one in every four children lived in poverty.  Laila Bell, Director of Research and Data with Action for Children North Carolina, says young children under the age of five face the greatest risk of living in poverty.

“Last year three in ten young children in North Carolina lived in poverty. Poverty is important particularly in early childhood because the experience of poverty damages children’s developing brains,” says Bell.

Researchers say malnutrition, stress, illiteracy and toxic environments in low-income children’s lives can impact a child’s neurological system, affecting language development and the ability to plan, remember details and pay attention in school.

Bell says the census data shows that for the first time since the start of the economic downturn, the number of children in the state who lived in households falling below the poverty line of $23,000 for a family of four remained statistically unchanged. 

But many NC families are still struggling to recover in the aftermath of the recession.

According to Bell, Medicaid and North Carolina Health Choice continued to preserve children's access to health insurance coverage despite persistent, high poverty and unemployment rates in the state. Together, the programs provide coverage to half of NC’s children under age 18. Bell says more resources are needed to help meet our children’s most basic needs.

“Children’s health outcomes are shaped by more than just their access to health care or the coverage that they receive. Things like maternal education, access to quality education , even their families poverty level can all shape their long term health outcomes  and in turn influence their ability to earn a living wage as an adult or become  a productive member of our society,” says Bell.