Report: Illinois Kids Are Being Victimized By Economy
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- The state of Illinois' children is troubling, says a new report coming out Thursday.
As WBBM Newsradio's Dave Dahl reports, the new Kids Count report from the group Voices for Illinois Children suggests kids are economic victims.
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"Kids are currently caught in a budget crossfire … at both the state and federal levels," says Kathy Ryg, Voices' president. "We know that the recession and the budget crises have had a big impact on kids. Almost one in five Illinois children live in poverty. Living in poverty leads to poor outcomes for kids, and we really have to address this because we are at risk of losing a generation of children who are our future workforce."
Ryg says the economic crisis has everyone thinking.
"That leads us to programs that we know work, and we have to have the political will to invest in those programs," she said.
But "political will" is not achieved easily.
"Political will comes from the public, and we have to call the public to action in this effort as well, so that they understand what's at stake," Ryg said.
The report is coming out at a series of news conferences around the state Thursday morning. For more information, click here.
