(SANILAC COUNTY) — A report from an advocacy group says the number of Michigan children living in poverty was up by 23 percent from 2006 to 2014 and that child poverty increased in 80 of the state’s 83 counties. The Kids Count in Michigan Data Book 2016 was released Monday by the Michigan League for Public Policy, a Lansing-based nonpartisan policy institute. In Sanilac County, 23.4 percent of children lived in poverty in 2014, an 8 percent increase from 9-years ago. For child poverty, Sanilac County ranked 39th among the 83 counties. The report also shows that the rate of child abuse and neglect was up 29 percent across Michigan from 2006 to 2014. In Sanilac County, the rate of child abuse and neglect was excessively high at 18.3 percent per 1,000 kids. Sanilac Great Start Director Karolyn McEntee says the conclusive research demonstrates that helping parents is one of the best ways to help their children and increased investment in programs like “Safe Kids” and the Parents as Teachers home visiting program can have powerful impacts by providing parents with information and resources to make healthy and safe parenting choices.
