Middle-Class Children Falling Behind

The Foundation for Child Development is highlighting a report that tracks, over a 24-year period, the relationship between family income and positive and negative outcomes for children. According to the report, even before the Great Recession, middle class children were losing ground and their families are relying on public programs, particularly pre-kindergarten education and health care access programs, to maintain their children’s well-being.

Among the report’s key findings:

From 2000-2008, middle class families with children saw their incomes drop by more than $4,000 per year compared to $139 for high-income families.

• The income gap separating the typical middle class family from the typical high-income family rose by more than 50% from $59,000 in 1985 to $93,100 in 2008.
• The proportion of children in middle-class families who lived with only one parent increased from 14% in 1985 to 23% in 2008.
• The percentage of children with a securely employed parent rose between 1993 and 2000, but 75% of these gains were lost by 2008.