Child Poverty Hurts Economy, C.D.F. Report Concludes

By Jessica Portner

The national failure to eliminate child poverty is not only shortsighted social policy, it also hurts the economy, a new Children's Defense Fund study argues.

Each year child poverty continues, it costs the nation as much as $177 billion, according to the 154-page report published by the child-advocacy group last week.

"Poverty creates enormous costs to children's health and their ability to participate in society, and those human costs have an economic component," said Arloc Sherman, a senior program associate at the C.D.F. and the...