The income gap between children in middle-class families and those in high-income families is steadily growing, and federal funding could play a key role in determining if it continues to widen, according to a new study.
The Jan. 27 report by the New York-based Foundation for Child Development found that the average middle-class family experienced a drop in real family income of more than $4,000 between 2000 and 2008, compared to the average $139 loss seen in high-income families. The report found that the gap in income stems in part from the rising number of middle-class children living with one parent and from the impact of the recession.
