The 2017 Child Poverty report is out and it highlights the income inequality that leaves far too many BC families struggling to make ends meet. The report by First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition says one in five kids still lives in poverty in this province.
Using the most recent data, the report shows BC's child poverty rate for children age 0-17 in 2015 was 18.3%, representing 153,300 children. This is nearly a full percentage point higher than the national average of 17.4%. It is down slightly from the 2014 rate of 19.8%.
In 2015, while BC children made up just 18% of the province's total population, they made up 22% of all British Columbians living in poverty.
Adrienne Montani, Provincial Coordinator, First Call says poverty negatively effects children's overall well-being.
"It affects their education, their ability to go to school and learn if they're not feeling well fed, or their home situation is stressful because of their poverty. There are lots of reasons it affects their development and their long-term health."
Montani says Children living in lone-parent families continue to have the highest poverty rate at 47.7%, or close to one in every two children. She adds, most of these families are led by women, leading to a continued effort to close the gender wage gap and provide more affordable, quality child care.