State takes hit in child study

By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Health Writer

Although Hawai'i remains one of the better places in the country for children to grow up in, the state's faltering economy is eroding that status, according to a national report to be released today.

The report shows that, between 1990 and 2000, Hawai'i slipped on six of the 10 measures, which cover everything from children living in poverty and single-parent homes to teen high-school dropout rates.

Nationally, there was improvement on eight of the 10 measures.

Despite the changes, conditions in Hawai'i remained better than the national average on eight of the 10 measures.

While Hawai'i has done well in reducing the number of high school dropouts and increasing children's access to basic communication tools such as telephones, the problem areas that remain are some of the most difficult to fix, said Marcia Hartsock, who heads up the University of Hawai'i's Center on the Family.

One of the biggest concerns is the increase in the number of children living in poverty.

While Hawai'i has the nation's ninth-lowest percentage of children living in poverty, the report indicates that good standing is at risk.

Between 1990 and 2000, the number of children living in poverty in Hawai'i grew from 31,000 to 35,000 — an increase of 9 percent. At the same time, the national rate dropped 6 percent.

Hartsock believes the state's long-ailing economy is largely responsible for the increase.

"We really have to figure a way out of it or all aspects of our quality of living are going to go the same way," she said. "I think we've felt that Hawai'i's such a paradise and there are so many good things about living here, but I don't know how long those things will outweigh the things that are more dependent on the economy, such as health and education."

Experts say that children who live in poor families are more likely to suffer in health, education and emotional welfare.

Ku Kahakalau, who heads up the Hawaiian charter school movement on the Big Island, said educators see the effects of poverty on children as they come to school every day.

"Academically and self-esteem wise, I think when they're coming into school they're coming less prepared; the lower the income, the less prepared the children are," she said.

The Native Hawaiian population accounts for a large part of the declining statistics, Kahakalau said, and there are signs that the situation has worsened since Sept. 11 when many of the students' parents lost their jobs in the hotel industry.

The Hawaiian charter schools were created as a way to break the cycle of poverty in the Native Hawaiian culture by teaching children in an environment where they are more likely to succeed, Kahakalau said.

The schools work to improve the children's academics by first building self-esteem. They also try to level the playing field by covering the cost of field trips or by buying costumes for their May Day hula performances.

Also worrying policy-makers is the nationwide increase in single-parent families. In 2000, 72,000 Hawai'i children lived in single-parent families, up from 53,000 in 1990.

There is considerable debate over the effects of growing up with one parent, Hartsock said, as experts recognize that it may be preferable to living in a two-parent home where the adults are always fighting.

But single parents are more likely to struggle financially and less able to support their children, she said.

"Primarily it means less resources, less financial resources, less energy and time resources when you have one parent caring for children as opposed to two," Hartsock said. "From the things I have read, there are some differences in the way that dads and moms deal with kids that make it really important that both be around."

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Reach Alice Keesing at akeesing@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.