Idaho Voices for Children Foundation Inc

Children need a voice. They don’t vote. They don’t hire lobbyists. They aren’t a special interest, but their interests are special. 

The Problem right here in Idaho

• 21% of our children live in poverty, and half of all Idaho children live in low-income households.
• One out of four Idaho children are food insecure.
• Not getting enough to eat on a regular basis can delay brain development and ability to learn.  The longer a child does not get enough to eat, the greater the chance of learning delays.
• Iron-deficiency or anemia affects nearly 25% of poor children and is linked with impaired ability to learn.
• Children who attend school hungry perform worse on standardized tests than children who are well fed.

 

A Solution

Nourishing Idaho's Children coalition is working to end childhood hunger.  We are preparing to launch a new online IDAHO FOOD MAP.  It will match local need with available resources.  The MAP will assist both needy families and the agencies that serve them.  It will also help guide statewide efforts to end childhood hunger by tracking resource-poor areas of the state. 

The Problem right here in Idaho

Research shows that proficiency in reading by the end of third grade enables students to shift from learning to read to reading to learn, and to master the more complex subject matter they encounter in the fourth grade curriculum. Most students who fail to reach this critical milestone falter in the later grades and sometimes even drop out before earning a high school diploma. 

• Right now only 54% of children in Idaho know even a few of their letters when they start Kindergarten. For low-income children, it’s 45%. For Native American children, 40%, and for Hispanic children, only 28%.
• At the end of last year 24% of 3rd graders were not at grade level on their reading, according to the Idaho Reading Indicator. For low-income children, it’s 30%.
• Chronic absenteeism is a red alert that students are headed for academic trouble and eventually for dropping out of high school. Poor attendance can start as early as kindergarten.

 

A Solution

Idaho Reads! coalition is organizing reading-readiness pilot projects.  It will include free classes for parents, who can learn fun ways to read, talk, and play with their young children to help prepare them for school. Books, games, toys and puzzles included! The goal is to help children learn to read so they can do well in school and in life.