A North Carolina state legislator recently claimed to colleagues that “we have no one in the state of North Carolina living in extreme poverty.” Rep. George Cleveland was quickly rebutted by Voices member Action for Children North Carolina, which pointed out that 1 in 10 children in the state live in extreme poverty, defined by the federal government as less than $11,000 a year income for a family of four.
The comment matters because the North Carolina legislature recently cut funding for the state’s pre-K program. This highly effective program was one of the few meeting all 10 quality benchmarks of the National Institute for Early Education Research — and helps children from low-income families get a fair start in school. Voices and Action for Children North Carolina respectfully disagree with Rep. Cleveland on the non-existence of these children. What do you think?