For those worried about the next generation, some encouraging news: Drug and alcohol abuse among Hawaii’s teenagers, as well as teen pregnancy rates, have declined dramatically over the past few years.
The birthrate among teenagers in Hawaii fell
41 percent between 2008 and 2014, according to a new Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In the same time period, the fraction of teens abusing alcohol and illicit drugs has been cut nearly in half.
Hawaii’s numbers reflect what’s happening nationwide. National surveys report the rate of teenagers giving birth in the U.S. dropped below 25 births per 1,000 teen females, a record low, in 2014. There also was a steady decline in the use of alcohol, cigarettes and many drugs, both illicit and prescription, among American eighth-, 10th- and 12th-
graders over the past five years.
Good news, to be sure. But will this trend continue?
It’s hard to be certain, but we hope so. After years of pouring resources into education and prevention programs aimed at youth, in a sustained effort to bend the curve toward a stronger, healthier next generation — and generations to come — it’s encouraging to see some progress.
But by no means is this progress a sure thing. The Kids Count report also included some discouraging news: Our keiki are getting poorer. The poverty rate among Hawaii’s children went from 10 percent in 2008 to 15 percent in 2014 — a 50 percent increase, compared to 22 percent nationally.
A child growing up in economic deprivation, lacking in the necessary things to thrive — like good health care, schools, books, enriching activities, a stable home life —must navigate the future with one hand tied behind his or her back.
Such disadvantages “are associated with difficulties later in life — dropping out of school, poor adolescent and adult health, and poor employment outcomes,” according to the National Center for Children in Poverty.
It’s maddening to see young people, who are making good choices for themselves, struggle under conditions over which they have no control.
And we see them more and more: children living in tents on public sidewalks, or in the brush, or in shelters, their future promise fading slowly with each passing day.
The risks are exacerbated in isolated Hawaii, with its high cost of living, a regressive general excise tax and limited options. But there are ways to help.
One way to help break the cycle without breaking the bank is through a state earned income tax credit (EITC), similar to the federal EITC. The tax credit rewards work; it gives low-paid wage earners money in the form of a tax credit based on their income. In 2013, the federal EITC pulled 6.2 million people out of poverty, including about 3.2 million children, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Hawaii should have its own EITC, like the 26 other states that have one.
There are other ways to help families thrive. Besides the EITC, Ivette Rodriguez Stern, director of the Hawaii Kids Count project, recommends paid family leave and more access to early childhood education.
Also needed are subsidies for child care, so low-income parents can afford to work; and more affordable housing.
But perhaps the most important lesson to be learned is that sustained, patient effort can yield long-term positive results.
Change happens gradually, but it does happen.
