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The U.S. Census Bureau offered the state of West Virginia a sobering statistic last week. According to the one-year estimates released in the bureau's American Community Survey, West Virginia is the only one of the 50 states where the poverty rate for children increased from 2021 to 2022.
Of all the statistics for West Virginia to find itself on an island, this isn't the one. And as much of an issue as poverty has been in the Mountain State for so many of its people, seeing that poverty has worsened for some of its most vulnerable residents is inexcusable. That trend needs reversed as soon as possible.
That reversal must be systemic, which means that the responsibility falls upon the state Legislature. To its credit, it has made some strides along those lines in recent years. It has spurred economic development and brought new businesses -- and new jobs -- to the state. It has reconfigured the Department of Health and Human Services and filled many open positions. Those workers are on the front lines of combating poverty in West Virginia, and their addition to the cause will be essential.
Yet those moves are only the first steps in what must be deep and broad change. So much has been said about fortifying the future of West Virginia. That starts with West Virginia's children -- ensuring they receive all the necessary tools to grow, learn and thrive, so that they succeed as adults. They also need a welcoming environment to stay, find jobs here and raise their families here. That would help reverse another disappointing trend. According to 2020 Census figures, West Virginia led the nation in population loss.
Leaders in the West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate must make sure the representatives in both bodies enter the next legislative session with the mission of correcting the state's childhood poverty rates at the front of their minds. On the day the first gavel falls, they should hand each senator and delegate a copy of that statistic and it should remain at their desks for the entire session. So when they vote on each bill that comes before them, they can look at it and ask one important question -- how will the vote they're about to cast help solve that problem?
As integral as the Legislature will be in affecting systemic change, such change is rarely immediate. Yet the solutions to this problem must be found starting now. The outlook needs to be better tomorrow than it was today. That will take a more local, grassroots effort to get started right away, be it municipal governments, school districts, nonprofits or other philanthropic organizations.
There already are so many groups doing wonderful work locally. Their efforts are to be applauded and supported. But with information like what the Census Bureau has released, they must push forward even harder with their efforts. They should also look for even more avenues to collaborate, pool resources and back each other up to make sure the children of West Virginia have a safe, bright future.
The dubious distinction the bureau's survey has given West Virginia should be a wake-up call to everyone with skin in the game to guarantee that it doesn't become a long-term trend. The children of West Virginia are the future of the Mountain State, and they deserve our full effort.