Like many regions across the country, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area 2 has prospered in the 1990s, gaining population and jobs, diversifying its economy, and reducing poverty and unemployment. However, not all households or communities in this region have shared in this prosperity, particularly families who lack the skills, education, and other assets necessary to participate in the new economy.
Children are the main casualties when families and communities are left behind.
Children who are born into or raised in distressed settings have few choices and are uniquely and especially vulnerable to poverty, even in these exceptional economic times. In 1996, more than 100,000 children in this region were poor, and many more faced hardships ranging from physical abuse to language barriers, from teenage pregnancy to struggling public schools. This report relies on existing data to paint a general picture of the challenges facing children and youth 3 in the Washington, D.C. region. It assesses the well-being of the region s youth, the efficacy of systems and programs designed to serve youth, and the benefits of making or costs of failing to make additional investments in youth. While this report may not capture the full extent of the youth challenge, particularly the differences between jurisdictions or neighborhoods, it does demonstrate that an increasing number of our region s youth are at risk of not achieving their full potential, and that these youth live in every jurisdiction in the region.