May 2, 2016

Susan Davison
1030 Pennsylvania Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17111
Representative Ron Marsico
4401 Linglestown Rd #B
Harrisburg, PA 17112
Dear Representative Marsico,
I am writing to you, my district representative, because I am advocating for the End of Child Poverty.
14.7 million children in America, which is one in five children, are poor and live in poverty. Minority
children are the most affected by poverty with two in five Black and one in three children are affected.
Less than one in ten white children are affected by poverty. This issue is important because these children
are less healthy, do not perform as well in school, and have lower emotional and intellectual development
than their peers. Each year that the children stay in poverty in the United States, it costs the nation half a
trillion dollars from poor health, increased crime and lost productivity.
According to the Child Poverty in America 2014: State Analysis, Pennsylvania ranks in the top ten
states for Hispanic children living in poverty, ranking at #7 overall, and has 111,653 Hispanic children
living in poverty. This is a 39.1% of all Hispanic Children in Pennsylvania are living in poverty. Overall,
the state of Pennsylvania has 514,292 as of 2014, for an overall rating of 19.4% of all children living in
Pennsylvania are living in Poverty. 240,897 children live in extreme poverty in Pennsylvania, for 9.15%
of all children in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has a population estimate of 12,802,503, and yet 514,292
children live in poverty. This is 4% of the total population, children, live in poverty.
The final paragraph should pose the action you are requesting. Also remember to thank the person for
their time and do a brief closing statement.
There are several solutions to resolving child poverty. The main point would be that all parents and
caregivers to support their children. This support is affordable child care, jobs with livable wages, housing
assistance, nutrition, and safety net supports like TANF. Pennsylvania could cut poverty by 60 percent
simply by investing in programs that are proven to work such as EITC, SNAP, subsidized jobs, child care
subsidies, Child Tax Credit, and housing subsidies. We also must make sure that each child in
Pennsylvania has access to high quality early childhood programs and K-12 schools that will lead
students into a pathway to college and a career rather than in Prison. Thank you for taking the time to read
this letter, and hopefully the facts speak for themselves that Pennsylvania needs a change protect children
from the dangers of poverty.
Sincerely,

END CHILDHOOD POVERTY

Susan Davison
Advocate for End Childhood Poverty

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