Growing up in East Harlem is tough. The neighborhood consists primarily of Latino and African-American families rich in history and culture, but economically poor, and is known as one of New York City’s most disadvantaged areas where youth are considered at-risk. Dire statistics demonstrate this fact:
♣ 46% of adults have less than a high school education and only 13% have a college degree
♣ More than 50% of East Harlem youth dropout of high school compared to 14.8% in NYC
♣ 36% of elementary school students meet the State and City Reading Standards
♣ The unemployment rate in East Harlem is 16%, twice the rate of Manhattan's 8%
♣ 17.6% of live-births are to teenage mothers compared to a rate of 9% in New York City
♣ 42.3% of families live …show more content…
“On average, children from low-income families lose nearly three months of grade-level equivalency, compared to one month lost by middle-income children when reading and math performance are combined.”
East Harlem is also cited with the highest rates of childhood obesity, asthma hospitalization and diabetes in New York City and the population of “East Harlem dies of diabetes at twice the rate of people in the city as a whole.” These circumstances reduce youths’ ability to thrive, and ultimately prolong the cycle of poverty into which they were born.
An internal demographics survey in 2006 shows that Harlem RBI REAL Kids Summer Program participants mirror the harsh realities of the larger East Harlem community:
♣ 62% have a household income of less than $45,000 with an average of 4 people per household
♣ 50.9% live in single-parent or no parent households
♣ 72.5% receive free/reduced priced lunch
♣ 20% are learning disabled or special-needs
♣ 46% of adults have less than a high school education and only 13% have a college degree
♣ More than 50% of East Harlem youth dropout of high school compared to 14.8% in NYC
♣ 36% of elementary school students meet the State and City Reading Standards
♣ The unemployment rate in East Harlem is 16%, twice the rate of Manhattan's 8%
♣ 17.6% of live-births are to teenage mothers compared to a rate of 9% in New York City
♣ 42.3% of families live …show more content…
“On average, children from low-income families lose nearly three months of grade-level equivalency, compared to one month lost by middle-income children when reading and math performance are combined.”
East Harlem is also cited with the highest rates of childhood obesity, asthma hospitalization and diabetes in New York City and the population of “East Harlem dies of diabetes at twice the rate of people in the city as a whole.” These circumstances reduce youths’ ability to thrive, and ultimately prolong the cycle of poverty into which they were born.
An internal demographics survey in 2006 shows that Harlem RBI REAL Kids Summer Program participants mirror the harsh realities of the larger East Harlem community:
♣ 62% have a household income of less than $45,000 with an average of 4 people per household
♣ 50.9% live in single-parent or no parent households
♣ 72.5% receive free/reduced priced lunch
♣ 20% are learning disabled or special-needs