Poverty hits Utah's rural kids hard

A survey released Wednesday showing that rural parts of Utah are more likely than urban areas to have children in poverty wasn't news to Teresa Kilcrease.

The Price mother of four recently wanted dental work done on her daughter's teeth but couldn't find a dentist willing to accept Medicaid.

"I was in tears, bawling to the caseworker because we don't have the option of going to Provo or Salt Lake to look for a doctor there."

When four of the teeth abscessed, a doctor finally relented, making "an exception" for the little girl because of the pain.

Lack of medical care, decent jobs, transportation and other services compound daily struggles in rural areas, making simple tasks such as grocery shopping an overwhelming challenge.

"We don't have public transit, we don't have buses and we don't have a taxi," Kilcrease said. "If you don't have your own transportation, you're walking, and you're talking about miles. Several times I've walked in 8-degree weather to take my child to the health department for immunizations."

The Kids Count special report examines poverty data associated with children who live in rural areas contrasted with those who make their home along the urbanized Wasatch Front.

The report, prepared by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows 30 percent of Utah's rural children live in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment, compared to 25 percent statewide.

"Families living in our cities can make use of the local food bank, talk with employment counselors, visit free clinics," said Terry Haven, director of Utah's Kid Counts project.

Even though Kilcrease's husband, Mark, has full-time employment working in a lumber yard, his $8-an-hour job does not lift them from the challenges of poverty.

"And he's at the top of the marker — a lot of men can't get jobs that pay more than $6.50 an hour, and it puts them in poverty. "

The Kilcreases' situation isn't that atypical, says Lynnette Mitchell, executive director of the Rural Utah Child Development Head Start.

Covering an eight-county area that makes up nearly half the state, the program serves 434 Head Start children and 60 "early" Head Start kids.

"With the welfare reform changes, we are seeing more families who are having definite child-care issues," Mitchell said. "There is no consistent child care or quality child care in many of our communities, particularly in San Juan County."

Kilcrease is a stay-at-home mom who has two children who have gone through the local Head Start and another child who is currently enrolled.