Increasing poverty rates, deepening vulnerabilities of children heading into kindergarten and an inability to access affordable childcare are preventing B.C. young people from thriving, says the province’s Representative for Children and Youth.

“We are seeing recent results of three separate surveys that tell us very clearly that many kids in this province are not ok,” said Representative Jennifer Charlesworth. “This frankly alarming data is highlighting that we urgently need to be doing more to support the health and wellness of our young people.”

This week First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society released its annual B.C. Child Poverty Report Card finding poverty rates among children and youth in the province are increasing. Just over 126,000 children and youth are living in poverty, approximately 14 percent of B.C. young people.