Rhode Island ranks number one in spending per impoverished child — $11,244 — according to the latest child welfare data. (Stock photo by Os Tartarouchos via Getty Images)
If the fact that Rhode Island’s child welfare system wastes lives isn’t enough to prompt real change, consider the staggering waste of money. New data show Rhode Island spending on child welfare is proportionately the highest rate in the nation — well over triple the national average.
The amount is equal to $11,244 for every impoverished child in the state. Rhode Island’s children would be far better off if the state could simply give every impoverished family $11,244 per child…