This Policy Brief presents new Children’s HealthWatch data on how Baltimore mothers’ difficulty in maintaining stable employment is linked to health problems in children’s crucial first years of life.

The Great Recession resulted in job loss and reduced work hours for many Americans; many jobs are yet to be replaced. In 2012, Marylanders experienced a 7% unemployment rate and a 12.6% underemployment rate. Children’s HealthWatch research in Baltimore shows that unemployment (job loss) and under-employment (reduced work hours) of mothers place low-income young children (ages 0-4 years) and their mothers at risk of poor physical and mental health, and of being unable to afford basic needs like food and housing.

Click here to view an infographic that demonstrates the mismatch between hourly wages and cost of living for families in Baltimore.