A new report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds that about 12,000 children in Maine have young parents, ages 18 to 24.
Claire Berkowitz of the Maine Children's Alliance says many of those families are struggling financially.
"This is what was striking to us,” she says. “85 percent of those children living with young parents live in low-income families, and that's the highest percentage in the country."
Berkowitz says one reason could be that most of those young parents have no education beyond high school. Only 8 percent have an associates degree or higher.
With the approach of the midterm elections, Berkowitz says she hopes whoever wins those political contests will focus on increasing access to workforce training and child care.
