Vulnerable and Hard-to-Reach Population FACT SHEET:
Children
This fact sheet provides information about a population in Florida that is potentially vulnerable
and/or hard-to-reach before, during, and after a disaster event. Preparedness requires
understanding the demographics and characteristics of these groups in order to best meet the
needs of all persons.
Definition
Children are defined as persons under age 18 years.
Demographics
United States
72.5 million children
o 19 million under the 5 years
o 28 million between 5 and 11 years
o 23 million 12 to17 years
Source: Census 2000, 2001
Florida
3.6 million children in 3.2 million families (5% of the nation’s children, Census 2000)
o 180,000 disabled aged 5 - 15 years old
o 380,000 children in Broward County
12,000 children aged 5 - 17 years old do not speak English (2004 American Community Survey)
Over 1 million children are victims of child abuse and neglect each year
General Information
When determining resources to assist in the likelihood of a disaster event, you need to consider the child’s:
Environment
Parental influences
Non-familial relationships
Culture
For More Information
1. American Red Cross. (n.d.). Children and Disasters. Retrieved March 22, 2006, from
www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_602_,00.html.
2. Florida Department of Children and Families. (2006). The Florida Department of Children and Families.
Retrieved April 3, 2006, from www.state.fl.us/cf_web/.
3. Florida’s Adoption Information Center. (2002). AdoptFlorida. Retrieved March 18, 2006, from
www.adoptflorida.com/.
4. Kreider, R. M., & Fields, J. (2005). Living Arrangements of Children: 2001. Retrieved Mach 22, from the US
Census Web site: http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p70-104.pdf.
5. US Census Bureau. (n.d.). 2004 American Community Survey: Age by Language Spoken at Home by Ability
to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over. Retrieved March 17, 2006, from
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-
CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=ACS_2004_EST_G2000_B16004&-tree_id=304&-redoLog=true&-
all_geo_types=N&-geo_id=04000US12&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en.
6. US Census Bureau. (n.d.). Census 2000: Ages by Types of Disability for the Civilian Noninstitutionalized
Population 5 Years and Over with Disabilities. Retrieved March 17, 2006, from
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US12&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-
_lang=en&-redoLog=true&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_P041&-
currentselections=ACS_2004_EST_G2000_B18002&-CONTEXT=dt.
7. US Census Bureau. (n.d.). Census 2000: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics, Broward County,
Florida. Retrieved March 18, 2006, from http://censtats.census.gov/data/FL/05012011.pdf.
8. US Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children and Families – Children’s
Bureau. (2006). Children’s Bureau Website. Retrieved March 18, 2006, from www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/.
Updated 6/26/09