The recession is hurting America’s children today and could have a negative impact on their future as well, according to two new reports. A survey of child welfare released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows child poverty increased in 38 states from 2000 to 2009. As a result, 14.7 million children, or 20 percent, were poor in 2009. That represents a 2.5 million increase from 2000, when 17 percent of the nation’s youth lived in low-income homes. Read the survey here.

Even though 216,000 jobs were created in March and the nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent overall, the jobless rate for blacks rose from 15.3 percent to 15.5 percent.