Poverty ties in with all kinds of social ills - low grades in school, poor nutrition, violence, even asthma and shorter life expectancy. But poverty is about more than money. Poor people can't get at the opportunities and services middle-class Americans take for granted. So the poor often sink into a cycle of day-to-day survival, which often ensures that their children will be poor too. In West Virginia, that's one of every five people. This year's Kids Count Databook compiled a list of opportunities and services from which poor families are often excluded. Inspired by the Kids Count report, the Gazette chose five of these topics to explore in coming weeks in the Community section.