Kids Count Indicates Mixed Bag

The Annie E. Casey’s annual Kids Count Data Book has come out and contains a mixed bag for families with children. Connecticut ranked 6th best in the nation.

Nationally, five of 10 indicators of child well-being improved, (Infant Mortality, Child Deaths, Teen Deaths, Teen Births, the Percent of Teens Not in School and Not High School Graduates); three worsened (Low Birth Weight, Poverty, and Children Living in Single-Parent Homes); and two (percentage of Teens Not In School and Not Working and Families Where No Parent Has a Full-Time Job) could not be ranked due to recent changes in data collection and reporting methods.

Although not listed an indicators of well-being, the authors suggest that unemployment and foreclosure rates should also be taken into account. Nationally, 11% of children had at least one unemployed parent in 2010 and 4% were affected by foreclosure since 2007. The figures in Connecticut were 10% (79,000 children) and 3% (46,000 children), respectively.