Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska fare well in child study, By Dale Wetzel (AP), July 25, 2012, Bismarck Tribune: “Children in four Great Plains states are more likely to have parents with jobs, better household finances and manageable living costs, a new report says. The annual Kids Count study, done by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and published Wednesday, ranks North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota as the top four states when measuring the economic well-being of children. Overall, the four states ranked in the top 20 in the survey, which also compiles measurements reflecting child education, health, and family circumstances such as teenage birth rates and the percentage of children who live in single-parent families. The study measured 16 different factors. Child advocates in the four states were surprised by some of the results…”
Minnesota, N.D. ranked high for child health, By Helmut Schmidt, July 25, 2012, Grand Forks Herald: “Minnesota ranks fifth and North Dakota sixth in the U.S. in the latest rankings of child health and well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book. It’s an increase of four spots in the national rankings for North Dakota, which was 10th among the states in 2011. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s ranking this year, while high, is the state’s lowest ranking in a decade from the KIDS COUNT Data Book. In 2011, the state was ranked second in the nation. The state was ranked first in 2007…”
Child poverty is growing across Iowa, report finds, By Mary Stegmeir, July 26, 2012, Des Moines Register: “An increasing percentage of Iowa children are living in poverty and a quarter of the state’s children have parents who lack secure employment, according to a national study released Wednesday. The data come from the most recent Kids Count report, compiled annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation of Baltimore. Most of the statistics were gathered in 2010, but the study still provides Iowans with an illuminating look at how the national economic downturn has affected the state’s youngest residents, said Michael Crawford, director of the Child and Family Policy Center in Des Moines…”
Iowa makes Top 10, Illinois improves in family survey, By Deirdre Cox Baker, July 25, 2012, Quad-City Times: “Iowa stays in the nation’s ‘Top 10’ and Illinois improves to 21st best in the United States in the latest survey on the welfare of American children and their families. The 2012 Kids Count, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows both progress and setbacks for the nation’s children – including better numbers for health and education-related measures, and troubling indicators in the economic indexes…”
Other states outshine Michigan in many categories of latest ‘Kids Count’ report, By Tim Martin, July 25, 2012, MLive.com: “Michigan ranks in the bottom half of the states in many categories of a report measuring the well-being of children. The latest Kids Count rankings are set for release Wednesday by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. Michigan ranks 32nd overall in the survey that compares statistics related to economics, education, health and other areas…”
Poverty tightens its hold on youth, By Ron Shawgo, July 26, 2012, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: “More than a year after the national recession officially ended, the poverty rate among Hoosier children continued to rise as many parents faced unemployment. The 2012 Kids Count Data Book released Wednesday reports that 22 percent of Indiana children – more than one in five – lived in poverty in 2010, matching the national rate and a 2-percentage-point increase from the year before…”
Child poverty increases in Wisconsin, By Aisha Qidwae, July 25, 2012, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The percentages of Wisconsin children living in poverty and whose parents lacked stable employment both showed significant increases in 2010, according to a new report that compares state trends in children’s well-being. The increase translates to about 248,000 children living in poverty in 2010 compared with 2005, when 177,800 in Wisconsin were considered below the poverty line, based on the 2012 Kids Count Data Book. The report, published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and released Wednesday, groups an index of 16 indicators into four categories including economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. The report also finds that 402,000 children had parents who didn’t have stable jobs in 2010 compared with 2008, when 287,000 parents didn’t have secure employment…”
Nebraska kids fare better than those of other states, By Erin Andersen, July 25, 2012, Lincoln Journal Star: “Compared to kids in the other 49 states, children in Nebraska do live the good life — at least according to the Kids Count national report released Wednesday. The 2012 report ranks Nebraska second in the nation in overall economic well-being for children and families. North Dakota is first, based on 2010 statistics (the most recent year available). Despite being one of the country’s best places, economically speaking, the number of Nebraska kids in poverty or tenuous economic situations increased between 20 and 26 percent from 2005 to 2010…”
Report says 1 in 4 Kentucky children and 1 in 5 Hoosier kids are mired in child poverty, By Jessie Halladay, July 25, 2012, Louisville Courier-Journal: “One in four Kentucky children lives in poverty, and their numbers have increased starkly since 2005, according to the latest Kids Count report released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Mirroring a national trend, the number of the state’s children living below the poverty line – defined in 2010 as $22,113 for a family of two adults and two children – rose 18 percent between 2005 and 2010, according to the annual report, which provides an annual snapshot of child well-being. In Indiana, one in five children lives in poverty, a 29 percent increase between 2005 and 2010…”
Maryland ranks 10th in child well-being, national study says, By Yvonne Wenger, July 25, 2012, Baltimore Sun: “Fewer Maryland children are living in high-poverty neighborhoods than a decade ago, but the lingering economic slump has left more parents without a steady paycheck, the Annie E. Casey Foundation reported Wednesday. The Baltimore-based charity ranks Maryland 10th in the nation for overall child well-being in its 2012 Kids Count Data Book, which analyzed nationwide research and statistics on children’s economic well-being, education, health, family and community…”
Study: More SC kids living in poverty, By Gina Smith, July 26, 2012, The State: “South Carolina ranks near the bottom – 43rd among the 50 states – in a ranking of children’s well being. That is according to the newly released Kids Count report, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, that assesses the overall health of the nation’s children, including their economic health, family situation and education. The most-troubling S.C. finding is the number of children living in poverty…”
Kids Count report ranks W.Va. as one of worst in education, By Megan Workman, July 24, 2012, Charleston Gazette: “With nearly four out of five eighth-grade students who are not proficient in math, West Virginia received one of the worst education rankings in the country, a national report being released today shows. Nationwide, the percentage of eighth-graders who are not proficient in math decreased from 72 percent in 2005 to 66 percent in 2011, according to the report. West Virginia ranks 47th in the nation in education, according to The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count Data Book. Arizona, Mississippi, New Mexico and Nevada join West Virginia as the five states ranked weakest for education…”
Alabama 45th of 50 for child well-being in 2012 Kids Count Data Book, By Kim Chandler, July 25, 2012, Birmingham News: “Alabama made its best showing ever in an annual ranking of child well-being, but it still came in 45th among the 50 states. The 2012 Kids Count Data Book released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation showed Alabama made gains in education but continues to struggle with high rates of child poverty. The report ranked Alabama 45th, the state’s best ranking since the Data Book began publication in 1990…”
Oklahoma lags in child well-being ranks, By Mike Averill, July 25, 2012, Tulsa World: “Despite slight improvement, Oklahoma remains near the bottom of the country for child well-being, according to a national report that ranks states using an index of 16 indicators in four categories. Oklahoma ranked 40th overall, up from last year’s 43rd spot, according to the 2012 Kids Count Data Book released annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation…”
Texas 44th in children’s well-being, By Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje, July 26, 2012, San Antonio Express-News: “Texas ranks 44th among the states when it comes to the health and well-being of its children, according to a study by a Baltimore nonprofit that advocates for at-risk kids. Using the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources, the study found the child poverty rate in Texas was higher in 2010 than the national rate of 22 percent, with 26 percent living in poverty. Texas was second from the bottom in children who lack health insurance, with an uninsured rate of 14 percent in 2010, although that’s been decreasing…”
Report ranks Florida behind most states on child health and education, By Margie Menzel, July 26, 2012, Daytona Beach News-Journal: “A new report Wednesday shows Florida trailing most other states in the health and education of its children — with an especially low ranking in economic well-being. The effects are harmful and could be long-term — not just for the children but for the state, advocates say. The annual Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks Florida 44th in the economic well-being of its children, 38th in their health outcomes and 35th in their educational performance. The state ranks 38th overall. The number of Florida children living in poverty is up 28 percent from 2005 to 2010, the last year for which data was included in the study. That measurement considers such factors as whether the parents have secure employment or the ability to cover their housing costs…”
