Kids Count Report – Michigan

Posted on January 31, 2013 by townsend

• Michigan Kids Count report: Rural areas also face child poverty, well-being issues, By Tim Martin, January 31, 2013, MLive.com: “A new report shows that some of Michigan’s relatively rural counties are among the hardest hit when it comes to child poverty and other measures of child well-being – and it suggests more spending on ‘safety net’ programs could help address problems. The Kids Count survey released Thursday provides a range of statistics related to the economy, health, child welfare and education. There were worsening trends, on average, in eight of the 15 categories examined. The most recent statistics contained in the report generally are from 2011 or 2010…”
• Report: Michigan children less likely to die before 20th birthday, but lack economic security, By Robin Erb, January 31, 2013, Detroit Free Press: “There is good news for many of Michigan’s children: They’re less likely these days to die before their 20th birthdays or to be taken into foster care or to have babies as teenagers, and better equipped — at least by standardized testing results — to move forward from fourth- to fifth-grade, according to the newest annual Kids Count report. Still, at the same time, Michigan’s children lost ground when it comes to economic security and access to healthy food — a trend true even in the state’s most affluent counties, according to the report…”
• Report: Childhood poverty rates shoot up in area, By Serena Maria Daniels, January 31, 2013, Detroit News: “The number of Michigan children who live in poverty rose 28 percent from 2005-11, resulting in a half-million kids who are experiencing economic insecurity, the latest Kids Count report shows. In Metro Detroit, the starkest rise in childhood poverty was in Oakland and Macomb counties, where social service providers say middle-class families were most heavily impacted by the downturn of the late 2000s…”
• Muskegon County ranks among state’s worst in annual Kids Count survey, By Michelle D. Anderson, January 31, 2013, Muskegon Chronicle: “An annual survey examining the economic security and overall well-being of Michigan children saw Muskegon County near the bottom of the state for its number of impoverished, abused and neglected children, among other areas…”
• Kalamazoo County child abuse and neglect rates among worst in Michigan, according to Kids Count report, By Ursula Zerilli, January 31, 2013, Kalamazoo Gazette: “Child abuse and neglect rates in Kalamazoo County have more than doubled since 2005, according to the latest Kids Count in Michigan Data released Thursday, Jan. 31. Meanwhile, Kalamazoo County ranked 49th of 82 counties in Michigan for it’s the overall child well-being based on 13 of 15 indicators, which include measures of low birthrates, abuse and neglect cases, teen pregnancies and poor prenatal care, according to the report…”
• Jackson County sees more students graduating on time, but test scores lagging in some areas, Kids Count report says, By Leanne Smith, January 31, 2013, Jackson Citizen Patriot: “Jackson County is seeing more students graduating from high school on time, but their overall performance on some state standardized tests is lagging, according to a state report released Thursday, Jan. 31. The Kids Count in Michigan report from Lansing’s Michigan League for Public Policy looks at 15 indicators of child well-being. For the first time, it also has ranked 82 of the state’s counties using these indicators…”