LITTLE ROCK — An annual report evaluating children’s well-being ranks Arkansas 42nd in the nation, up from 47th last year.
The 2012 Kids Count Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, released today, ranks states in four categories: economic well-being, education, family and community, and health. Sixteen indicators were used to determine states’ rankings in each category.
The ranking system has changed from previous years, when states were ranked in 10 categories.
Broken down by category, Arkansas ranked 39th in economic well-being, 34th in education, 45th in family and community and 37th in health.
Among the improvements cited in the report: More Arkansas children are attending pre-kindergarten programs; the number of eighth graders who are proficient in math has increased; the number of children without health insurance is down 22 percent since 2008; the number of child and teen deaths has decreased by 21 percent since 2005; and the number of teens who use drugs has gone down 27 percent in that same time.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The report also notes that the number of children in poverty has increased by 12 percent since 2005 and the number of children whose parents lack secure employment has increased by 13 percent since 2008.
“The important thing to remember is that the investments we make in our state’s kids really do pay off,” said Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. “And we need to continue to make those investments in things like ARKids First, quality pre-K programs, and K-12 education.”
Huddleston acknowledged that “there are areas where we could do a lot more than we’re currently doing – making sure we have quality after-school and summer programs and promoting the development of our youngest and most vulnerable kids, those from birth to age three. We would obviously like to see the state ranked higher next year.”
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On the Net:
http://datacenter.kidscount.org.