A statewide report on the status of children in Texas County has some encouraging trends: Seven of ten factors show a positive trend, but the county continues to rank poorly in some categories.
The 2007 Kids Count in Missouri data book, a publication of Citizens for Missouri’s Children, confirms that children in the state are facing increasing challenges brought on by higher levels of poverty, a lack of early care and education and rising rates of infant mortality and low-birth-weight infants.
The annual report, a collaborative project of Citizens for Missouri’s Children, the Children’s Trust Fund and more than 30 public and private organizations from across the state, documents the status of children in all 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. The report covers areas such as health, education, financial security, juvenile justice and child protection.
In Texas County, which ranked 85 out of 115, positive trends were noted in students enrolled in free or reduced lunches, low birth weight infants, child deaths, child abuse and neglect, annual high school dropouts and births to teens, as well as violent deaths.
Negative factors in the county were: births to mothers without a high school diploma, infant mortality and out-of-home placements.
“By reviewing annually the status of Missouri’s children, we hope to educate the public about whether our children have the resources and supports needed to develop into healthy, well-rounded adults,” explained Munnie Pacino, CMC’s board president. “Together as a community we can work to develop policies to ensure that our children do count.”
Improving Indicators
The report uses 10 primary indicators of child welfare to assess how children in the state are faring. Data shows improvements in five indicators in the state:
Child abuse and neglect – Between 2002 and 2006, the rate decreased by 11.3 per 1,000 children.
Violent teen deaths – Between the base years of 1997/2001 and the current period of 2002/2006, the rate decreased by 6.1 per 1,000 teens
Child deaths, ages 1-14 – Between the base years of 1997/2001 and the current period of 2002/2006, the rate decreased by 2.1 per 100,000 children
Out-of-home placements – Between 2002 and 2006, the rate decreased by 1.0 per 1,000 children
Births to mothers without high school diplomas – Between 2002 and 2006, the rate decreased by 0.1 percent.
“It is encouraging to see progress on these indicators,” said Pacino. “At the same time, the incidence rates in each of these areas remains high, which underscores how much more work needs to be done.”
Declining Indicators
Five indicators showed declines in Missouri in the latest data report:
Students enrolled in free/reduced-price lunch – Between 2002 and 2006, the rate increased by 2.7 percent
Births to teens- Between 2002 and 2006, the rate increased by 1.6 percent per 1,000 teens ages 15-19
Annual high school dropouts – Between 2002 and 2006, the rate increased by 0.4 percent
Low-birth-weight infants – Between the base years of 1997/2001 and the current period of 2002/2006, the rate increased by 0.4 percent
Infant mortality – Between the base years of 1997/2001 and the current period of 2002/2006, the rate increased by 0.2 percent per 1,000 live births.
“The percent of students enrolled in the free/reduced-price lunch program is a strong indicator of a family’s poverty status,” added Pacino. “We’ve also seen a 5.1 percent increase in the number of children receiving food stamps since 2002. As families struggle to make ends meet, it becomes harder for them to provide basic necessities for their children, such as health and dental care, quality child care and early education, and a safe and secure place to live.” In Texas County, the number was nearly unchanged, dropping 48 to 2,074.
In recent years, CMC has focused its advocacy efforts on the issue of children’s health care. “The 2007 data book indicates that slightly more than 25,000 Missouri children stopped participating in Missouri’s public health insurance program during 2006,” noted Tom Vansaghi, the chairman of CMC’s Public Policy Committee. “Many of the declines that we are seeing, such as low birth weight infants and infant mortalities, can be traced to this lack of access to adequate health care.”
Vansaghi added that from 2002 until 2006, more than 20,000 more children began accessing mental health services. “Missouri is still implementing 2004’s Senate Bill 1003, which mandated a unified, comprehensive child mental health system,” he said. “The growing demand for these services underscores the importance of Missouri fully achieving this mandate as quickly as possible.”
The Texas County report can be found under “links” at www.houstonherald.com