2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book: Most Indicators Show Solid Improvement in the Well-being of West Virginia's Children
According to the 2009 West Virginia KIDS COUNT Data Book,eight of the twelve key indicators of child well-being have shown solid improvement since the start of the new millennium. The most dramatic improvements have been in the percent of eligible children served by Head Start (a 23.4% improvement) and the juvenile delinquency case rate (an 18.2% improvement). However, according to the KIDS COUNT report, three important indicators of child well-being have gotten worse. The percent of low birth-weight babies increased from 8.4% in 2000 to 9.6% in 2007, a worsening of 13.7%. The percent of children approved for free and reduced price school meals increased from 49.5% in 2000 to 53.6% in 2007, a worsening of 8.4% and evidence of increasing child poverty. And, the percent of high school dropouts increased from 16.4% in 2000 to 17.0% in 2007, a worsening of 3.7%.
"For the most part, the well-being of West Virginia's children has improved significantly since 2000," says Margie Hale, Executive Director of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund. "For organizations like KIDS COUNT that advocate for children's needs, this represents a major victory in our efforts to invest in the public structures children need to thrive and achieve. However, we are still troubled by the continued increase in the percent of low birth-weight babies, child poverty and the dropout rate. We need stronger supports for pregnant women. And we need to invest in improving the quality of childcare because we know those investments will dramatically reduce the number of kids who drop out of school."
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Why a High Quality Early Child Development System is So Important
From the moment they are born, children are profoundly shaped by the world around them. Their earliest interactions with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and all other caring adults lay the foundation on which their futures will be built.
The fact is 64,000 West Virginia children under age six spend a large part of their day in the care of someone other than their parents because their parents are working, and there is currently no good way to measure the quality of that care.
We need better public structures to ensure that every West Virginia child can benefit from a high-quality, early child development (ECD) program. According to Marshall University, for every dollar West Virginia invests in this high-quality ECD system, we will earn a $5.20 return through outcomes such as higher academic achievement and adult earning power and lower juvenile delinquency and dropout rates.
About KIDS COUNT
For the past 19 years, the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund has had a simple but vital mission: to improve the lives of at-risk children. In pursuit of that mission, KIDS COUNT has become West Virginia's most respected source of data and information about children and a recognized innovator in the effort to educate the public about what young children need to thrive and achieve.
KIDS COUNT's recent work has been focused almost exclusively on the importance of improving access to and the quality of early child development programs. For example, the organization has played a major role in the development of standards for West Virginia's pre-kindergarten (pre-k) program, fought to save the pre-k program from legislative cuts, studied the importance of early literacy, educated business leaders about the economic impact of ECD programs, launched a multi-county campaign to improve early literacy practices, and spearheaded a successful effort to improve the quality of childcare system by advocating for a childcare quality rating and improvement system.
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